Musconetcong River paddle, from Changewater to Bloomsbury, New Jersey

Trip Overview

Had an exciting and rewarding first paddle on the Musconetcong ("Musky"), in my old 14-ft. plastic Dagger Edisto kayak. River runs mostly straight through this scenic farming valley, with views of the east-west ridges on either side. Total 10.6 miles, 1:37 moving time, 6.6 mph avg. Put-in at Changewater with river level at 2.8 ft. (Bloomsbury gage); water was moving fast and immediately had to navigate through the old stone bridge and a short stretch of Class II rapids, fun standing waves but no real hazards (rocks or strainers). In fact, other than a few similar stretches of rapids, the only significant hazard I encountered the entire route was the Asbury Dam (see below). There are numerous fishing weirs, particularly past the dam, with short 1+ drops and standing waves, but they just added some fun. Only encountered one shallow section a few minutes downstream from the dam, so I considered this an ideal water level for an intermediate paddler. The preferred take-out would be at the Rt. 173 bridge access in Bloomsbury, although I went slightly further. At the Asbury Mill dam, it's well worth stopping in at the Musconetcong Watershed Association headquarters, to obtain a copy of their waterways trail guide.