15-mile Cooper River kayak trail opens, running from Camden to Haddonfield

Don Baugh was eager, but had doubts, years ago when he and Camden County officials first envisioned a Cooper River water trail that would wind through multiple towns including Camden before ending at the Delaware River.

Baugh, founder of the nonprofit Upstream Alliance, loved the idea, but thought: “Would anybody come?’”

He changed his mind as enthusiasm grew.

On Saturday, that vision came to fruition as officials held a grand opening for the $3.4 million, 15.5-mile Cooper River Water Trail, amid festivities that included free kayaking and fishing.

“My hope is twofold,” Baugh said. “That the trail is going to reconnect the residents of Camden who have not had the opportunity to see clean water for generations and be good for the economy of Camden. The second is for it to become a regional destination.”

At the eastern end, it starts at Crows Woods in Haddonfield, ambles through several parks, crosses Cooper River Lake, runs through Camden onto the Delaware River, and loops around Petty’s Island before ending at Pyne Point and Cramer Hill Waterfront Parks overlooking the Philadelphia skyline.

The goal is to lure people to explore the back channels of the Delaware and Cooper Rivers. The trail makes about 1,100 acres of formerly inaccessible water passable.

Additionally, Upstream Alliance, an environmental advocacy group, has also commissioned a 49-foot, solar-powered catamaran that will make its home on the river, possibly in the fall, to provide river trips for children.

The county has a website with information on the new water trail. It includes maps, programs, and a trip planner. The trail has seven launch sites along the way, five of which are open. A boat launch is scheduled to open in September at Gateway Park off Admiral Wilson Boulevard.

Signs direct trail users and include information about safety. Some points along the trail, like Kaighns Avenue in Camden, require kayakers to carry, or portage, boats across the road.

“We run safety training, and beginner and intermediate programs,” Baugh said. “The whole idea is to reengage Camden, and people in the area, including Philadelphia, with their waterways.”

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There are four regular paddle programs on the water trail, including free paddle instruction from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. every Saturday from Memorial Day to Labor Day at Cramer Hill Waterfront Park. The county hosts free sunset paddles at Cooper River Yacht Club Tuesdays and Thursdays, 7 to 8:30 p.m.

“The water trail is another enhancement to the quality of life in Camden County,” said Jeffrey Nash, a county commissioner and liaison to the parks department.

Nash said the county plans to install kayak rentals in several locations similar to Indego, Philadelphia’s bike-share system.

He calls the Cooper River as it flows under U.S. Route 130 and into Camden a “hidden gem in Camden County.”

“The water trail is probably the least explored part of our parks,” Nash said. “People don’t know that these amenities exist in their backyard.”

“If you get into the water and at any point of this water trail you will be amazed by what you’ll see. You will lose yourself,” Nash continued. “It is that peaceful and the wildlife is extraordinary. It’s a spectacular experience. And it’s our job to let people know this exists.”

Meanwhile, the Firefly, a 49-foot-long, 20-foot-wide, solar-powered catamaran commissioned by Upstream Alliance is under construction in Maine. Expected to be complete this year, the Firefly will be operated by a crew of four with room for 36 passengers.

Because of its low draft, it will be able to operate in shallow water. It will be docked at Wiggins Park.

Baugh said in a previous interview that he hopes to, “take every kid in Camden’s school system on the water that will be an educational experience integrated with the classroom.”

The catamaran will contain photovoltaic panels on its roof to convert sunlight into electrical energy and power the aluminum, dual-hull boat, according to the Upstream Alliance website. A battery will store energy and the boat is expected to operate quietly.

At the Cramer Hill Waterfront Park boat launch, Jaycel Santos, 20, of Camden was gearing up to help with free kayak rides in a pond that leads to the two rivers.

Santos helped make a documentary in 2022 about a quest to find the source of the Cooper River, about 16 miles as it strings through 17 municipalities, stretching from Gibbsboro to Camden.

“I went to Urban Promise school,” Santos said. “I was part of a program called Urban Trekkers. I was one of five people chosen to go on the expedition.”

Now Santos works for Upstream Alliance and said he was proud to help launch the new water trail.