The Delaware River is navigable 30 miles upriver from Penn's Landing in Philadelphia to Trenton, the capital of New Jersey. Hospitable ports of call can be found at Burlington (about 7 miles beyond Dredge Harbor) and Bordentown (8 miles farther up and 4 miles short of Trenton) for shoal-draft boats.

Large, deep-draft ocean-going vessels (like container ships and tankers) can navigate up the Delaware River as far as the Port of Trenton, New Jersey, which is the head of the navigable tide. However, the primary industrial "limit" for major shipping is the Port of Philadelphia and Camden, which maintains a 13-meter (45-foot) deep channel. Beyond Philadelphia, the river becomes narrower and shallower, limiting the size of ships that can pass safely. For smaller commercial vessels and barges, the river is navigable up to the Fairmount Dam in Philadelphia on the Schuylkill tributary. In 2026, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers maintains the main channel to ensure that modern "Post-Panamax" vessels can reach the major terminals in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. While the river continues into New York state, it becomes a shallow, rocky, and non-navigable waterway for commercial shipping north of the Trenton area, serving instead as a popular route for recreational kayaking and fishing.