Section 2. Rte. 519 to N.J. Rte. 29 Gradient Difficulty Distance
631 to 3 + 6.1

Time 3.0

Scenery Excellent

GAUGE: Judge by the riffle at Rte. 12 or check the staff gauge on the downstream side of the left abutment of Raven Rock Road. It must read at least 6.0 feet.

TRIP DESCRIPTION: This is the most beautiful whitewater run that New Jersey has to offer. The first mile is a warm-up. Just be ready to quickly exit when the creek makes a hard left-hand turn under Rte. 651. Immediately below is a falls. Carry on the right. Continuous rapids then quickly lead you to a dam and two more falls. And it soon becomes apparent that this is a ledgy stream. These are often jagged reefs where your decision to run or carry may be determined by how tough the materials are that your boat is constructed of. There are diagonal drops, sloping drops, and just plain complicated drops. The above difficulty rating is emphatically for relatively low levels. High water could transform this reach into a hole-ridden horror story.
As for scenery, there is indeed ample opportunity to appreciate it from the short pools, eddies, and portages. The stream cuts a shady gorge where hemlocks thrive at the base of dark, jagged cliffs. Though there are some houses on the nearby slopes, as the miles pass, this run begins to feel very remote. Bridge enthusiasts will admire the rickety iron truss of Raven Rock Road. It has stood there since 1878.
In the final mile, the slopes diverge, and the channel begins to braid about a more gravelly bed. So you should be particularly alert now for strainers. Finish at a roadside rest on the left and upstream side of Rte. 29.
HAZARDS: Some difficult drops could have pinning potential. This being a small stream, watch for strainers, especially near the end.

GAUGE: Use the staff gauge on Raven Rock Road. As on Section 1, the level should be at least 6.0 feet.

Wickecheoke Creek


INTRODUCTION: Wickecheoke Creek enters the Delaware River less than tWo miles down- stream of the mouth of the Lockatong. Slightly larger than the Lockatong, it also cuts a beautiful and whitewater-filled gorge as it descends to the Delaware. Do both of these in a day and it will be a day you will fondly remember.
Class3
Section 1. Croton (Rte. 579) to Delaware & Raritan Canal

TRIP DESCRIPTION: This trip starts off with a few miles of mostly just fast flatwater and riffles. But it is spiced with a strong chute through a crumbling weir, a possible logjam-formed drop, and, approaching Locktown, an ominously steepening gradient. So tacking on these few extra miles serves as are commended warm-up. You will be additionally rewarded with a mostly remote passage through deep woods. There are some fine tree specimens back here, but networks of old crumbling stone walls remind you that this is anything but old growth forest.
Locktown, an attractive cluster of fine old houses, marks the beginning of the real whitewater. From here until the end, the rapids are almost continuous. A stream bed of ledges and big rocks form dozens of jagged drops. Shortly below Locktown, there is a falls and three more big drops that might also be called falls. As on the Lockatong, what you do or do not run depends on how much you are willing to abuse your boat. And also as on the Lockatong, to attempt this course at high water would only add frightening holes and pushiness to the challenge. All this excitement takes place in a gently-sloped gorge. There are quite a few houses down there and, unfortunately, many no trespassing signs. But one beautiful and unspoiled section between Scott School Road and Green Sergeant Covered Bridge is free of houses and signs. This covered bridge is the last remaining in New Jersey. Below the covered bridge, the rapids are easier, though they are still continuous. Take out at the Delaware & Raritan Canal lock access area behind old, restored Prallsville Mills along N.]. Rte. 29. Wickecheoke here actually feeds into the Delaware and Raritan Canal, rather than pass underneath. As a result, the left side of the canal is a sloping spillway to the Delaware. You clearly will want to avoid this dangerous drop.
Save some time to explore the mill complex at the mouth. Though originally established in 1711, the structures that you see now were built later and consist of a grist mill, linseed oil mill, and sawmill. The main mill is now an art gallery.
HAZARDS: Beware of jagged rocks, possible strainers, and the canal dam at the end.
 

WATER CONDITIONS: Catch within 24 hours of a hard rain in late fall, winter, or spring.

GAUGE: There are staff gauges on the Locktown Road bridge (downstream face of left abut- ment) and on Sergeant Bridge (downstream end of right abutment). Consider 0.5 feet and 2.5 feet respectively as minimum. Respective levels of one foot and three feet are exciting but reasonable levels at which to attempt this challenging run.