Canoeing the Paulinskill River Blairstown, NJ

Trip Overview

The Paulinskill River is not for the inexperienced. Dropped the canoe in below the Blairstown Dam and followed the river to the Delaware River. The river flow was about 450 and the gauge height in Blairstown was about 2.54. There aren't many rapids and the flow kept you about the rocks and the sand deposits but the trees that fell down across the river are dangerous. There are many points where the trees block the entire river and you don't want to get caught against a fallen tree. You really have to watch ahead and plan your route when you see a fallen tree. I would stop about 100 yards before the tree and pick my route. Only one time I had to paddle to the side of the river and pull the canoe overland to get around the trees. The other times when the branches were hanging down from the trees and I paddled through the branches I would pick up lots of spiders who came along for the ride. I did see lots of wildlife - Loons, Canadian Geese, Blue and Green Herons, an Eagle, a few Beaver slapping the water with their tails, Snapping Turtles, huge Carp, lots of wildflowers, birds and of course a few fishermen who by the way weren't catching anything due to the high water flow.