Paddling the rivers of the New Jersey Pine Barrens

The lakes up north may still be frozen over but, if you have to paddle, the rivers of southern NJ are wonderful.  Generally, a shuttle is warranted - paddling upstream can be done but is hard work - I know from experience.  The wild areas of the Pine Barrens are not what most folks think of when it comes to NJ.  The Fall is also a great time to visit.

The Mullica River.

The Oswego River:

A VIDEO

The Wading River:

 Backcountry camping area on the Mullica River.

The Pinelands National Reserve is approximately 1.1 million acres and spans portions of seven counties and all or part of 56 municipalities. The reserve occupies 22% of New Jersey's land area and it is the largest body of open space on the Mid-Atlantic seaboard between Richmond and Boston.

June 18-21, 2022 - Forest fire over 13,000 acres - Mullica River area closed between Atsion & Batsto.

June 10 (Fri), 2022 - MULLICA RIVER.  Atsion to Pleasant Mills.  My favorite Pine Barrens river.  15' wide early on, twisty & tunnel-like, but deeper than the other rivers, fair amount of snags just below the surface but that is just all part of the fun.  Becomes more open with fragrant white & bullhead lilies, some flowering blue flag & pickerelweed, 2 beaver lodges, 1 beaver dam to pull over before reaching Old Mullica Camp, stopped for lunch.  R channel has a bit of a drop with hard L & some low-hanging trees - 2 of us took this fun route, 2 others lifted over the beaver dam in the main channel.  Next section still has some minor impediments.  Stopped at Mullica Wilderness Camp for a break.  The river slowly gets wider after that & we made better progress.  Lots of high sandy banks.  Had ~10 miles with river to ourselves, after Constable Bridge we saw a few other folks enjoying the river in a variety of ways.  Great blue herons, lots of songbirds.  Temp in low 80s, light wind.  12.1 miles, 6.3 hours.

Wharton State Forest.  More details.

          

June 9 - WADING RIVER.  Rained overnight.  Dropped off a car at the take-out, Beaver Branch, at the end of a dirt road.  More sand/dirt roads to the put-in on Tulpehocken Creek at Hawkin Bridge.  A bit of shallows on the creek but soon meet the Wading.  Lots of mountain laurel blooming on the upper river.  The bends are less sharp than the Oswego & the river is a bit wider.  Passed under Godfrey Bridge & found a nice bank for lunch soon after.  Under Evans Bridge.  Quite a few nice high sandy banks, cranberry grows in many places.  Saw 5 other boats in 2nd half of trip - this is the most popular river in the area, with a rental place, Mick's, nearby.  Juvenile turkey, lots of songbirds, a turtle with 12" carapace.  Temp in the mid-80s, less humid, windy (not felt much on the river).  No bad bugs while paddling.  9.8 miles, 4.5 hours.  After dinner, drove thru nearby Tuckerton to watch the sunset from the end of Great Bay Boulevard (State Conservation Area), short walk on the beach with view of the Atlantic past the inlet, & Atlantic City in the distance.  Light mosquito activity at camp in the evening & early morning.  A raccoon visited our campsite in the evening.

    

June 8. 2022 - Drove down from upstate NY & got to BASS RIVER STATE FOREST campground around mid-day & set up camp for 3 nights.  Lots of mountain laurel was flowering throughout the campground, also a little sheep laurel.  Noticed some ticks on the tent as I was setting it up, & knocked one off my leg.  

Dropped a car off at Harrisville Pond & drove to Oswego Lake where we put in.  Short paddle across to the dam, then very short carry down to the OSWEGO RIVER.  Fairly shallow (Harrisville gage 10.25'), twisty.  Banks <2' with mostly Atlantic white cedars.  Took a short break at Martha Pond, the site of an old bog-iron works where 400 folks used to live, dates back to the late 18th century - now reverting to nature.  The high sandy banks became more common topped with pitch pine, oak, & blueberry.  Across Harrisville Pond to take-out.  Saw no one on the river.  Snake, 3 deer.  Temp in upper 80s, humid.  8.1 miles, 3.9 hours.  Made dinner in the dark.  Whip-poor-wills called in the evenings & less so in the mornings.  More Details.

