How far up the Delaware River can ships go?

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.



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Motorboating. Unlimited horsepower motors are permitted on the Delaware River. Many boat launches are along the river. Electric motors (slow, no-wake speed) are permitted on the 50-acre Giving Pond.

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The deepest point on the Delaware River is located at Narrowsburg in the Town of Tusten, where the Big Eddy runs 113 feet deep. Normal riffle areas are 2-8 feet in depth and pools range from 12-20 feet deep.

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During modern times, repeated floods have plagued the tributaries and main branch of the Delaware River, as well as its reservoirs. In just one example, a massive flood occurred in August 1955 when Hurricanes Connie and Diane dumped a total of 20 inches of water throughout the river basin in just one week.

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However, the most famous fact about the Delaware River is the famous crossing of it by George Washington in 1776 which helped him successfully surprise Hessian troops in New Jersey during the American Revolution.

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Here are some of the most important tips for having a safe and fun time on the river: Always wear a lifejacket or personal floatation device (PFD) in the water. Never drink alcohol and swim. Never try to swim across the river.

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You may bring your own boat and equipment and use public river accesses. A valid registration is required for all motorized vessels on the river. Personal watercraft “Jet Skis” are not permitted on the Upper Delaware and use of large motor boats is not feasible.

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Enjoy a scenic, fun and refreshing 3 - 4 hour tube, raft, canoe or kayak ride down the Delaware River, which is the nation's most historic river and perfect for outdoor water sport activities.

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In the winter, the air temperature is typically below freezing with frequent snow and ice storms. Water temperatures can drop from the 50s to the 30s by December.

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On March 24, 2023, the Trinseo Altuglas chemical plant in Bristol, Pennsylvania in the United States had an equipment failure that resulted in a leak of between 8,100 and 12,000 gallons of butyl acetate, ethyl acetate, and methyl methacrylate into Otter Creek, a tributary of the Delaware River.

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The dead zone on the river ran from Philadelphia to about 25 miles down river in Marcus Hook, Pennsylvania. That made it impossible for migratory fish like shad to breed. They would die on their journey upstream before they could lay their eggs in the upper Delaware. Once plentiful caviar and sturgeon also disappeared.

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For much of the last century, parts of the Delaware River were a foul mess, full of sewage, chemical waste and other putrid byproducts of a rapidly urbanizing watershed. There were fish kills and disease outbreaks.

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The deepest point on the Delaware River is located at Narrowsburg in the Town of Tusten, where the Big Eddy runs 113 feet deep.

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There are substantial sections of the river that are frozen solid. Aerial photos of the river in the area of the park show immense stretches covered in ice.

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River current is approximately 2 miles per hour.

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