Welcome back to National Parks and other public lands with T!

The Delaware and Raritan Canal opened to great fanfare in 1834. Freight now traveled between Philadelphia and New York in as little as two days! For nearly a century, coal and essential goods traveled the D&R. It became one of the nation’s busiest transportation routes.

In the beginning, mules pulled the vessels up the canal from the adjacent towpath. Later, steam-powered boats took over. Eventually, the railroads made canal transport obsolete.

Today, 70 miles of the surviving towpath and canal along the Delaware River form the Delaware and Raritan Canal State Park. This linear park is popular for jogging, hiking, bicycling, fishing, canoeing and horseback riding

Location: Central NJ along the Delaware River
Designation: State Park, National Recreational Trail
Date designated/established: 1974
Date of my visit: February 20, 2021