 

Apr 21, 2014 - WADING RIVER from Hawkins Bridge to Beaver Branch.  Shuttle (half on sand roads) by Mick's Canoe Rental - $30 + tip.  A bit wider & less twisty than the other pine barrens rivers.  Lovely warm sunny day.  Lots of cranberry along shores.  A group of whitetail deer.  6+ hours (a couple of long breaks on high sandy banks in the pines).  

Take-out dinner (Stewart's), Tuckerton Beach overlooking Great Egg Harbor - saw my 1st loon of the season.    

Apr 20 - NJ Pine Barrens canoeing Part II.  MULLICA RIVER from Constable Bridge (1.3-mile drive on a sand road).  Wharton State Forest.  Upstream against a moderate current to Mullica River Wilderness Campsite where we took a long break.  Generally 20'-30' wide.  Shores of Atlantic white cedar & pitch pines, some backwater areas.  Lots of songbirds, got close to an eastern towhee, interesting song.  Lots less time & effort heading back downstream.  5+ hours.  Prospector style canoe is perfect for twisty Pine Barrens rivers.  

Dinner (Doyle's Pour House) in Tuckerton, sunset over Great Bay from Great Bay Blvd WMA, campfire & camping at Bass River SF (very few other campers).  

Apr 14 - OSWEGO RIVER.  Forecast: S winds 15-20mph, gusts to 35mph, temp in mid-70s.  Normally start on Harrisville Lake but wanted to avoid the wind so drove 1.1 miles up a narrow sand road E of the lake & parked at a high sandy bank above the river.  Shallower than the Batsto with gravel & sand bottom.  Paddled upstream (stronger current than the Batsto) past cedar lowlands & pine/oak uplands for an hour to Martha Pond where the river splits into several channels around islands - the challenge here is to find a route with deep water.  Stopped at the site of the old mining village of Martha where there is an old structure that I think was used to bring water up to the village.  A joy going back downstream, past my put-in a short distance to the lake.  Only saw 1 kayaker today.  Spent much of the afternoon relaxing in the peacefulness (altho the wind was rocking the treetops) & relative remoteness at my put-in.  A lovely day, tough to leave.      

Apr 13 - NJ PINE BARRENS canoeing Part I.  BATSTO LAKE & RIVER.  The lake is just a dammed portion of the river, one can see where the channel winds thru the lake & it is best to stay in the channel to avoid shallows.  The wild sandy-bottomed river twists & turns with a light to moderate current to paddle against.  Much of the shoreline is maple (red buds opening) swamp & cedar lowlands (less than 5' above water level), cranberry seen along the shore.  After a couple of hours some higher land with pitch pines & oaks, some high sandy banks - good for a break.  4WD road comes close to W shore, Batona Trail close to E shore.  Returning with the aid of the current was very enjoyable.  Hundreds of turtles (large red-bellied & small spotted) sunning themselves.  Temp in mid-70s.  Saw quite a few other paddlers, most not wearing PFDs - I watched a group of 5 kayakers put in upstream & there was not a PFD in sight.  Good gusty headwind coming back on the lake.  A beautiful Sunday in spring - one car at canoe launch when I started, a dozen when I left.  5.7 hours.  Swift Keewaydin 15, a 15' lightweight solo canoe.  

Nov 3, 2013 - FORSYTHE NWR.  Scouted out some areas on Barnegat Bay.  Walk at Eno's Pond.  Drive home.

Enjoyed using the Bending Branches Expedition Plus paddle - a most comfortable t-grip for maneuvering strokes, squared off at bottom of blade for maximum purchase in shallow water.  On lakes, I prefer a more rounded blade like the Espresso Plus ST.

