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THE PEACEFUL
WALLPACK BEND
The Delaware River assumes a slower pace between Port Jervis, NY, and Stroudsburg, PA. This is the perfect place to take advantage of the excellent fishing, bask in the sunshine of the wide river channels, watch for wildlife on the wooded banks, or cool off in the shade of the overhanging trees. The river flows within the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area for almost the entire distance, and is frequently bordered by state owned forests and parks. Because no houses or other signs of man are visible from the river for miles along this stretch, the river must appear almost the same as it did to the early Indians.
Most of the 20 islands in this 40 miles of river can be used by river travelers for island camping. Those islands on the lower part which are owned by the National Park Service can be used for rest stops, overnight camping, and swimming. Paddlers will also enjoy the narrow passages between the islands where the current quickens and the canopy of tree branches gives the river a degree of intimacy not known elsewhere. The rapids are all rated Class I or less and so present little threat even to a boat loaded with camping gear.
One of the most famous islands is Tocks Island, for its name was given to a proposed dam that would have flooded the valley almost to Port Jervis. This high impoundment, which would have been built across the valley between two mountain ranges, was designed to provide a predictable water flow to the lower Delaware Valley. While this dam is not an active project, it is still authorized and supported by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the City of Philadelphia, and the Delaware River Basin Commission.
Wallpack Bend itself is a major loop, or S-turn, where the river course is redirected by the hills and mountains. The river completely reverses its direction twice within three miles. The name is believed to stem from either of two words-"wallpeck", meaning "whirlpool", or "waorldpeek", meaning "deep-water". Since the water of Wallpack Bend reaches a depth of 25 feet, actually one of the deeper points on the river, and since high water currents produce eddy-line whirlpools as the river is forced around the bends, either explanation is plausible.