First Time on the River? Here's What to Expect

Everyone's first time on the river feels a little uncertain. You don't quite know what to expect, you're not sure if you're doing it right, and the whole thing sounds more adventurous in the planning stage than it turns out to be. That's a good thing. The Delaware River through the Water Gap is genuinely approachable for first-time river-goers — but knowing what to expect before you show up makes the whole day smoother.

Here's what actually happens on a first trip to Chamberlain Canoes, from parking lot to pickup.

What Happens When You Arrive?

You pull into 103 Five Star Lane in East Stroudsburg. Check in at the office, get your life vests, and get briefed on the basics — where you're going, what to expect, and what the rules are (short version: wear the vest, no glass, have fun). The staff has done this thousands of times and is good at making first-timers feel comfortable.

From there, a shuttle takes you to the put-in point on the river. Depending on your trip, that might be Kittatinny Point in the Delaware Water Gap (for tubes and the shorter paddling routes) or another launch spot upstream. Staff will walk you through launching and send you off. After that, it's just you and the river until the takeout.

Do You Need Experience?

No. Not for any of the trips Chamberlain runs.

Tubing requires literally zero skill — you sit in the tube and the current does the work. A little hand-paddling helps you steer away from shallow spots, but you'll figure it out within the first five minutes without any instruction.

Canoes and kayaks have a slightly steeper learning curve — you're actually paddling, and the first 20 minutes will involve some course corrections and maybe a few near-collisions with your paddling partner if you're in a canoe together. But the Delaware through this section is flatwater. There's no whitewater, no technical routing, no rapids to navigate. Staff help beginners get started at the put-in, and once you're on the water, the river does most of the teaching.

What's the River Actually Like?

Calm and scenic. This is not a whitewater river. The Delaware through the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area is wide, flat, and moves at a gentle pace — fast enough to keep you floating, slow enough to have a conversation without raising your voice.

The scenery is genuinely beautiful. Forested ridges rise on both sides, eagles are common overhead, and the banks are protected federal land — no development, no buildings, just trees and wildlife. It's one of the reasons people come back year after year. If your mental image of a "river trip" involves churning rapids and white water, recalibrate. This is more like a moving lake.

How Long Will You Be on the Water?

It depends on which trip you book:

• Tubes (Kittatinny to Portland) — 4 miles, 3 to 5 hours depending on water flow and how many times you stop to swim
• Shortest canoe/kayak route (Smithfield to Kittatinny) — 6 miles, about 2 hours of active paddling
• Mid-length route (Bushkill to Smithfield) — 10 miles, around 3.5 hours
• Longer day trips — up to 16 miles and 5.5 hours for the Bushkill-to-Kittatinny run

You're renting the equipment for the day, not by the hour. There's no rush except the shuttle pickup at the end of the day — just be at the takeout point and ready by closing time.

What If You Get Nervous or Need Help?

You're not alone out there. The Delaware is a public river and there are other paddlers on the water, particularly on weekends. Staff are at the put-in and takeout, and the river itself is forgiving — it's wide, it's calm, and if you end up in the water, you're wearing a life vest that keeps you afloat.

The single most important rule: keep your life vest on. That's not a bureaucratic requirement — it's what makes the river safe for people who've never done this before. With a vest on, the river is very hard to get into serious trouble on.

If you flip a canoe, right it, climb back in or swim to shore, and keep going. It happens. People laugh about it by the time they're on the shuttle back.

What Should First-Timers Do?

If you've never been on a river before, there are two trips that are hard to get wrong:

• Tubes — easiest possible introduction to the river. No skills required, nothing to figure out, and the 3-to-5-hour float is long enough to feel like a real day out without being exhausting.
• Smithfield to Kittatinny canoe/kayak route — 6 miles and about 2 hours of paddling. Short enough that beginners finish feeling good, long enough to actually enjoy the scenery.

Save the longer canoe routes for a return trip when you know what you're getting into. They're great, but more is not always better the first time.

Questions Before You Book?

The FAQ covers most of what first-timers want to know. When you're ready to pick a trip, head to the canoe page or the tubing page and pick what fits your group.