Nov 2 - WADING RIVER from Hawkin Bridge to Beaver Branch.  Start is on Tuplehocken Creek, a short split around an island was shallow, soon reach the WR.  Wider & more current than the other rivers, no obstructions.  Godfrey Bridge camping area has been moved away from the river.  Lots of colorful maples & oaks, some good sandy banks for breaks.  6.5-mile shuttle, some of it on dirt & sand roads thru interesting pinelands (saw a red-tailed hawk take off with a grey squirrel in its claws).  ~10 miles, 4.8 hrs.        

Nov 1 - Rainy day tourists.  Tuckerton Beach post-Sandy.  Tuckerton Seaport museum - snow geese.  Pygmy Pine Plains from Bombing Range (!) Rd  Wildlife Drive, 8 miles at the Forsythe NWR - brants, great egrets, Atlantic City.  Sunset from Great Bay Blvd WMA.  Being a Friday, more campers move in to our campground - fairly deserted Sun-Thu.

Oct 31, 2013 - CEDAR CREEK from Dover Forge to the White Bridge at Double Trouble Village.  Double Trouble SP.  Clearest water with sandy/grassy bottom.  Starts wide, passing area of dwarf pines & cedars then narrows & the current picks up, widens again at Ore Pond.  200' portage around L side of the dam.  2 beaver dams.  Wood ducks.  Easy shuttle but parking at the village is a 6 min. walk from the take-out - you are allowed to drive to the White Bridge but cannot park there.  3.3 hrs.  

1.5-mile loop walk on nature trail- cranberry bogs & woods.  1 hr.  

Oct 30 - MANAHAWKIN BAY from The Bridge to Nowhere.  Close to low tide.  Marshy islands & creeks.  Paddled N on Cedar Creek then R to Log Creek Pond.  Continued NE thru North Pond, across the wide mouth of Big Flat Creek until we were out on the bay by Marshelder Island.  Returned E of the islands & thru Turtle Cove.  Long Beach Island is seen 1-2 miles to the E - a barrier island with much development.  Barnegat Light is seen across Barnegat Bay to the NNE.  Mussels & oysters. Fairly calm, saw just 4 motorboats on the bay.  Nowhere to land for lunch.  Many ducks.  Some rain.  2.8 hrs.    

Oct 29 - MULLICA RIVER from Atsion to Pleasant Mills.  Most varied landscape - mixed forest, open marsh, piney, maple swamp, cedars, some high sandy banks.  6 beaver dams + 1 liftover.  Water level much better than yesterday.  Longer shuttle, all paved roads.  12+ miles, 6.3 hrs.     

Oct 28 - OSWEGO RIVER.  Across Oswego Lake, upstream on the OR for half an hour then returned to OL.  Portaged around dam then downstream on the shallow cedar-lined OR (had to get out & line some early portions) to Harrisville Lake's piney shores where we saw a bald eagle.  Easy shuttle.  ~10 miles, 5.5 hrs.  

Oct 27- Nov 3 - NJ PINELANDS canoeing.  Bass River SF - camping in an enclosed 4-sided "lean-to" with a wood stove.  Oswego, Mullica & Wading Rivers are in Wharton SF.  Daytime highs low 60s to high 60s, overnight lows high 20s to 60F...

Oct 15, 2012 - MULLICA RIVER canoeing from Pleasant Mills, upstream to above Constable Bridge & back.  Lots of high sandy banks.  Maples turning red.  Slow to moderate current.  3.5 hours.

Oct 14 - WADING RIVER canoeing.  Evans Bridge to Beaver Branch.  Good current, gentler turns, no major obstructions.  Lots of cranberry plants but no berries.  Saw quite a few rental kayaks & canoes on this Sunday with temp above 70F.  4 hours (incl. long break on a high sandy bank).  

Oct 13 - BATSTO RIVER canoeing.  Hampton Furnace to Batsto Lake.  Temp below freezing early this morning but warmed up nicely.  Sun shining thru a haze amongst cedars - looked for elves.  Half dozen trees down en route - challenging getting over or around them (especially for the kayakers).  Slow current, very twisty.  8.6 hours, finished after sunset.  16-mile drive between start & end, some of it on dirt roads.  

