This summer marks the 30th Annual Delaware River Sojourn. Not only is this the Sojourn’s thirtieth year, but a special event is planned to celebrate the Delaware River’s designation as Pennsylvania’s River of the Year!
The Sojourn is a paddling and camping excursion where participants paddle a different section of the Delaware River each day and camp together at night. This year the Sojourn will take place over seven days, from Saturday June 14 to Friday June 20.
The paddling sections of the Upper Delaware River will be June 14 (Balls Eddy to Stockport), June 15 (Stockport to NEWE), and June 16 (NEWE to Callicoon). Participants can camp at the Northeast Wilderness Experience (NEWE) Campground located on the river in Equinunk, PA. From June 17th onwards, participants will journey further downstream, through the middle section of the river, camping at the Driftstone Campground in Mt. Bethel, PA. On Wednesday June 18, a River of the Year celebration will be held at Minisink Park in Smithfield Township.
Meals are provided each day, as well as evening programs about history, ecology, and local issues. Boats are available to rent, or paddlers can bring their own. Participants can choose to camp with the Sojourn, find a local place to stay, or just join the paddling for the day. Experienced volunteers from the National Canoe Safety Patrol will be on hand to lead safety talks each day, and guide the group down the river, making sure that everyone enjoys the day safely and no one is left behind. It’s a wonderful and unique way to experience the river.
Visit delawareriversojourn.com for the full schedule and more information, and to register. A ticket includes a guided river trip; kayak, life jacket & paddle rental; camping & meals; livery transport and shuttling (to get you and your boat between take-in/take-out and the campsite), and educational programming in the evenings. Paddlers of all experience levels and ages are welcome. Join us this year to discover why the Delaware River was named the PA River of the Year!
Kerry Engelhardt (kerry@upperdelawarecouncil.org) is the Resources and Land Use Specialist at the Upper Delaware Council (UDC). The UDC oversees a partnership of Federal, two States, and local governments to manage the 73.4-mile designated Upper Delaware Scenic and Recreational River. Visit us at www.upperdelawarecouncil.org, or find us on Instagram and Facebook.