Burlington Island Paddle – Burlington City, Burlington County, NJ
Distance – some miles of paddling. From Burlington to the lake, exploring the lake, and coming back is about 3 1/2 miles.
Type – Out-and-back, although some folks paddle around the island, which is about 3 hours of paddling.
Difficulty: 10 of 10 – river traffic, serious current, winds can make paddling tough!
Website – Friends of Burlington Island – why not join them so you can go to events like island cleanups?
Open – Sunrise to Sunset.
Directions – You can park at the Burlington boat ramp or in Bristol in PA. Bristol, PA is closer to the portage point on the island, but is also in Bucks County, which requires a launch permit from the county for unpowered craft. We start at the Burlington boat ramp.
Parking – About 30 spots in Burlington at the boat ramp, about 200 spots in Bristol (although some would require quite a haul to move your kayak).
Landing spot and portage (west side of island, closest to Bristol) – N 40° 05.537 W 074° 51.135
Map (including paddling over to Bristol on this outing because why not?):
Rules – no swimming, fishing requires a valid New Jersey fishing license. Trash in, trash out (or better, bring some extra trash out with you!). No campfires, no camping, etc.
Description –
You can paddle over to hike at Burlington Island, but you can also paddle over to paddle around a lake! On an island! A lake on an island!
My lawyers (my children’s stuffed animals… this is a low budget family!) said I MUST remind you that the Delaware River is no joke. It has strong currents.
Do not attempt this if:
– you don’t have experience kayaking or going with people who know what they are doing and are comfortable taking responsibility for you.
– you are trying to use an inflatable kayak or a toy kayak.
– You are alone. Buddy system!
– Absolutely wear a coast guard approved life jacket. This is always, but this is 1000 times more so always in the Delaware.
– Check weather conditions before you go. If they are not good, don’t go.
– Check water levels and water conditions before you go.
– Do not attempt this in the winter or early Spring unless you own a wetsuit or other appropriate gear for the cold water. It does not matter how well you swim, cold water will get your muscles to seize and you may die out there.
– Tell someone where you are going and when you are going and have a set time to check back in with them after your adventure to let them know you are back safely.
Please notice I did NOT take my kids out for this one, and I am a person who will take my kids almost anywhere including hiking 10 miles through grizzly bear country when they are 4 and 2 years old or on 50 mile backpacking trips or hiking through the desert in the Summer or hiking through dessert because ice cream is delicious.
We’re off! We launch from the ramp in Burlington, NJ and head toward the Burlington-Bristol Bridge!
We’re off!
Heading toward the bridge, but also the south point of the island.We work our way around the south point of the island, which has a bit of a bluff. Hopefully you did some checking ahead of time and the tides and winds are with you! If not, hopefully they have been against you in this direction so that the last part of coming back will be easier!
Getting close…
Starting to round the southern point of the island.Once around the point, you’ll paddle about 40% of the way up the west side of the island. Enjoy the lovely views of Bristol, PA.
And of a floating trashcan?
Getting close!When you get near the coordinates, you’ll need to land (somewhere around N 40° 05.537 W 074° 51.135).
You’ll see a well worn path through the vegetation and up a short hill. This is the portage to the lake on the island!
Steeper on the lake side than the river side.Once in the lake, you’ll have about 100 acres to paddle around and explore! Seen some big fish jumping around in there too.
To the lake! Don’t know why that is there, it wasn’t there when I did it in June 2025.I should have more photos of the lake, but I don’t. That will be a good excuse to go back!
Heading back to Burlington!Want to explore the island and help out too? Join Friends of Burlington Island for about the cost of a pizza each year and go out there on a scheduled outing to do a trash pickup or trailwork with them so you can experience the whole island.
Nearby: Assiscunk Creek Paddle starts from the same launch point in Burlington as this paddle does! Just check the tides or you won’t make it under the bridge or may have to work really hard trying to paddle against the tide.
