Batsto River - New Jersey

This was the most enjoyable kayak trip this season.  The weather was crisp and the scenery was serene.  We felt embraced on the river as it was enveloped by its banks, which were often just a few feet apart for a good part of the river.  The river had many turns and bends, making it a good way to develop paddling skills. We meandered past brush and then trees and high, sandy banks. We eventually paddled through or around tall grasses into a very wide lake. As beautiful as it was, I later read this was not even the most scenic part of the river.

Today's paddle was the lower section of the Batsto River from Quaker Bridge to Batsto Village (a National Historic Site where the Batsto Iron Works was built in 1766) in Wharton State Forest near Hammonton, NJ.  When we began our trip, the water was clear enough to see to the bottom.  Without even noticing a gradual change, it seemed that - all of a sudden - the water was that dark, "cedar water" commonly seen in the Pine Barrens.  This coffee-colored water is so dark it's impossible to see through it.

What was to be a 4-hour paddle took us about 3.5 hours, and that was with a 45-minute (or so) lunch.  The upper Batsto River paddle takes approximately 8 hours.  There are a few canoe/kayak liveries in the area that offer shuttle service for both these trips but we used Adams Canoe Rentals.  (Their website is a little outdated - with 2009 prices posted in late 2010 - but the owner was very pleasant and accommodating.) 

Adams Canoe Rentals was started by the current owner's father.  The senior Adams started the business in the 1970's as a retirement job and died shortly thereafter.  The son - now solidly middle-aged himself - is trying to keep the business going in this day-and-age of declining boy scout participation and less time spent outdoors by kids.  Mr. Adams attributed these changes, respectively, to the advent of soccer for some and video games and the Internet for others.

This was the last weekend for paddling until next Spring for several, if not all, canoe and kayak rental places, including Adams Canoe.  I look forward to paddling again when it gets warmer but I don't look forward to the crowds.  I want the river to myself and my small paddling group so that the serenity is maintained.  Mr. Adams and others in his business, on the other hand, want more people to come out to play in the water.  Since the lower Batsto River is a shorter paddle, I recommend you paddle it next Spring.  I'll take the upper Batsto to see if it is really more scenic than the lower section.  Meet you at the end and we'll compare notes.