Oct 12 - OSWEGO RIVER canoeing.  NJ Pine Barrens - pitch pine & oaks on high sandy areas, cedars on lowland, red maples in swamps.  Oswego Lake to Harrisville Lake.  6.1 mile drive between put-in & take-out.  One obstruction which we had to get out for besides the short portage around the dam on Oswego Lake.  Moderate current, quite twisty. 8 miles, 4.5 hours.  "The key incident"!  Not good when the key to the vehicle at the take-out is in one of the vehicles at the put-in!  Took another 2 hours to get the ranger over to help us.

Oct 11 - GREAT BAY BOULEVARD WMA kayaking, Tuckerton NJ From the end of the road there is a short carry to a beach at the end of the peninsula which separates Little Egg Harbor & Great Bay, the inlet to the Atlantic Ocean is not far out.  NE on Shooting Thorofare.  Poked into a small creek & got up it quite a ways.  Out toward Little Egg Harbor, a large bay.  L into Little Sheepshead Creek which is fairly wide even at low tide.  L into Newman's Thorofare.  An old fish factory is seen on the eastern of the Seven Islands.  Could see Atlantic City ~10 miles away.  Paddled against a strong current especially around Hatfield Point as the tide was coming in.  Coast Guard Station.  Egrets, little blue heron.  4 hours.       

Oct 10 - ABSEGAMI LAKE canoeing, Bass River State Forest near Tuckerton NJ.  Moved into a campground "shelter", a small cabin w/living area & 2 bunkrooms w/double bunks.  Paddled the small lake right from our shelter.  Turtles, osprey.  

Nov 3-6, 2011 - NJ PINE BARRENS canoeing.  Wharton SF.  Hired Bel Haven Paddlesports to shuttle us to the put-ins on the Wading & Mullica ($20-$26).  Lowland (under 2' above rivers) Atlantic white cedar/red maple, upland pitch pine/oaks/huckleberry.  Rivers mostly undeveloped.  Military planes make for some noisy periods.

Nov 5&6 - MULLICA RIVER overnight from Atsion to Crowley Landing.  6.8 miles in 3 hours (incl. half-hour lunch) to Mullica Camp ($2pp primitive backcountry camping with water & outhouses); narrow at first with alders, some sandy banks then widens pond-like before reaching Old Mullica Camp at 2.6 miles, sweetgum leaves deep red.  Then there are a few beaver dams & obstructions before passing thru a maple swamp.  Shared camping area with about 20 others, mostly backpackers, moderate privacy.  The river continues to be a bit wider but fairly wild until Pleasant Mills, after that there are houses on river R, the river is tidal & widens.   "Saxman & friends" seen in someone's backyard.  Take-out at a turnout (we thought it would be safer to leave the car here overnight) just W of Crowley Landing boat launch.  ~8 miles (Enjnir's GPS batteries died).  Rte. 542 is closed at the bridge over the Mullica W of Batsto so the shuttle is a bit longer than usual until they fix the road - the outfitter said it could be a couple of years. 

Had time to drive back to Great Bay Blvd WMA to see what everything looked like in daylight - very marshy with some sandy beach.  The Mullica empties out into Great Bay before reaching the Atlantic.    Nov 4 - WADING RIVER from Hawkins Bridge to Beaver Branch.  Barrens river with the strongest current, least obstructions & least sharp turns.  Varied shores but mostly cedar, some maples added color.  Passed Godfrey Bridge Campground (semi-primitive, $20), a private campground, Evans Bridge, Bodine Field (primitive car camping $2pp).  Dirt road to Beaver Branch a bit rough.  Lots of cranberries.  Hawk, turkey vulture, squirrels.  ~10 miles.  

Drove out of Tuckerton on Great Bay Blvd at night a few miles thru WMA to end of the peninsula near an outlet to the ocean - could see lights of Atlantic City.   

Nov 3 - HARRISVILLE LAKE & OSWEGO RIVER.  Check in to Bass River SF campground for 2 nights then a short drive to HL.  HL shores of pine, OR shores cedar, some sandy banks.  At Martha Pond there are several channels around islands - I would not call it a pond.  Moderate current, lots easier coming back.  Some cranberries at the water's edge.  Turtles, deer.  8+ miles.

