Delaware and Raritan Canal State Park, NJ - Lawrenceville to Scudders Falls and Delaware Canal State Park, PA - Scudders Falls to Falls Township

ABOUT THE PARK: 

Delaware & Raritan Canal State Park - New Jersey Division of Parks and Forestry

Delaware Canal State Park - Commonwealth of Pennsylvania

DIRECTIONS: 

GPS Coordinates 40.27904, -74.70107

Parking off US Route 1 at the D&R pedestrian bridge.

TRAIL MAPS:

Delaware & Raritan Canal State Park - New Jersey Division of Parks and Forestry

D&R Towpath and D&R Greenway through Trenton

Delaware Canal State Park - Commonwealth of Pennsylvania

BIKE DISTANCE:  35.3 miles

THE BIKE: 

First I had to capture a small section to meet up with where I left off previously on July 13, 2025.

Taking the pedestrian bridge over US Route 1.

The trail to the left leads to the Lawrence Hopewell Trail - this is where I left off before.  That bird in the upper right ...

... that would be a bald eagle.

Heading back.

Now continuing towards Trenton on the D&R Canal Towpath.

At Bakers Basin Road the trail continues on the other side of the canal.

At the Carnegie Road bridgetender's house the D&R towpath skips back over to the other side of the canal but I kept straight and would be returning from the other side.

This trail comes out at Whitehead Road which is a very dicey crossing.  Actually, there is no crossing over 4 lanes of speeding traffic mingled with busy US Route 1 on and off ramps.  So there is a plan that started in 2021 for a bridge replacement with pedestrian crossing with construction in 2026-2027.  Say what?  In the meantime there is NOTHING - no crosswalk, no pedestrian crossing signs, no nothing.  So how about grabbing a $20 bucket of paint and painting some stripes across road until construction happens?  This totally blows my mind. Fortunately I crossed early on a Sunday morning when traffic was light.  I was concerned about the return later in the day but would have to deal with that when the time came.

So for now a right on Whitehead Road over the canal then left to cross over just beyond the end of the guardrail on the left.

A left on Mulberry Street ...

... leads to an adequate crossing with signs.

And once over Mulberry Street, the trail becomes paved all the way into Trenton.

What is this poor baby doing here with US Route 1 a stone's throw away to the right?

And then there is this one.  She was friendly, not feral. 

I would have taken her with me had there been a way to but there was not and she took off.

Coming into Trenton there is the towpath and the greenway.  I would be taking the greenway back.

It's mostly walking the bike through Trenton with lots of road crossings, sidewalks and twists and turns.  It's a pretty sad area in a state of disrepair with litter everywhere.

Interesting pedestrian crossing.

This part was particularly creepy.  The trail goes along the fence to the end then to the right through a dark, trashy area.

I took the trail to Calhoun Street up ahead past that large beige building where I crossed and turned left leaving the D&R Towpath.

Following Calhoun Street to ...

... the Calhoun Street Bridge over the Delaware River.

While I was standing on the bridge taking pictures, I zoomed in to the brown pier thing (?) jutting out into the water to see what birds were there.

Nice!  A great egret and a juvenile little blue heron.

Here they are again.  And when I uploaded the next picture I was shocked to see something other than a bird that I had not seen when I took the picture.

Where the heck did that fox come from?

Entering Pennsylvania the other side of the bridge I turned left at the crosswalk ...

... then left again ...

... then right on the Capital View Riverwalk.

At the end a hard right ...

... on Park Avenue then at the bend a right through Williamson Park to...

... a right on North Delmorr Avenue for a short distance.

Then a left on Franklin Street (there was no street sign) that leads to the Delaware Canal Towpath.

I turned left where the trail shares a paved residential road before leaving to the right.

Greater Yellowlegs

I rode out a few miles to Old Bristol Pike where I turned around and headed back.  I could have kept going because it was such a picture perfect day but I had to keep in mind the mileage to get back.

On that short paved section where I had come off of Franklin Street and keeping straight to Scudders Falls.

I thought it was a statue at first because there was no movement.  But it was real.

I would hate to be a frog or a fish looking into that eye.

Leaving the Delaware Canal Towpath to the Scudders Falls Shared Use Path over the I-295 Bridge.

You are allowed to ride a bike on this one but there are also pullouts to stop ...

... for a shot of the Delaware River to the left of the island ...

... and to the right of the island heading back over to New Jersey.

Different species sharing the space so nicely.

Taking the ramp all the way down ...

... to a hard right on the Delaware and Raritan Canal Towpath.

The other end of the greenway/towpath split.  I went right to do an out-and-back over to Calhoun Street where I had left off previously.

At Calhoun Street turning back.

Now taking the greenway to the left which is a much nicer path - no trash, no road crossing, no creepy sections.  

Just before this spot is where the greenway and towpath converge; now retracing on the towpath.

Battle Monument Park

Leaving Trenton back on the paved portion.

Coming up on that horrid Whitehead Road crossing I was lucky - got there just as there was a break in the traffic and was able to immediately cross.  I had a backup plan had I needed it.  If you turn right and go to the next intersection there are traffic lights where you can cross more safely to the other side then return back.

I know, turtle picture overload but I love them!

Back at the parking lot where I was still the only car there.  Doesn't seem to be heavily used at all.

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