An Historical Canal Comes Alive Again

Thanks everone for making this another successful event. Our Third Annual Great Canal Walk took place on Saturday, April 6, 2013. This is our first long walk of the NY/NJ FreeWalkers season with options to walk the entire 40 length of the D&R Canal from Trenton to New Brunswick or maybe a little less if that's your preference.

There were 43 walkers participated in the event with 12 making the entire 40-mile distance.We were benefitted top-level support from Andy, Mike and Ann of the East Coast Greenway and James and Andrew of the North Brunswick and Princeton EMS stores. Crystal from Blue Ridge Mountain Sports of Princeton provided some great raffle prizes and a top prize of a pair of hiking poles at our lunch stop in Kingston. If you participated in the event and did not complete the online survey, click here to get recognized and secure your personalized dog tag.

With great weather and a great group of walkers this remains an inspriational walk along a great piece of Jersey beauty and history.

If you missed the walking event and still want to participate in the Cross-Jersey Challenge (this is the first segement) we recommend you look through the information on this site and do the walk in whole or in part during the rest of the year. Be sure to sign up and record your mileage if you want to participate in the challenge.

Take a New Journey on an Old Canal for Health and Fun

PRINCETON, NJ - Before there were railroads, automobiles and airplanes a network of 1,000 miles of canals moved people and goods which helped build our vibrant northeast. Canals were built nearby with a towpath to enable horses to slowly draw canal boats and barges carrying coal from Pennsylvania to the booming metropolitan areas in New Jersey and New York.

Today, people move themselves faster over these natural highways as pedestrians, runners, equestrians, and bicyclists. The Delaware & Raritan Canal continues as a one of the state’s most beloved recreation resources.

To experience the

WALK THE GREAT D&R CANAL ON APRIL 6, 2013

Starting from the Delaware River, trace the footsteps of this 175 year old waterway and transportation system across Central New Jersey - from Trenton to New Brunswick. The Great Canal Walk is a forty-mile, one-day long distance event that is a superb physical and mental challenge and the first event in a series of walking events aiming to walk across New Jersey following the East Coast Greenway.

Delaware and Raritan Canal State Park is one of central New Jersey's most popular recreational corridors for canoeing, jogging, hiking, bicycling, fishing and horseback riding.

Prep for the Great Canal Walk with the Spring Ahead Walk

The FreeWalkers recently announced the Spring Ahead Walk scheduled for Sunday, March 24, 2013 which is a 12 mile walk and a good practice distance for Great Canal Walk (http://TR2NB40.org) on April 6, 2013. This walk can help condition walkers for the future event and for planning resources and stops along the way, The 12 miles will take about 4 hours at a comfortable pace. This same segment is part of the D&R Canal route and can be applied to the Cross Jersey Challenge. Walkers partiipating will get a good feeling of the trail for the starting portion of 40-mile event as well as test their

Towing A Message: Walk a Towpath for Health and Fun

PRINCETON, NJ - In the early 1800’s, before there were railroads, a network of 1,000 miles of canals moved people and goods which helped build our vibrant northeast. Canals were built nearby with a towpath to enable horses to slowly draw canal boats and barges carrying coal from Pennsylvania to the booming metropolitan areas in New Jersey and New York. Now, plenty of people move themselves faster over these natural highways as pedestrians, runners, equestrians, and bicyclists.

Locally, thanks goes to conservation efforts and the New Jersey State Park System, the Delaware & Raritan Canal

Join a Great Walk Along the Great D&R Canal on April 7, 2012

 Starting from the Delaware River, trace the footsteps of this 175 year old waterway and transportation system across Central New Jersey - from Trenton to New Brunswick. The Great Canal Walk is a forty-mile, one-day long distance event that is a superb physical and mental challenge and the first event in a series of walking events aiming to walk across New Jersey following the East Coast Greenway.


Delaware and Raritan Canal State Park is one of central New Jersey's most popular recreational corridors for canoeing, jogging, hiking, bicycling, fishing and horseback riding.

FreeWalkers to Walk Across New Jersey Again in 2012 on the East Coast Greenway

The FreeWalkers and the East Coast Greenway invite the Public to Walk the 100-mile Cross-Jersey Walking Challenge in 2012 - Starting with the “Great Canal Walk” on April 7th. Hoping to repeat and expand the Cross-Jersey Walking Challenge in 2012, the FreeWalkers are offering, for the second year in a row, a challenge to the public to walk across New Jersey in 2012. The program consists of walking 100 miles across the entire state – from Trenton to New York City within the next 12 months.

Log for TR2NB40 - 4/9/11 - Great Canal Walk

With a shifting weather forecast it was hard to say how this day would turn out when I got up at 4:00 a.m. The day before had been rainy. The trail could be muddy. But for now there was nothing stopping the assault of our feet on the great D&R Canal. When combining distance and number of walkers this would be like no event in this historical and pastoral area of New Jersey.

Car parking in the 24-hour garage across from the New Brunswick station was easy.

Great Walk Along a Great Canal

Wednesday, April 13 by silvia, West Windsor Bicycle and Pedestrian Alliance

Hats off to all 50 or so people who took part in TR2NB40 — a 40-mile walk from Trenton to New Brunswick along the D&R Canal on Saturday. Not all walked the entire route, but it sounds like everyone had a good time. We received two reports, one from WWBPA trustee Michael Ogg and another from WWBPA member Loretta Rice.

 “It was fun talking with others and learning about other walks such as The Great Saunter on May 7, a walk round Manhattan.

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