 

Oct 9-14, 2010 - NJ PINE BARRENS.  Wharton State Forest.  The Pine Barrens are to NJ what the Adirondacks are to NY.  Set up shuttles for downriver runs.  Oswego, Mullica, Batsto & Wading Rivers provide miles of wild, undeveloped shoreline.  Rivers have many sharp turns - this will tire you especially if your turning strokes are not too efficient.  Lowland (<5' above the water) has red maples (some in fall colors) & Atlantic white cedars; upland (>5') pitch pines & oaks; sandy soil.  High temps 75-80F the first few days then in the mid 60s, lows 45-60F.  Tent camped at Atsion Family Campground the 1st 2 nights, cabin ($45 for 4 beds/2 bedrooms) for next 2 nights.

Oct 13 & 14 - BATSTO RIVER.  Backcountry camping at Lower Forge (designated site).  Hampton Furnace (just a few feet wide here & barely enough depth to float the boat) to Batsto Lake.  Much lowland.  3.25 hours to campsite (shared with 1 late-arriving backpacker);  3.5 hours from camp to Batsto (early morning paddle with some mist on the water); osprey.  

Drove to Belleplain SP - stayed in a yurt (bunkbeds for 4) for 2 nights.        

Oct 12 - BATSTO VILLAGE.  Short hike on Tom's Pond Trail, visited a section of the Mullica we had paddled.  Found & sampled a cranberry.  Visited the historic old village.  Hung out at Batsto Lake before moving into cabin.  Started reading John McPhee's The Pine Barrens for some background.   

Oct 11 - WADING RIVER.  Short upstream & back from Beaver Branch, just wanted to find a nice spot on a high sandy bank for long lunch & relax - 80F today.  Very little current at first but soon became work as the current picked up.  Cranberries, turtles.  

Oct 10 - MULLICA RIVER.  Atsion to Pleasant Mills.  Starts out 10'-20' wide, mostly hardwoods on shores.  Opens up into a wide marshy area before Old Mullica Camp, a nice spot for a break.  After this, beaver dams & obstructions are frequent.  Later the river widens & there are more of the trademark Pine Barrens high sandy banks.  Has the most scenic variety.  12.1 miles, 6.25 hours.    

Oct 9 - OSWEGO RIVER.  Oswego Lake to Harrisville Lake.  Easy shuttle.  Short carry around a dam to get on the river.  Cedar shores early, piney shores later.  Kestrel.  Cloudless 75F.  Ran into 2 largish groups - one group of renters had 3 capsizes in the first half of their trip - luckily water is generally shallow & sandy-bottomed.  7.5 miles, 3.75 hours. 

Oct 13, 2009 - BATSTO RIVER.  Batsto Lake upstream & back.  No obstructions in this section.  10.5 miles.    

Oct 11-12 - NEW JERSEY PINE BARRENS, MULLICA RIVER, BATSTO RIVER.  From Rt.206.  Spotted cars in Batsto.  Varied scenery, twisty, undeveloped, one obstruction we had to get out for, beaver dams all runnable.  Backcountry camping at Mullica River Wilderness Camp ($2pp) - had it all to ourselves on Sunday night of Columbus Day weekend.  The river continues undeveloped to Batsto, where we saw & cleaned up some trash.  After Pleasant Mills the R shore has houses & river becomes tidal.  We turn into & paddle upstream on the undeveloped Batsto River, many obstructions in the last mile to Rt.542.  6.8 miles 1st day, 9.8 miles 2nd day.    

Oct 10 - ATSION LAKE, MULLICA RIVER, GOSHEN POND.  Set up camp at Atsion Campground then went for a paddle.  Put in at E end of the campground.  From Atsion Lake upstream on Mullica River to low bridge.  Carried around bridge & continued - narrow, current, multiple obstructions, persevered & finally into Goshen Pond, a shallow widening of the river with primitive campsites accessible by car.  Back to Atsion.  4.4 miles.  Wharton State Forest.  NJ Pine Barrens - hard to believe one is in NJ. 

