Nature lovers will enjoy exploring the tree-lined waterway.
Two types of mileage markers are used along the canal. The concrete mile markers with two numbers etched on them are historical, indicating the number of miles between the terminus points at Bordentown and New Brunswick. The other type marks every 0.5 mile starting from the Battle Monument in Trenton.
Northwest of Trenton, the trail starts near Frenchtown, a pedestrian-friendly village, and connects many towns along the way, including Stockton, Lambertville, Titusville, and Ewing Township. Heading northeast out of Trenton, the trail runs through Lawrence, where a connection to the Lawrence Hopewell Trail can be made. Continuing farther, the trail skirts near the Princeton University campus and passes through Kingston and Franklin Township, ending in New Brunswick.
The trail offers something for almost everyone. Along the route, history buffs will appreciate the 19th-century bridges and bridge-tender houses, remnants of locks, cobblestone spillways, hand-built stone-arch culverts, rail depots, and historical railroad markers, as well as an early 18th-century gristmill near Stockton and a 19th-century one in Kingston. Hungry trail users can choose between periodic trailside picnic tables or trailside cafés in towns along the way, including Frenchtown, Stockton, and Lambertville. Nature lovers can enjoy occasional wildlife sightings and river views. You can even rent canoes in Griggstown or Princeton if you prefer the water route.
History buffs will appreciate seeing the remnants of the early-19th-century canal the trail parallels.
Between Frenchtown and Trenton, there are six bridges that travelers can use to cross the Delaware River and explore the 141-mile D&L Trail, which follows the river on the Pennsylvania side. The combination of the two paralleling trails and multiple bridges means that travelers have the option to go on several looped routes. A noteworthy attraction just on the other side of the river is Washington Crossing Historic Park, commemorating the turning point in the American Revolution when, on that fateful Christmas night in 1776, George Washington’s surprise attack and subsequent victory over opposing forces provided a much-needed boost to the Continental Army’s dwindling morale.
South of Trenton, a relatively short, disconnected section of the trail spans 3.5 miles, beginning at Canal Boulevard and running through a wooded tract of the Abbott Marshlands. It ends at the historical outlet lock into Crosswick Creek at Bordentown. The trail here is dirt, with some narrow sections, mostly running next to a canal and an active rail line.
CONTACT: state.nj.us/dep/parksandforests/parks/drcanal.html and fodc.org/visit-the-canal/towpath-trail
DIRECTIONS
You can access the Delaware and Raritan Canal State Park Trail from dozens of places along the way. Below, we list directions to parking lots closest to the endpoints of the trail, but more options can be found on the trail website or TrailLink.com.
The northwesternmost parking lot for the trail is available at Old Frenchtown Field in Frenchtown. From the intersection of US 1 and NJ 29 in Trenton, take NJ 29 N, and go 32 miles to reach Frenchtown (NJ 29 makes a few turns, so make sure to follow the signs for NJ 29). Arriving in Frenchtown, you’ll come to a T-junction; take a left onto Bridge St., then make your first right turn onto Harrison St. Take Harrison north 0.7 mile to 12th St. Take a left onto 12th St. and follow it a short distance to the parking lot at the northwest corner of Old Frenchtown Field.
The northeasternmost parking lot for the trail is available at Demott Lane in the unincorporated community of Somerset. To reach it from I-287, take Exit 10 for Easton Ave. Head southeast on Easton Ave., following the signs for Easton Ave./County Road 527 S to New Brunswick. Follow Easton Ave. 1.5 miles to Demott Lane. Make a left onto Demott Lane (it will look like a small driveway); you’ll see a brown sign at the entrance that notes access to the historical Van Wickle House (owned by The Meadows Foundation) and the towpath. You’ll travel a short distance to the parking lot; from there, a footbridge will take you across the canal to the trail.
6 Edgar Felix Memorial Bikeway
County
Monmouth
Endpoints
Main St. between Atlantic Ave. and Central Ave. (Manasquan) to Hospital Road, 0.25 mile south of Atlantic Ave./County Road 524 (Allenwood)
Mileage
3.4
Type
Rail-Trail
Roughness Index
1–2
Surface
Asphalt
Prepare to be whisked into the past when you take the Edgar Felix Memorial Bikeway. The paved trail follows a short-line railroad corridor from the coastal city of Manasquan to a village at Allaire State Park that features living-history exhibits, a museum, and rides on the vintage Pine Creek Railroad.
The trail gets its name from Manasquan cyclist Edgar Felix, who lobbied the town to convert to trail a section of the former Freehold and Jamesburg Agricultural Railroad, originally created as the Farmingdale and Squan Village Railroad in 1867. The first 2 miles of bikeway opened in 1971 and later became the first completed segment of the future 55-mile Capital to the Coast Trail, which will span the state from Trenton to Manasquan.
The rail-trail starts at North Main Street in Manasquan and follows the old railroad corridor northwest 3.4 miles to the Allaire State Park boundary on Hospital Road. Here, a spur of the Capital to the Coast Trail continues through the park 1.9 miles along the railroad right-of-way to a historical village and tourist railroad site.
Starting at the trailhead in Manasquan, you can take an on-street bike route through the town for 2 miles to the beach. Traveling in the other direction, the trail passes residential neighborhoods and a recreational complex on the way out of town. At 1.2 miles, you come to the Wall Township Bike Path, which heads north 1.7 miles to a government complex.
As you proceed along the trail, the surroundings become more rural with woods mixed with fields. You’ll reach Allenwood about 2.7 miles from the start, where you’ll find a general store with refreshments and trailside tables. Returning to rural countryside, you’ll cross two pedestrian bridges that leapfrog trail users over the eight-lane Garden State Parkway.
Crossing Hospital Road, the trail continues as a spur route of the future Capital to the Coast Trail into Allaire State Park. (A left turn onto another trail adjacent to Hospital Road heads south 0.4 mile to a parking lot and fishing on the Manasquan River.) You’ll pass old farm fields, forests, and ponds with waterfowl as you learn about the area from interpretive signs.