Second Trip - South Branch of Raritan River - River Rd in Franklin Twp to Flemington

Date: 10/06/2012

This was a second trip to explore alternate channels in the river.

Second Trip South Branch of Raritan

South Branch of Raritan River - Flemington to South Branch

Date of trip: 9/29/2012

Trip started out about noon off of Rt 523 near Darts Mill and completed around 4:30 at South Branch.  This is a continuation of the trip that I started the night before.

I put in the exact location that I took out the night before.   It is a quick put in and easy to manage.  I got in the boat (Emotion Comet 8) on the bank and just slid in the water.  I hit bottom just before passing under Rt 523.  Again, generally a little lite on the amount of water for this section of the river.

After passing under the bridge, the river takes a hard right.  There is an old dam that is mainly washed out.  It is a fun, easy drop with some good water flow.  After this, the river becomes very glass like for a while.  Again, the river is pretty much private.  I did pass a boy trout fishing, but no other people.  You pass under a rail road truss bridge where I lightly scraped a few rocks.  A bit further, there is the remains of another old dam.  I passed straight through as it looks like one could go to the left.  I hit a rock going over the dam, but it was a bit of white water fun.

The water gets much deeper and the river is wider as well.  There are quite a few underwater plants.  It was quick paddling as you can work up a cadence in this section.  You parallel River Road for a while and pass under another railroad truss bridge.  The river goes off to the left where you come to a large dam.  At this point, you have to portage around.  There is a no trespassing sign, but it states boaters passing through are ok.  I pulled the boat around on the left and quickly was back in the water.   I passed my second fisherman just after I passed under another bridge (auto).   It is only about 1/4 mile and you pass under the Rt 202 bridge.  There is a brief stretch of about 50 yards with some current and tiny waves, but it is not white water.

From this point on, the river becomes generally deeper which means 1.5 to 3 feet deep for most sections.  The river winds and meanders along and you are treated to lots of nice scenery.  Generally, you are alone on the river with quite a few ducks, geese, and blue heron.  I believe that I saw 2 bald eagles as well.  There are several old truss bridges that you pass under as well.  Overall, very enjoyable cruise.  There are only a few places that you have to watch the river to ensure you have enough depth.  I took the wrong pass around a couple of islands and was actually stuck in one place.  I was able to get free without exiting the boat.  I generally think most of these can be avoided on this section of the river if you watch the current.   This is not true for the sections north of Flemington.

I came into Neshanic Station which is a small borough along the river.  There is another old dam here and I believe the old mill on the right hand side of the river.   It was a nice little drop, but went by too fast.  There is another neat old truss bridge and then a more modern railroad bridge.

I traveled down to South Branch.   It was enjoyable paddle as you can get going as the water is smooth, but is still moving pretty quickly.  There are numerous bridges along the way as well as some rock cliffs.   I pulled the boat out a the bridge.  Maps have the road going across the bridge as Studdiford Drive or Rt 606.     There is a parking lot next to a old house that was a good pickup spot.  I had originally intended to go farther, but ran out of time.  I really enjoyed the South Branch of the Raritan, so I am sure that I will do it again.  Theoretically, I could go all the way down to New Brunswick, NJ

The Raritan is very convenient to me as it passes directly through the town that I live in.  I like that it feels like a private river.  I've been on the Delaware many times and it feels almost congested in some areas.  Also, on the Delaware, you have to worry about Jet Skis and power boats in some sections.  I guess one reason that people don't paddle the Raritan more is due to the low water challenges and lack of white water.  This is great float for a family outing.  I'd recommend giving it a try.  Watch the water gage at Stanton Station.  I think that the river should be passable at 2.7 ft on the gage.

Happy paddling.

South Branch of Raritan River - River Rd in Franklin Twp to Flemington

Date of trip: 9/28/2012

This was my first trip on the South Branch of the Raritan River.  I took the small boats as the water was shallow.  It was great trip.  I was truly surprised.  Details are http://over50kayakingadventure.blogspot.com/p/blog-page.html

Intro

I'm new to kayaking, but i am really enjoying it.  It all started with a family drip with my wife and 3 daughters (Geena 19, Jill 16, Justine 15 (2011)) to the Adirondack's in August.  The cottage that we rented had 2 12 foot kayaks and was on a 375 acre lake.  I spend hours paddling around.  It was great fun.  The entire family enjoyed kayaking.

After returning, I ended up purchasing 4 kayaks.  I bought 2 Emotion Comet 8 ft kayaks and 2 Old Town Loon 120 kayaks (12 ft).  As we were new to the sport, the goal was to get in with minimal investment so recreational low end is the right place to start in my mind.  You can pay thousands for 1 boat which is not what I wanted to do as new entrant into the sport.  Even with focus on low cost boats, costs increase rapidly as you buy roof racks, cockpit covers, etc.  Note: The Comet kayaks fit in the back of Honda Odyssey with seats removed which is very convenient. 

Although we have used both types of boats on the Delaware River, the 2 types of boats are useful for different purposes.  I would recommend both boats as they are very stable for beginners.  Believe me, the last thing you want to happen is have your wife flip into the drink after convincing her to go out with you.

The Loons' excel (relatively) in the Delaware, but the Comet's are great in small rivers.  They do catch wind, but my big concern is stability   The Comet's have the limitations of a 8 ft rec boat, but that should be expected.  Both boats are FUN.  Also, since the Comet's are roughly $200 each, you don't worry as much as they hit bottom or you drag them up a rock embankment.  I like the performance (speed, better tracking) of the 12 ft boats and the convenience and maneuverability of the 8 ft boats.

I'm really enjoying this sport and hope others get into it as well.  I have had all of my daughters except for Jill out on the Delaware at least once.  I also have been on the South Branch of the Raritan River.  I will post on these later.

Update: 8/2/2018
A lot has changed since my original introduction.  I've sold all of my original boats and purchased Wilderness Systems Tsunami 145 and 135....I've sold the 145 and purchased a Delta 17. 

Scott