Go Back  Bike Forums > Community Connections > Regional Discussions > Northeast
Reload this Page >

Delaware Water Gap to Cape May trip

Notices
Northeast Connecticut | Maine | Massachusetts | New Hampshire | New Jersey | New York |Rhode Island | Vermont |

Delaware Water Gap to Cape May trip

Old 09-02-20, 07:22 AM
  #1  
Charris519
Newbie
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Sep 2019
Posts: 3
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 1 Time in 1 Post
Delaware Water Gap to Cape May trip

Hey All,
A buddy and I are looking to do a multi-day trip from DWG, PA to Cape May, NJ in early- to mid-October. Current plan is:
Day 1: Delaware Water Gap to Lambertville
Day 2: Lambertville to Pemberton
Day 3: Pemberton to Atlantic City
Day 4: Atlantic City to Cape May
Staying at cheap hotels or AirBNBs along the way.

Has anyone done this trip (or a portion) before? Any pointers? Things to pack? Sights to see? Any friendly advice is welcome!
Charris519 is offline  
Old 09-02-20, 09:51 AM
  #2  
UniChris
Senior Member
 
UniChris's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2017
Location: Northampton, MA
Posts: 1,909

Bikes: 36" Unicycle, winter knock-around hybrid bike

Mentioned: 15 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 930 Post(s)
Liked 393 Times in 282 Posts
I can really only comment on Easton to Morrisville/Trenton along the Delaware and its canals if you chose to go that way, which I don't know if you will.

Through much of the Delaware portion you have options on both sides, often the PA side is more scenic and the NJ faster going. Some of the paths are really nice, some can be a bit soggy at times. There are frequent bridges back and forth but they are all walk-only. Could also often see people riding the road on NJ side rather than either towpath, and you're clearly going to be doing that a lot in other sections; the roads on the PA side looked narrower.

Between Easton and Uhlerstown/Frenchtown there's not much (at least on the PA side, which is the only one with a towpath in that section) - a gas station somewhere in Rieglsville but few other options to resupply. Frenchtown, New Hope, Lambertville, etc are very pricey tourist spots and even if you decide you're willing to pay, on a nice day you may get absurd wait times for food. The former train station at Stockton isn't terrible for price or wait, and I finally found a cheap bodega on the south side a block back from the water in New Hope. It could be worth the detour to the actual grocery store in Frenchtown. You may want to adjust the overnight depending on what you can find - there was an airbnb in Kintnersville I considered before refactoring the trip, but generally its a pricey area for lodging.

There is a spillway around Riegelsville which sometimes has an inch or two of water on it; when I rode in March the canal was basically empty but that's something you can check.

Also beware Easton is on top of a mountain, and much of it very car-centric design, sounds like you're not really stopping there so try to just skirt it.

A few of the bridges over the PA side towpath are too low to ride under. Many have sharply carved water channels in their red clay, hiding in the shade of the bridge.

If riding south on the NJ side towpath between Stockton and Lambertville, be sure not to miss the dogleg under the RT202 bridge, otherwise you end up on an abandoned rail ROW that gets steadily worse and worse, rather than the path which is fine. The dogleg crosses residual tracks; the east side of which is embedded in the surface but the west side of the west rail is exposed, an unexpected drop that nearly spilled me.

In terms of things to see, the little tourist towns are cute. The bridge at Bull's Island is unique. On the PA side opposite Stockton you can see some disused canal boats for tourist rides mired in the mud. New hope shows bits of the canal history but the towpath isn't really usable south of the bridge until after the locks and detour back out to the rive. There's a neat mill complex just north of Lambertville. Washington Crossing is worth a quick look-see as an outdoor museum. And the PA side generally has a number of picturesque estates and buildings fronting the canal.

Even if you're planning mostly to use roads, if you go near the Delaware try to do a few miles on each towpath just for the experience.

Last edited by UniChris; 09-02-20 at 10:03 AM.
UniChris is offline  
Old 09-02-20, 03:43 PM
  #3  
arbee
Junior Member
 
arbee's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2014
Location: New York City
Posts: 146
Mentioned: 6 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 60 Post(s)
Liked 27 Times in 17 Posts
Originally Posted by Charris519
Day 1: Delaware Water Gap to Lambertville
<snip>
Staying at cheap hotels or AirBNBs along the way.
Specific to your plan to overnight in Lambertville, I know no lodgings consistent with "cheap hotels or AirBNB", but I heartily recommend a visit to Inn of the Hawke either to dine or for a beverage of your choice. Or both.

