I kayaked starting out in Harrisville Lake and paddled upstream towards Oswego Lake in the Pine Barrens in NJ. It was a challenging paddle and I was wondering how far I went. I never made it to Oswego Lake but got to Batona Trail bridge and about 3 miles past that.Was wondering how far I was from Lake Oswego. Anyone paddle this direction before? It was a great challenge and the float back was sweet. No effort!
You can measure distance from the
satellite photos on Google Earth. Of course you’ll have to spot a marker for how far you DID get. Use the “path” function so you can follow the stream’s course. GE compensates for the extent of your zoom. If you accidentally get off your course, put the cursor on the wayward dot and right click.
One of my favorite trips
However, I start in Lake Oswego, portage into the river, then go to Harrisville. Wonderful area. I’ve paddled the last 2 weekends in the Wading River, which is right up the road from Harrisville. They’re both “I can’t believe I’m in New Jersey” spots.
Congratulations on going upstream
It is fun to get out on the water!
Oswego River
I would like to try the Wading River next.
Tell me…I never seemed to go through Martha’s Pond although I’m sure I did. Is it like all flooded swamp?
I must have been close to Oswego lake because I paddled almost 3 hours upstream…it seemed to never end.
Oswego River
It was a challenge going upstream.
Oswego!!!
great river and also a great lake. I swam in Lake Oswego last week. probably the last swim of the year as the water temps are getting chilly.
I’d say the entire river from lake to lake is about six miles. It’s been years since i’ve paddled the river from lake to lake. However, riding a bike from lake to lake is about six and a half miles. And it too, isn’t a straight line.
Wading
I don’t know the name of it, but there is a lake or pond that you come to after a while. And yes, it does become swamp-like. That’s why I enjoy it so much.
Georgeous run
Just got off the Oswego less than 12 hours ago. It was low, but an absolutely beautiful run through tall cedar forests, hardwood swamps, twisty rivers, two lakes and an extended grassy water prairie (Martha’s Pond).
I GPS’ed the run but forgot to look at the distance. Probably 8 miles, including some messing around in Oswego Lake and further upstream.
Some maps refer to the Oswego as the east branch of the Wading River.
The Jersey Pine Barrens are stunning. Only a stone’s throw from the touristy Jersey Shore and the casino glitz of Atlantic City, yet you would think you were in a boreal wilderness.
Mullica and Batsto Rivers
The pine Barrens are amazing, I spent 4 days there with friends camping and paddling over the Labor Day weekend. We usually do whitewater so this was quite a change and a splendid time was had by all!
We didn’t paddle the Oswego, we planned to but we were warned by a local that it was too low…now I wonder if we might have done it after all. Instead we paddled two different parts of the Batsto and a section of the Mullica. Each was totally different from the others, different river banks, different vegitation and scenery, and a totally different experience. Shuttling around down there is unique, but not tough, the State Park people have maps available if you ask and they know where all the put ins are. 4 wheel drive is pretty much a necessity on the soft sand roads though so plan accordingly.
The Mullica from Constable Bridge to Crowleys landing was unique, we started out deep in the wilderness on a small river you could walk across and ended up a few hours later on a river that must be 1/4 mile wide and filled with powerboats and lined with what must be VERY expensive homes…the contrast was amazing.
The Batsto from Quaker Bridge to Batsto Lake was beautiful and the most pristine, we hardly saw a sign of man on that whole paddle. We started on what I guess is a typical pine barrens river section and ended up in a giant flooded grassland with winding open paths through it that finally came together into a lake at the take out.
The Batsto from Hampton Furnace to Quaker Bridge was different, that far up the Batsto was about 5 feet wide and barely wide enough to paddle, but it grew into a fair sized river in a few miles. A few railroad bridges and sand roads are along this section but other parts seemed to be almost totally isolated. There were many fallen trees and strainers and ‘limbo logs’ to deal with, but this just added to the fun and with rivers this slow there isn’t any real danger, you just have to remember that even in a slow current water has relentless pressure and be careful around the strainers.
We are already talking about trying the 2 day paddle on the Mullica,putting in at Atsion Lake and taking out at Pleasant Mills, with an overnight at a paddle in only campsight near the halfway point. Probably we won’t be able to do this till the spring because of schedules but it’s going to happen and I know it will be a blast!
I have some pictures online from this trip, they don’t begin to capture the beauty of this area but at least you can get a glimpse…
http://photo.mike721.com/gallery/pinebarrens
( disclaimer…this is my personal site, no ads, nothing to sell, just a place to stick my pictures)
Mike