The Friends of the Delaware Canal's 27nd Annual Canal Walk Begins October 4

Sommer's Bridge

The Friends of the Delaware Canal will embark on their 27^nd annual Canal Walk beginning on October 4. The guided walking tour will start at the Forks of the Delaware Recreation Area/Fishladder in Easton. On the four Saturdays thereafter, a different section of the Canal will be explored ending at Riverfront Park in Bristol Borough on November 1.    

After years of disruption because of flooding and reconstruction, the Friends will be able to undertake their traditional 58.9-mile Canal Walk.  The Delaware Canal is always an adventure, but this year will be exceptional as the walkers learn about the means and methods that ensure that the water from the Lehigh River in Easton makes its way south to New Hope and beyond. 

Canal Walk 2014 will give hikers the opportunity to learn about the area’s past and future while taking in the autumn scenery of the Canal and Delaware River corridor.  Susan Taylor, Executive Director of the Friends, along with local history and conservation authorities, will tell about the Delaware Canal where mule-drawn boats once transported coal and other goods.  They will also point out many other sites of historic and environmental significance along the route. 

The five segments of the Walk are:

• October 4 – Forks of the Delaware Recreation Area in Easton to the Indian Rock Inn in Upper Black Eddy – 13 miles
• October 11 – Indian Rock Inn to the Kinsman Company on Route 32 in Point Pleasant – 13.2 miles
• October 18 – Point Pleasant to the Bowman’s Hill Wildflower Preserve south of New Hope –10.5 miles.
• October 23 – Bowman’s Hill Wildflower Preserve to the Black Rock Road Picnic Area in Yardley – 9.9 miles.
• October 30 – Black Rock Road Picnic Area to Riverfront Park adjacent to Mill Street in Bristol Borough – 12.3 miles. 

The Walks begin at 9 a.m. on each Saturday.  Participants are invited to walk on any or all of the Saturdays.   Please bring a light lunch and beverage on each day.  Transportation back to the starting point will be accomplished by carpooling.The walks are free, and the public is encouraged to participate.  Donations are welcome. 

For more information about Canal Walk 2010 and other Friends’ activities, call 215-862-2021, e-mail friends@fodc.org, or visit www.fodc.org. 

The Friends of the Delaware Canal is an independent, non-profit organization working to preserve, improve, and interpret the Canal and its surroundings.  Its primary goals are to ensure that the Canal is fully watered from Easton to Bristol and that the towpath trail is useable over its entire length.