Walk 40-Miles on the D&R Canal

For the fifth year in a row, the FreeWalkers of New Jersey are inviting everyone to join them on a 40-mile one-day journey by foot along the D&R Canal on April 11, 2015. This historical man-made waterway is one of central New Jersey’s most popular recreational parks. The “Great Canal Walk” follows the main canal section from downtown Trenton through Lawrenceville and Princeton, as well as the charming villages of Kingston, Griggstown, Blackwells Mills and East Millstone, ending up in New Brunswick.

The D&R Canal was originally built across central New Jersey to provide an efficient and safe route for transporting freight between Philadelphia and New York. For nearly a century after it opened, the D&R Canal was one of America’s busiest navigation canals.

FreeWalkers.org is a social network of long distance walkers that encourage fitness, pedestrianism, and friendship while pursuing personally challenging goals. According to Paul Kiczek, a Morristown resident and its founder, “We encourage everyone to strive for an ambitious personal goal and then plan and motivate themselves to achieving it.” According to Kiczek, “This is not about speed but about endurance. Walkers benefit from the exercise, friendships and delight of discovering a hidden world nearby. Everyone who walks is a winner.”

The public is encouraged to join any of the 40 FreeWalker events planned for 2015. Walking events are generally free but donations are accepted on behalf of the East Coast Greenway. Walkers can participate even if they choose to walk less than the total distance and wish to walk at their own pace. For more information on the TR2NB40 – Spring Ahead and Great Canal Walks visit http://TR2NB40.org. The East Coast Greenway Alliance is a non-profit organization developing a public multi-use 3,000 mile trail from Canada to Key West, a major portion of which runs across New Jersey (visit http://greenway.org). For the latest information on the Cross-Jersey Walking Challenge visit http://crossjerseywalk.org.