ABOUT THE PARK:
Delaware & Raritan Canal State Park
DIRECTIONS:
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| Kingston Lock Parking |
TRAIL MAP:
D&R Canal State Park Map
HIKE DISTANCE:
5.8 miles total out and back (2.9 miles each way)
THE HIKE:
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| Heading south at the Kingston Lock. |
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| Towpath along the canal. |
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| Spillway |
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| Yuk |
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| Some fall colors along the way. |
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| Carnegie Lake on the right. |
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| Mallard couples in the canal. |
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| The canal on the left, Carnegie Lake on the right. |
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| A few Great Blue Herons had taken off (and squawked loudly about it) as we approached but this guy sat still and posed. |
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| Buoyfuls of cormorants |
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| Blue Jay |
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| Coming up on a bridge. |
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| Looking south down the canal from the bridge. |
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| We took the bridge south on the other side of the canal. |
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| Swan parents with their teenager. |
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| Looking north at the canal, the D&R towpath, Carnegie Lake. |
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| The bridge on the far side of the canal leads to a path in a gas pipeline. |
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| The towpath across the canal where we will be northbound soon. |
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| Coming up on Harrison Street. |
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| A right across the canal on the bridge. |
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| Looking north up the canal from the Harrison Street bridge. |
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| Another right to head north on the towpath. |
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| Looking back across the canal at where we were earlier. |
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| More cormorants in Carnegie Lake. |
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| Even more cormorants in the trees along Carnegie Lake. |
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| Even MORE along the banks. I have never seen so many cormorants in one place at the same time. This must be a stop over on their migration route. |
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| Coming back up on the bridges but first, a side trail to the left that leads to ... |
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| ... views of Carnegie Lake and ... |
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| ... the bridge that the towpath crosses on. |
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| Carnegie Lake Crew |
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| Downy Woodpecker |
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| Great Egret |
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| Crab Apples |
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| Shawnee's new hiking boots to keep her from scraping her nails down to the quick when she drags her paws. I have looked high and low for just the right boots and these performed beautifully. She likes them, too! |
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| More cormorants and a couple of seagulls. |
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| Kingston Lock just before the parking lot to the left. |
I am inspired by how well you take care of Shawnee getting her hiking boots to make her feel more comfortable. God Bless you both for still being able to hike together. This looks like a nice path and not too steep. I have heard a lot about it but have never been. It's pretty far from where I live in Denville. Thanks for sharing! Joanne from NJ
ReplyDeleteNot steep at all! It's flat as a pancake. You are pretty close to the Sussex Branch Trail and it's very similar.
DeleteHave you seen the Ruff Wear polar-tex dog boot (just got an e-mail on it) with what looks like a well made Vibram sole? I'm not sure but Shawnee's vest appears to be a Ruff Wear type item so I thought that you might be interested in the polar-tex style boot for the coming cold and snowy days. Just sending this in case it might be helpful. Bill from Clifton
ReplyDeleteWe are huge fans of Ruffwear and yes her hiking harness as well as some other things she has are Ruffwear but their boots (and many, many others I looked at) weren't quite what I had in mind. I needed something really lightweight and flexible yet durable for when she knuckles with her bad leg and these Hurtta boots turned out to be perfect.
Delete