There’s no better way to celebrate summer along the Delaware River than to follow the river’s own parade route: under sunny skies, between tree-covered banks, past vibrant towns. At times placid, at times assertive, occasionally overbearing, the river reveals its texture and colors, the life it sustains, and the history it has witnessed.

The 330-mile Delaware is the longest free-flowing river east of the Mississippi. In the River Towns, the stretch from Milford/Bridgeton to Ewing/Lower Makefield has been designated by Congress as the Lower Delaware Wild & Scenic River, a legal status that recognizes its scenic and ecological value and supports strengthened water-quality protection. “Wild and scenic” also describes the surrounding land: a riverscape that’s a piece of paradise.

A great way to experience this paradise is to slip into a kayak or canoe and paddle your way from Bulls Island to Lambertville, a 7.3-mile trip that will take about three to four hours, depending on the speed of the current and how often you choose to stop and admire your wildly scenic surroundings. You can pull in to eddies along the riverbanks for pictures and snacks or take a hike on Hendrick Island, near the Pennsylvania bank just north of Center Bridge and Stockton, roughly the midpoint of your trip. All along your journey, watch above for soaring eagles, along the banks for basking turtles.

This stretch includes some Class I rapids: fast-moving water with riffles and small waves and few obstructions. Rapids add thrills to an otherwise tranquil paddle. The current is reliable enough that tubing is a popular activity. Unlike tubing, paddling enables you to actively explore the river, steer around obstacles, power through rapids, and balance in the wakes of jet-skis and powerboats.

The river’s flow depends on its “stage,” which is its depth measured above a point: higher water means faster flow, low water means you may scrape your boat. (Before setting out, check the river conditions at delawareriverguide.com/river-conditions, which provides a stage chart showing depths at different points along the river.) Do not enter the water unless you are wearing a personal flotation device and following all other safety precautions. (See the sidebar for more safety tips.)

Both sides of the river here are state parkland, surrounding the Delaware Canal on the Pennsylvania side and the Delaware & Raritan Feeder Canal on the New Jersey side, each with adjacent hiking and biking paths. Bulls Island hugs the New Jersey banks of the Delaware at Raven Rock, about nine miles south of Frenchtown and three miles north of Stockton. The island is separated from the mainland by the feeder canal.

Put in from the boat ramp at Bulls Island Recreation Area, part of D&R Canal State Park. Facilities include restrooms, water, and picnic areas. You’ll need a permit to launch your boat (available at the office; the daily fee is $12 for New Jersey residents, $20 for nonresidents). Park a second car (or a bike) at the Lambertville boat ramp to shuttle back to Bulls Island. Parking at the Lambertville ramp is free.

At the put-in site at Bulls Island, downstream of the beautiful Roebling-engineered Lumberville-Raven Rock pedestrian bridge, the current is typically calm and slow. Before you put in, take a moment to admire the giant American flag that has hung from the bridge since 9/11, changed regularly and maintained by the Tinsman family, whose lumberyard, a short walk from the bridge, opened in 1875.

Now’s your opportunity to get acquainted with the flow and practice steering your craft as you glide between the forested banks. River left—along the New Jersey side—you pass Lockatong Creek entering the canal, crossed by a metal bridge. After about a mile, the river bends gently left (departing from its typical southern route to lean more toward the east). Hendrick Island begins river right and Eagle Island on the left. Take the far-left channel, the deepest, to pass through rapids.

To explore Hendrick Island, take the middle channel (which can be quite shallow) and land on its eastern shore. Hendrick, part of Delaware Canal State Park, is a mile-long, 112-acre erosional remnant of the mainland, carved off by the river. Riparian wetlands and marshes surround a deciduous forest rising fifteen feet above the river. Archeological research indicates Lenape were using this site at least as long ago as 500 CE. You’ll return to the river as the middle channel passes Eagle Island.

River left after Eagle are gravel beds where Wickecheoke Creek spills over the canal into the river. The historic Prallsville Mills, in Stockton, stand on the bluff above. Past Hendrick Island are more rapids.

Bending gently to the southeast, the river passes under the Center Bridge–Stockton span, speeding up as it does. Steer well clear of the abutments to this bridge and the two other downstream bridges on this trip. After the bridge, the river turns to head almost due south. After another couple of miles (and another couple of light rapids), you’ll pass under the Route 202 Bridge. Shortly, high-tension wires and gravel bars on both banks mark the entry of Alexauken Creek in Lambertville.

Stay river left passing Holcombe Island, home of the Lewis shad fishery, then under the New Hope–Lambertville Bridge. Take out at the Lambertville boat ramp, three-tenths of a mile south of the bridge, before the extremely dangerous Lambertville wing dam.

The river continues its journey for another 148 miles to Delaware Bay, but you’ll have to let it go on alone from here.