Seven Health Benefits of Canoeing the Delaware River

As you’re contemplating unique adventures this summer, consider a canoe trip down the Delaware River, where not only will it take your breath away, but it will offer a variety of health benefits at the same time. Paddling is a great way to enjoy our waterways and take in the beauty of the surrounding landscape. You’ll likely experience wildlife such as fish, deer, ducks, and even bald eagles.  

But as you’re admiring the sights and experiences on the river, you’re also likely to encounter the following seven health benefits while canoeing the Delaware.

  1. Cardiovascular fitness: Like other forms of exercise, paddling increases your heart rate, which conditions your heart.
  2. Upper body strength: Paddling the canoe through the water requires repetitive resistant motion, which will strengthen chest, arm, shoulder, and back muscles.
  3. Core strength: Powering a canoe comes largely from rotating the torso and engaging core muscles.
  4. Leg strength: Surprisingly, canoeing is not just an upper-body workout. It requires applying pressure through your legs, which will give you a nice lower-body workout.
  5. Weight loss: You will burn hundreds of calories on the river, resulting in weight loss over time.
  6. Reduced strain: Because paddling is a low-impact activity, there is less risk of strain on joints, tissues, and ligaments.
  7. Mental health: While canoeing will provide a workout, it’s also a stress-reliever at the same time. Canoeing the Delaware River is often a peaceful experience in certain areas and exhilarating in others – sure to release endorphins and elevate serotonin. Thus, you will naturally experience a decrease in stress, a feeling of well-being, and an elevated sense of happiness.

For many people, canoeing can be an almost meditative activity, as you’re spending time with nature and traversing the habitats of local wildlife. The peaceful experience on the river provides a natural distraction from the physical exertion, and you may hardly notice you’re exercising.

Indian Head Canoes offers canoe trips ranging from three to nine miles long, meaning you can spend a short hour on the river or embark on a four-hour journey. We offer mild trips for beginners to more adventurous, longer trips for intermediate paddlers with a little more experience.

four friends in raft enjoying Indian Head Canoeing Rafting Kayaking Tubing Delaware River

One of our more popular runs, Knights Eddy to Matamoras, navigates the Upper Delaware through the Mongaup Rapids – the most exciting whitewater on the river. These rapids form when the extra flow of the Mongaup River meets the Delaware River, creating a roller coaster set of rapids. You’ll have plenty of time to catch your breath and gaze at the spectacular scenery as the river winds through the famous Hawk’s Nest area and other milder segments.

Delaware River Canoeing Professionals

Indian Head Canoes professionals have an unparalleled level of experience when it comes to canoeing on the Delaware River. We will help you select the trip that is right for you and your group and equip you with state-of-the-art vessels and gear/safety equipment, provide instruction, and prepare you for your adventure. You will decide how to spend your day – either leisurely floating on the calmer segments of the river or challenge yourself on the swifter-moving sections. You can spend even more time enjoying the Delaware by pausing to swim, picnic, or just relax in the sun.

If you would like to learn more about our canoeing adventures, please contact us today!