Monday, July 14, 2014

Nockamixon Cliffs at Delaware Canal State Park

Date of Hike: Friday, July 11, 2014
Total Distance: 2.98 Miles
Avg Speed: 1.96 MPH
Avg Moving Speed: 2.1 MPH
Moving Time: 1:25:12
Total Time: 1:31:19
Conditions: Sunny, 85 Degrees
Difficulty: Easy

After my second trip to Haycock Mountain, I took a ride to the Nockamixon Cliffs which is also part of the Delaware Canal State Park. While I couldn't find a street address, the approximate location where I parked was almost directly across the street from Lock 20 and is about a mile east of Route 611 (Easton Road) This is definitely a place to return to in the winter. It's been said that ice will form on these cliffs since the sun doesn't shine on them for a long period of time throughout the day. During the winter, rock climbing is also permitted and while you wouldn't catch me climbing an icy 300 foot cliff, the photo opportunities should be well worth it.

Approximate location:
River Road
Upper Black Eddy, PA 18972
40.562037, -75.163877 or 40°33'43.3"N 75°09'50.0"W


I parked right next to these, had to get a shot. 

I parked just to the west of Lock 20, the water was coming out fast and the canal looked to be a bit on the flooded side.


My first view of the cliffs



Looking upstream on the Delaware River


















Looking across the street, I spotted this stream bed with a waterfall between the trees, when there's water of course.













Once i got beyond the cliffs, I looked for and shot pictures of whatever I could find.









I hiked for a distance after getting past the cliffs but after a while, I got bored with the trail and there was little shade so I turned back to head to the car. 





Another stream bed and waterfall across the street from the canal



After leaving the Nockamixon Cliffs, I also headed down Route 32 (River Road) to Tinicum Park but there wasn't much to see. There was what looked like a carnival of sorts going on but I didn't bother with it. I walked around the fields and there's a small stream in the back of the park you can walk alongside but I didn't find anything that I wanted to take a picture of. The below picture was the only one I shot while I was there. Every Saturday from mid May to October, there are polo matches from 2:00-4:00PM if anyone would be interested in checking it out.


In all, my visit to Nockamixon Cliffs was a good one and I plan to return in the winter to hopefully get some shots of the ice and climbers. I'd also like to get a better view of the cliffs since they're currently shrouded by leaves from the trees. From the research I've done, it's hard to find parking during this time of year since the climbers can be pretty serious about their sport. Make sure to get there early enough or park a distance away and make the hike to the cliffs.

Happy exploring and happy hiking!

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2 comments:

  1. Hi, thanks for your blog and beautiful pictures. I find the writing very helpful to us in exploring. We recently walked along the river by the cliffs in December, and yes the visibility of the rock was fantastic. Truly magestic cliffs. We will certainly return. I looked at the top of the cliffs on the map and it all looks like private property, but I could be wrong.

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    1. Thanks! I'm glad you find it helpful! There aren't many hiking blogs for the Southeast PA area to show all of the wonderful places to explore so I figured I'd make one myself.

      From the research I had done after checking the cliffs out, at one time there used to be a place where you could get a view from the top of the cliffs but I believe you are correct that it's now private property. It's unfortunate, I would have loved to have seen the view from the top!

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