From the Feeder Canal, exit the canal path at what may or may not be Mt Hope St (no signs on any of my visits). Continue east one block to Inn of the Hawke; then, continue another block, turn left (north) on Wilson St. On a sequence of visits, unofficial bicycle parking at the northeast corner of the building improved to a bicycle parking lot (don't block the kitchen), next to the unoffical entrance to the garden. The only thing lacking here: hammocks. My one complaint: this place was so perfect that I never tried Marhaba (mid-east menu), across the street and also well-recommended. If you're looking for just the basics, there's Cycle Corner which includes a coffee bar and pastries.

On one visit to Inn of the Hawke at about this time of year, a bacon-lettuce-and-tomato sandwich was sublime.

For postprandial entertainment, particularly if you've had a few drinks, Inn of the Hawke also offers ... more.
arbee is offline  
Old 09-08-20, 12:34 PM
  #4  
indyfabz
Senior Member
 
indyfabz's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2010
Posts: 39,045
Mentioned: 210 Post(s)
Tagged: 1 Thread(s)
Quoted: 18318 Post(s)
Liked 15,261 Times in 7,219 Posts
"Cheap hotel in Lambertville" does not compute, except for maybe The Bridgestreet House.

I have ridden from DWG to Lambertville more times than I can remember. Note that it can get very cold up there even in mid-October. One year I did the Black Bear Century at that time it was 34 degrees at the start.

From DWG you take PA 611 to Portland, PA. From there, you can either: (1) Take the minor roads along the river to Mt. Bethel and cross over the river into NJ at Belvidere, or (2) cross the river from Portland using a pedestrian/bike bridge, take U.S. 46 south and then make a right onto Manuka Chunk Rd. at the traffic light. That will take you to Belvidere. Option 1 has some hills, roads without shoulders and a couple of bad sight lines. Option (2) has more traffic, but it's flat, at U.S. 46 has a wide, good shoulder.

Belvidere is worth a look around. Cool town square surrounded by restored Victorian houses. The Skoogy's Deli location on Greenwich St. (there are two in town) has good sandwiches and a bathroom where you can fill bottles. Grab lunch at ride to the nearby town square.

South from Belvidere you'd be nuts to do anything other than follow the small roads that roughly parallel the river. Foul Rift, S. Foul Rift and River Rd./CR 621 to Phillipsburg. It's the nicest 13 miles in that area. And you won't have any trucks because of the low, narrow railroad overpasses. If I encounter 6 moving vehicles before Phillipsburg it's been a heavy traffic day. On one flat stretch with the river visible on the right there is a large tree that bears markers showing how high the river got during certain floods. I believe it's shortly after the blue metal bridge over the railroad. Also look for the house on stilts on the left.

Phillipsburg sucks. You can cross over to Easton and take the D&L Canal Trail all the way to New Hope, PA, and cross over into Lambertville. I find the trail monotonous. And you will want more than road tires. Or you can stay on the NJ side. If you do that, head down S. Main then make a right onto Carpentersville Rd. At the top of the hill, make a right to cross over I-78 then descend back down to the river, cross the railroad tracks and continue heading south on River Rd.. Look for some lime kilns on your left. In Riegellsville, NJ, you will see the Roebling Bridge to PA. Yes. Same guy who designed the Brooklyn Bridge. Just after town you will cross the Musconetcong River. As soon as you do, make a right onto Old River Rd. Not only does it avoid a small climb, it's really pretty. It will take you right back to what has become CR 627. Make a right and continue heading south. This entire stretch is far more interesting and scenic than the trail on the PA side. Another problem with the PA trail is that if there is a washout or other closure you have to get on PA 611 and/or PA 32. You don't want to ride on those roads.

Milford has a decent market and a few other places to get food and drink. Make a left on Bridge then a right at the Citgo onto Frenchtown Rd. This road sort of sucks. There is a shoulder (narrow in some places) and there can be some traffic. Good news is that's its only about 3 miles to Frenchtown. Or if you can deal with some gravel, you drop down a gravel road to the D&R Trail and take that to Frenchtown. (Look at Google Maps to see what I am talking about for all of this.)

The trail continues south from Frenchtown to L'Ville and eventually Trenton. You can also take NJ 29 south from Frenchtown. The section between Frenchtown and Stockton is a popular cycling route with a wide shoulder. Again, I find the trail monotonous. Make sure you pop into Bull's Island Recreation Area. Water, bathrooms and a nice view of the river from the pedestrian bridge.

From Stockton (there is another market there) south, I highly recommend the trail. NJ 29 loses its shoulder and is windy in places. Note the comment above about not ending up off the trail after you pass under U.S. 202. The trail crosses Bridge St., in the heart of L'Ville.

Any questions?

Last edited by indyfabz; 09-08-20 at 12:38 PM.
indyfabz is offline  

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off


Thread Tools
Search this Thread

Contact Us - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Terms of Service -

Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Use of this site indicates your consent to the Terms of Use.