Oct 11-15, 2008 - NJ PINE BARRENS canoeing.  Wharton State Forest.  High temps 72-80F, lows high 40s to low 60s, lots of sun, no rain.  Water levels fairly low so more obstructions than usual.  "Rivers" generally 10' to 30' wide.  Wet areas dominated by red maple (red fall foliage) & Atlantic white cedar; dry areas by pitch pine & oak (red leaves of blueberry in understory).  I paddled bow a lot - lots to do for the bow paddler on these twisty streams incl. draws, cross-bow draws, pries, bow rudder, etc.; Frankenstern took over j-stroking chores from the back.  Would have loved to have a Royalex Bell Chestnut Prospector for this trip for its maneuverability & durability. 

Oct 15 - OSWEGO RIVER.  Oswego Lake to Harrisville Lake.  Wading again early on below Oswego Lake dam but little debris & nice firm gravelly bottom.  Cedars dominate early, then pines.

Oct 14 - WADING RIVER.  Yeah!!! wading!!!...from Speedwell we go downstream with lots of debris & liftovers, walking more than paddling, decided to turn back.  Restarted further downstream Hawkin Bridge to Evans Bridge.  Less sharp turns, no major obstructions & more current than the other rivers.  Cranberry farming area NE side of Wharton.

Oct 13 - MULLICA RIVER  from Rt.206 to Pleasant Mills.  Much variety & my favorite.  6 beaver dams - liftover 4 of them; carried 100 yds. around 2 at Old Mullica Camp (easy path).  7+ hours.

  

Oct 11&12 - BATSTO RIVER From Hampton Furnace 5 miles & over 3 hours (narrow, several liftovers slowed us down) to designated camping at Lower Forge ($2pp camping permit).  8 more miles to take-out on Batsto Lake. 

Nov 6-8, 2007 - WHARTON STATE FOREST, NEW JERSEY PINE BARRENS canoeing. High temps of 62-74F, lows 38-51F, mostly sunny. Camped at Godfrey Bridge drive-in camping area - very nice, right on Wading River,but $20/nite for pit privies, no showers ?! Paddled 3 small rivers upstream (can be hard work at times) then returned with the current - not one beaverdam, rivers mostly clear of debris. Wading was shallowest & had the most current, Batsto the deepest & least current. River bottoms mostly sand or gravel, water color like tea & fairly clear. Higher & drier ground usually pitch pine & oaks with blueberry (red leaves in fall) understory; wetter ground usually has white cedar, some red maple & cranberry. Oaks & some maples were in full fall color. Dirt/sand roads often not too far from the rivers. Most folks set up shuttles & paddle these rivers downstream only - not Nehasane, tho. You better know how to turn efficiently because you will be doing a lot of it. Merrimack Traveler, a 17' tandem canoe. Ref: Paddling the Jersey Pine Barrens by Parnes.

Nov 8 - WADING RIVER. Upstream of Godfrey Bridge. Not as twisty as the other rivers, shores drier. Formation of snow geese overhead. 5 miles, 2.75 hours. Drove to nearby coast & visited FORSYTHE NWR. 8 mile car tour, short trails. Snow geese, brants, northern harrier, Cape May warblers, herons, egrets, cormorants, black ducks, hooded mergansers, mallards, wood ducks, swans, C geese.

  

Nov 7 - BATSTO RIVER. Put-in on Batsto Lake, stay to E shore to find deep water river mouth. Pine & cedar shores give way to more hardwoods upstream, very scenic & peaceful. Turned around short of Quaker Bridge. 12 miles, 6.75 hours.  

Nov 6 - OSWEGO RIVER. A tributary of the Wading. Start next to dam on Harrisville Lake. Mile to river (stay to SE shore to avoid shallows). River averages 20' wide, first passes thru cedar swamp then past pitch pines with an occasional high sandy bank. Widening into Martha Pond where shallow channels wind around islands. Upriver some more before turning around for the easy cruise back downstream. 8 miles, 4 hours.

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