Free Boat Tours Of The Hackensack River This Saturday, Free Kayaking

SECAUCUS, NJ — This Saturday, July 13 is the 17th annual City of Water Day in New York City and the area.

City of Water Day offers nearly 100 free, family-friendly events on or near the water. It was designed to be the perfect way to cool off in mid-summer and have the public engage with their local waterfront. There are free offerings in the entire region — from all five New York City boroughs to Westchester and Rockland counties, and across New Jersey.

However, to make your life easier, Patch picked the best events offered near Secaucus.

(All of these offerings below are free.)

New Jersey events

Kayaking the Passaic River

Get out onto the Passaic River with free kayaking at Newark’s Riverfront Park! Show up at the park (Raymond Boulevard and Brill Street Newark, NJ 07105) from 11 a.m. - 4 p.m. Saturday. They will have eight solo kayaks and eight tandem kayaks available for 45-minute free intervals. Participants can explore the river’s history with a guided tour and enjoy light refreshments. Come for a day of education and adventure on the water. Organized by the Newark City Parks Foundation, the City of Newark, Hackensack Riverkeeper and Ironbound Community Corporation.

Explore the Meadowlands with Hackensack Riverkeeper at Laurel Hill Park

Join Capt. Hugh Carola for a captivating series of five one-hour tours through "the real Meadowlands" aboard Hackensack Riverkeeper’s 30-foot research boat. Leaves from Laurel Hill Park in Secaucus. Each tour offers a unique opportunity to explore Sawmill Creek Marsh, observe nesting ospreys, and engage in real-time environmental science by measuring the Hackensack River’s temperature, salinity, pH and dissolved oxygen levels. It’s a great chance to connect with nature and learn about the local ecosystem! Riverkeeper usually charges for these tours, so this Saturday will be a rare chance for a free boat ride.

You WILL see: Nesting Ospreys, foraging herons, egrets & shorebirds, roosting cormorants. You MAY see: Turtles, muskrats, fiddler crabs and MORE!

Prospective participants should email Hugh at [email protected] with the following information:
- Name
- Mailing Address
- Cell number
- Number of people in their party.
- Ages of ANY children (children five and up are welcome)
- 1st, 2nd and 3rd choices of trip times (There are 5 total trips: 11am, 12pm, 1pm, 2pm, and 3pm)

Meet at Laurel Hill County Park, entrance at 1 High Tech Way, Secaucus, NJ 07094

Fourth Annual Paterson City of Water Day

Experience the beauty of the Passaic River at West Side Park from 9 a.m.. - 1 p.m.! The Passaic River Coalition invites you to a day packed with activities, including litter cleanup, free kayaking, fishing, and engaging nature activities. Learn about the river’s history, including its ties to slavery, participate in recycling crafts, and discuss local water-related concerns. The event will also offer music, art and more. Kayaking is available for all ages, with minors requiring an adult’s signature. Join us at the gazebo for check-in and start your adventure.

More New Jersey events:

• The River Between and Within Us, Ethical Culture Society of Bergen County
• Perth Amboy Celebrates City of Water Day 2024, Friends of the Perth Amboy Library/Perth Amboy Green Team
• City of Water Day at the Hoboken Cove, Fund for a Better Waterfront
• GSWA - Passaic River Cleanup and Paddle, Great Swamp Watershed Association
• Explore the West Side — Of Your Estuary!, Hackensack Riverkeeper
• Marina Estuary Day, Harbor Ops Education Subcommittee
• Hoboken Cove Community Boathouse Celebrates City of Water Day, Hoboken Cove Community Boathouse
• Hudson River Fishermen's Association: Fishing Clinic and Educational Table, Hudson River Fishermen's Association
• Na 'Ohana 'O Ke Kai Ke, Aloha Outrigger at Hoboken Cove
• Kayaking on the Passaic, Newark City Parks Foundation
• City of Orange Water Day Celebration, Orange HUUB
• Fourth Annual Paterson City of Water Day, Passaic River Coalition

Events in Manhattan:

• Free Kayaking at Pier 96, Manhattan Community Boathouse
• Outrigger Canoe Paddling and Standup Paddle Boarding at Pier 96, New York Outrigger
• City of Water Day at Randall's Island Park, Randall's Island Park Alliance
• Charting a Fossil-Fuel Free Future: WindShipped on City of Water Day, Waterfront Alliance & Climate Film Festival
• Climate Change and Architecture Harbor Tour, Waterfront Alliance and Classic Harbor Line
• AIA Industrial Waterways Tour, Waterfront Alliance, Classic Harbor Line, AIANY & Freshkills Park
• Tour of Living Shoreline at Sherman Creek Park, New York Restoration Project
• Shoreline Strolls, Hudson River Park Trust
• City of Water Day, South Street Seaport Museum
• Climate Piloting Summer Kickoff, Trust for Governors Island

Staten Island Events

Picnic by the Bay with the National Lighthouse Museum

The National Lighthouse Museum will be hosting Picnic by the Bay in participation with City of Water Day. The National Lighthouse Museum is located on the historical Lighthouse Point Promenade Depot, where lighthouses were constructed and tested in the past. Today, the Promenade stands as an open-air park space where visitors can look out and appreciate the natural wonder of the New York Bay. There will be live music, games, expert guest speakers, raffles and more — feel free to bring your own favorite picnic dish!

Paddle, Picnic and Photography with Kayak Staten Island and the Alice Austen House

Paddle, picnic, and peruse photography by the famous Alice Austen with Kayak Staten Island! Participants ages 12 and up will take a guided kayaking tour of the beautiful North Shore waterway. The tour takes off from the Alice Austen House Museum at Buono Beach and returns to the museum where you’ll have a light picnic on the gorgeous grounds and take a free tour of the Alice Austen House!

More Staten Island events:

• City of Water Day at Freshkills Park (Wetland Stewardship: Water Monitoring and Invasive Removal), Freshkills Park Alliance
• City of Water Day at Freshkills Park (Wings Over Water Walk), Freshkills Park Alliance
• City of Water Day at Freshkills Park (Kayak Tour), Freshkills Park Alliance
• City of Water Day at Freshkills Park (Youth Bird Walk), Freshkills Park Alliance
• Paddle, Picnic and Photography with Kayak Staten Island and the Alice Austen House, Kayak Staten Island
• Picnic By the Bay, National Lighthouse Museum

Want to see the whole list? Here are ALL the City of Water Day 2024 offerings: https://www.cityofwaterday.org...

City of Water Day is organized every year by the Waterfront Alliance and the New York–New Jersey Harbor & Estuary Program.