Exploring the Pine Barrens' Rivers and Streams

With summer crowds gone, now is a great time to explore hundreds of miles of unusual, beautiful Pinelands waterways.

What it is: New Jersey’s Pine Barrens are crossed with numerous streams and small rivers that twist their way through the woods on their way to estuaries and, ultimately, the ocean.

Most of the water in these streams is supplied by the vast Kirkwood-Cohansey aquifer, a massive groundwater supply that lies very close to the surface in some parts of the Pine Barrens.

Water from the aquifer – a precious resource in and of itself – seeps up through the ground into streams in four major watersheds. The largest is the Mullica River watershed, which contains the rivers and streams that typify the area’s waterways: the Wading and its tributary the Oswego, the Batsto and the Mullica itself.

A number of special characteristics set these streams apart. For one, they have dramatically twisting paths, due in part to the fact that they flow on a very flat coastal plain.

They’re also well known for their dark brown “tea-stained” water. The color comes from a brew of organic compounds called humates that come from decomposing plant matter. The naturally occurring plant compounds called tannins, which are high in some Pine Barrens species, like Atlantic white cedar, also contribute to the dark water.

In most streams, these compounds would be broken down by organisms fairly quickly and swept away. But there’s relatively little life in these streams because of another key trait: They’re highly acidic, with water ranging from 5.5 to 3.6 on the pH scale (coffee rates a 5, vinegar a 3).

The low pH means few species can tolerate the water. Crustaceans and mollusks – crayfish, for example, and freshwater clams – are rare in these streams, because the water is too acidic for their calcium-based shells. Even most freshwater fish can’t tolerate the pH, but several amphibian species can, including the rare, endemic Pine Barrens tree frog.

Where to find them: There are streams and rivers throughout the Pinelands, and getting a look at one can be as simple as driving to the nearest bridge on a local road and peeking over at the clear, brown, slow-moving water.

But the best way to get a feel for one of these fascinating streams is to explore them by canoe or kayak. The rivers in the Mullica watershed are probably your best bets, with the Wading being the most popular. They’ll take you through more remote, pristine areas, but they also have many easy access points. You can also get some ideas about good stream stretches to check out in .

Trails.com is a great resource for anybody looking to organize a float, or a hike, for that matter. You have to register for the service, but it's worth it.

Cool autumn days are perfect for exploring these streams, but most of the rental companies that serve the area close up shop at the end of October, so you’ll probably need to supply your own boat.

Why bother: There’s no better way to get a sense of the vastness and wildness of the Pinelands than by canoe. The streams can bring you to places that remain almost completely undeveloped, with only the occasional duck under a bridge to remind you that civilization lies nearby. They can be very crowded in summer, so now is a great time to see them.

Besides being unusual and lovely, the Pinelands’ rivers and creeks – and the aquifer that supplies their water – are delicate. The high pH and low nitrogen levels may not create a hospitable environment for a wide range of species, but those that do make the waters their home need them to stay that way. But fertilizer-rich agricultural runoff from farms and cranberry bogs can significantly alter the chemical balance of these streams, and thus the ecosystem of the forests through which they flow.