Boat tours are abundant in New Jersey, as we’re a state filled with (and surrounded by) bodies of water. You can take tours of our lakes, boats, bays, marshes, rivers, and shores, every one unique. I’ve taken several myself and one I’m particularly excited about is a pontoon boat tour that’s been featured in The New York Times. There are actually several options available, all fun and educational (making them great for families, campers, scouts, and more)!!!
Hackensack Riverkeeper is an incredible organization that helps to preserve and protect local waterways. They frequently host river cleanups and offer programming like moonlight kayaking and nature walks.
Hackensack Riverkeeper/Facebook
They also offer eco-cruises on specially rigged 30-foot pontoon boats. These tours have been an area treasure since 1994.
Hackensack Riverkeeper/Facebook
Public tours are scheduled regularly, though chartered tours are available. You’ll find three different itineraries - Boating Through Bergen, Meadowlands Discovery, and Excursion Around The Bay.
Hackensack Riverkeeper/Facebook
Tours last approximately 2.5 hours and are fully narrated. The Meadowlands Discovery Tour takes participants on an excursion through the lower tidal reaches of the Hackensack River and its wildlife-rich estuary, the Meadowlands. You will visit numerous wetlands including the Mill Creek Marsh, Kingsland Creek and the Berry’s Creek Canal; but the highlight of every Meadowlands Eco-Cruise is a trip through the Sawmill Creek Wildlife Management Area, known as the jewel of the Meadowlands. The Sawmill WMA is home to a staggering amount of wildlife including shorebirds, waterfowl, herons, raptors, muskrats and terrapins.
Hackensack Riverkeeper/Facebook
Boating Through Bergen will take you up the Hackensack River from the southern Meadowlands to the heart of the city of Hackensack. Taking the route once traveled by the coastal schooners and steamers that carried cargo to and from Bergen County, you pass the ruins of their former docks and landings and learn about the region’s maritime history. Before turning back, you’ll enjoy the opportunity to get an up-close view of the USS Ling – a World War II Balao-class submarine.
Hackensack Riverkeeper/Facebook
Excursion Around The Bay will take you down the Hackensack River, the entire length of Newark Bay to Staten Island and back to explore this integral part of New York Harbor. Among other sights, you will pass Kearny Point, the former site of Federal Shipbuilding & Drydock Co., where hundreds of warships, Liberty and Victory ships were built during the Second World War; and the busy port facilities of Ports Newark and Elizabeth with ocean-going cargo vessels being loaded and unloaded. On the way back upriver you will explore the Bayonne bayshore, home to numerous parks and historic sites.
Hackensack Riverkeeper/Facebook
Sound fascinating? We sure think so. Upcoming dates include June 28 and July 31 though many others are available. Open eco-cruises depart from Laurel Hill Park in Secaucus.
Hackensack Riverkeeper/Facebook
Address: Laurel Hill Road, Secaucus, NJ, 07094. You can get all the delightful details on their website here. To learn more about their moonlit kayak tours (and a similar tour in Cape May), click here.
Hackensack Riverkeeper/Facebook
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