Located 18 miles outside of Port Jervis Wild & Scenic is a premiere facility that has been praised by the National Park Service, New York Magazine, The River Reporter and others for excellent instruction and dedication to safety and the environment.

Wild & Scenic offers a variety of guided river tours by canoe, raft, or kayak for newcomers to old hands. Trips cover five to twenty miles of water of varying turbulence, and two or three day excursions are offered, with camping in prime spots reserved exclusively for boaters. Restaurants are available and there are many beautiful spots to eat a bagged lunch.

Unique about Wild & Scenic is its educational approach. Offering " . . . personalized service with a touch of class", Wild & Scenic's professional teachers pay special attention to students, ensuring they receive the best possible instruction. As well as paddling instruction, some trips include stopovers for a tour of the home of Zane Grey or the Roebling Suspension Bridge Aqueduct (prototype for the Brooklyn Bridge), or a Nature Program in Lackawaxen, PA. Self-guided tours can also be taken.

Call for rates. Groups get a discount. 3 hours north of Philadelphia, 2 hours northwest of New York.

Kittatinny Canoes
Dingman's Ferry, Pennsylvania 18328
(800) 356-2852
www.kittatinny.com

Located in historic Dingman's Ferry, Kittatinny Canoes has been providing tours, instruction, and rentals for more than 50 years. Five bases along the Delaware offer a variety of activities in canoe, tube, kayak, or rubber raft. Trips cover from 5 to 28 miles or more, depending on selection, and take from 2½ hours to 2 or more days.

Special events include Learn to Canoe Days, Introduction to Whitewater Canoeing, a Summer Wildflower and Wildlife Tour, Fall Foliage Tour, and a Delaware River Cleanup, giving people a chance to help keep this beautiful river clean and sparkling. Call for a schedule and info on special offers. Campsites and recreational facilities are available.

Basic rates start at $39.00 per person for raft or canoe (weekdays), $44.00 for kayaks and $25.00 for tubes. Group discounts available. 2 hours north of Philadelphia or northwest of New York.

Jim Thorpe River Adventures
1 Adventure Lane
Jim Thorpe, PA 18229
(800) 424-RAFT (7278) • (570) 325-2570
www.jtraft.com

Based on the Lehigh, this outfitter offers exciting rafting trips through Lehigh River Gorge. Weekends include free cookouts after each trip, as well as a variety of specials such as discounts on certain days, discounted wet suit rentals, and so forth. Mountain bike rentals are available for touring a 25-mile self-guided trail through beautiful Lehigh Gorge State Park. Rates run between about $40 - 60.00, depending on the type of craft, time of season, etc. Discounts for youth and for groups. 1½ - 2 hours north of Philadelphia or west of New York.

Pocono Whitewater Adventures
Route 903
Jim Thorpe, PA 18229
1(800) 944-8392 • (570) 325-3655
www.poconowhitewater.com

This 20-year old family business provides exciting adventures through the Lehigh River Gorge and offers one of the area's widest selections of outdoor adventures, including mountain biking and Skirmish, a paintball game.

Adventurers can enjoy easy to moderate rafting trips. Kayaking can be done and lessons are available. Pocono Whitewater Adventures also leads rafting trips to other areas, including W. Virginia's Cheat River, Hudson River Gorge -- one of the nations top ten whitewater rivers, and even the dangerous Moose River, for serious paddlers. Trailbiking and Paintball are also available.

Basic rates are $59.95 per person, $54.95 each for groups, $49.00 each for youth groups. Prices may be higher for dam release events, less for weekday or summer rafting trips. Discounted trips are available for beginners. Several special events throughout the season are fun for families. 1½ - 2 hours north of Philadelphia or west of New York.

Adventure Sports
PO Box 175
Marshalls Creek, PA 18335
1(800) 487-BOAT (2628)
www.adventuresport.com

This big outfit rents canoes and rafts for tours of the Delaware Water Gap. A variety of options includes everything from Guided Trips (for groups of 10 or more) to simple Rentals, for every level of experience. Overnighters and even 3-day trips are available. Camping equipment can be rented.

The basic rate is about $40.00 per person per day, based on 2 people per canoe or 4 per raft, with a minimum of one day advance reservation. Children with their parents get a substantial discount based on age, and Group Rates are available depending on the number of people and type of group -- call for details. 1½ - 2 hours north of Philadelphia, 1½ hours west of New York.

Lander's River Trips
Route 97
Narrowsburg, New York 12764
(800) 252-3925 or (845) 252-3925
www.landersrivertrips.com

Landers is a well established outfitter offering a number of trip options by canoe and raft along the upper Delaware, above Port Jervis. Campgrounds are available at Skinner's Falls, Narrowsburg and Minisink, and visitors can pitch their own tent or rent a lean-to. Motel rooms are also available at 10 Mile River.

Free shuttle service is provided to canoe renters. Weekday rates are $39.00. Group discounts available. Weekend rates are a little higher. Fees for kayak and solo canoe are higher.

3 hours north of Philadelphia, 2 - 2½ hours northwest of New York.

Rafting on the Lehigh provides fantastic outdoor recreational opportunities during spring, summer and fall. EZ Whitewater and Summer Float trips are also available. Every trip concludes with a free hotdog cookout. Facilities include a gift shop, cafe, picnic pavillions, and heated change rooms and showers. Whitewater Rafting Adventures also features Kayac Clinics, Paintball, and Rails to Trails Biking.

