D&R Canal: Kingston to Alexander Road



D & R Canal State Park, Kingston Lock to Alexander Road (3/16/2013)

Today, on the day before St. Patrick's Day, we decided to continue our "section walking" of New Jersey's longest state park, the towpath of the Delaware & Raritan Canal. It was surprisingly appropriate since we learned from one of the informative signs at Kingston Lock that the canal was built with the help of thousands of Irishmen who were brought over from Ireland for specificially this purpose.

Today we parked at Kingston Lock and headed south, past Millstone Aqueduct, across Harrison Street, then Washington Road before finally arriving at Alexander Road, where we turned around and retraced our steps. This is one of the prettiest parts of the towpath, with the spacious Lake Carnegie to the immediate west and the mansions on its western bank. Today the Princeton rowing teams were out in force, both men and women, doing drills up and down the lake in the cold and snow!

With today's segment we have walked about 26 contiguous miles (twice) of the still remaining main canal from Landing Lane in New Brunswick to Alexander Road. Total distance covered was 8.2 miles in just under 3 hours.

(Click on the thumbnail to bring up a bigger image in a pop-up window)


Our Canadian greeters

Kingston Lock and house



Kingston Lock looking south

Looking north

[Photo by Laura]

"The Canal Dug By Irishmen"

 

Heading south


Old wall below

 


Spillway stonework

Old bolts

Dam on Millstone River

Great blue heron in flight
 


Laura on dam

Kingston Mill


Gulls on dam
 


Gears on dam

[Photo by Laura]

Pines across canal

19 miles to Bordentown
 


Continuing south

Joggers

Row lane markers

Mallard couple
 


Shrine across canal

Interesting hat!

Women rowers on Lake Carnegie

Rowing marker
 


One's facing the wrong way!


Beaver work

 


Men rowing

View south

Harrison Street bridge

Bench at viewpoint
 


Approaching ...

... Millstone Spillway


Cormorant
 


Women rowing

Boardwalk at Millstone Spillway

Watching the rowers

Swan in Millstone River
 


Continuing south

Mallard heading south

Nature Trail

Harrison Street bridge
 


Old growth along sections

Canada geese

Harrison Street bridge

View north
 



Isthmus of geese

Washington Road bridge over river

Washington Road bridge over canal
 


Telephone poles?

RR bridge

The swivel mechanism ...

... is now locked
 


Boat rental?

View of RR bridge

Towpath bridge

Canal signs
 


Chickadee

Washington Road bridge over canal

Reflections

Beaver work
 


Princeton University boathouse

View north

Old growth

Piles of goose poop
 


Bench with a view


Mockingbird

Great Blue Heron flying away
 


On other side of Lake Carnegie

Gull eating lunch

Back to spillway

 

Photographs and content copyright © Dan Balogh
Web design by Dan Balogh