Rates run from $29.95 to $60.95 per person for rafting; $19.95 to $29.95 for paintball; and $15.00 to $35.00 for biking. School, Youth, Military and Group Rates are available for 18 or more people. 1½ - 2 hours north of Philadelphia, 2½ hours west of New York.

Champaign Canoeing, Ltd.
Ann & Keech LeClair
Brayton Park
Ossining, New York 10562-3201
(914) 762-5121
www.champaigncanoeing.com

Perhaps the most exclusive of all the outfitters listed here, Champaign offers highly personalized instruction at all levels of competence as well as leadership on extended trips to places such as Canada. Champaign supplies the canoes, camping gear, gourmet food, and instructions. All trips involve camping out for one or more nights, giving participants a real chance to get away from the daily grind.

Reservations are required for everyone, about 5 weeks in advance (I recommend longer if you can manage it, but if you're over the deadline try anyway). All trips leave from Ossining, NY and travel via car pool to the destination base camp. Fees vary by the trip, but are very reasonable. Groups are small, meaning each individual gets plenty of attention. Ann and Keech are Certified Instructors and Instructor Trainers -- National Champions with 21 years of experience. Call for further details. If you have to leave a message, your call will be returned. 2½ hours northeast of Philadelphia. 30 minutes north of New York.

The Town Tinker The Esopus Creek
PO Box 404
Phoenicia, New York 12464
(845) 688-5553
www.towntinker.com

Winding through the beautiful mountains and greenery of the Catskills, Esopus Creek offers one of the most popular tubing courses around. This is definitely a different kind of trip, and lots of fun. With 2 courses, both novices and the more experienced can enjoy the ride. Return transportation to base is provided by Town Tinker Tube Taxis weekdays, and on weekends by the Catskill Mountain Railroad! Children must be over 12 years old.

Inner tube rentals cost about $12.00, but plan on renting extras like seats, life jackets, helmets, etc., bringing the average total to about $18.00 or a little more. 4½ - 5 hours north of Philadelphia, 2½ - 3 hours north of New York.

Jerry's Three River Campground
2333 Route 97
PO Box 7
Pond Eddy, New York 12770
(845) 557-6078
www.jerrys3rivercampground.com

With a half-mile of riverfront property, Three River offers plenty of opportunity to picnic, swim, fish, and relax. Then of course there are the canoe and raft trips on the Delaware. One of the most popular is a one-day trip from Jerry's Landing to Matamoras. This is a leisurely excursion with lots of time to picnic, swim, etc., on the way. RV sites with hookups available.

A two-day canoe trip with lots of white water begins at the Ten Mile Landing, stops for camp at Jerry's, and then continues to Matamoras. Shuttle service brings renters and their gear back to base. Rates based upon 2 persons per canoe or 4 per raft minimum and begin at about $40.00 per person, with group discounts available. Tent sites and lean-tos available. About 2½ hours north of Philadelphia or northwest of New York.

Silver Canoe Rentals
37 South Maple Avenue
Port Jervis, New York 12771
(800) 724-8342 or (845) 856-7055
www.silvercanoe.com

Silver Canoe offers great rates on raft and canoe rentals. Sort of the "little guy" on the block, Silver may lack some of the bells and whistles, but still offers special discounts, beyond those shown here, for schools and camps, as well as family packages. Walk-Ins are welcome here, though calling ahead is always recommended. Those planning extensive trips that include camping or other activities should call to inquire about these services.

All rates are on a per person basis with a minimum of 2 adults per canoe and 3 per raft per person are about $36 - 40 on weekends and. $33 - 35 on weekdays. Group discounts offered. 2½ - 3 hours north of Philadelphia, 2 hours northwest of New York.

Whitewater Willie's
17 West Main Street
Port Jervis, New York 12771
(800) 724-8342 or (845) 856-7055
www.whitewaterwillies.com

Willie's offers 2 daily river trips, one covering 5 miles and lasting 3 hours, the other covering 12 miles and lasting 5 hours. Naturally people may rent rafts, inflatable canoes, or tubes and tour the beautiful Delaware on their own. Fees include Trip Planning, River Orientation and Transportation 7 days a week.

Rates: see Silver Canoe above.

Whitewater Challengers
PO Box 8
White Haven, Pennsylvania 18661
(800) 443-RAFT (7238) / (570) 443-9532
www.whitewaterchallengers.com

Whitewater Challengers offers white water rafting on any of three rivers: the Lehigh, at beautiful Lehigh Gorge; Hudson River Gorge, in the Adirondack wilderness; or the Moose River, a raging Class V New York river. A 2 - day package combines the Moose and the Hudson (also a Class IV - V, run at high water). On milder trips, children as young as 5 will be accepted. Otherwise age requirements vary by season. For the Moose River, participants must be at least 18.

Beginning kayakers can take a 2 - day Kayak Clinic, and landlubbers can go mountain biking in the Poconos and Lehigh River Gorge area.

Great meal packages are available, from a quick lunch to a cook-out steak dinner with the guides (on the tougher trips). Camping and hotel facilities are available, and there are a number of special events throughout the season.

Rates run from around $55.00 to - $79.00 or so, depending on the type of craft, number of people, time of season, etc. Excursions to wilderness areas cost more. Call for details. About 2 hours north of Philadelphia. 2 - 2½.west of New York.