Updated 2001
Landing Lane to DeMott bridge (optional access): Turn left out of parking area. Go uphill on Franklin Blvd. to traffic light; turn right onto Easton Avenue. Proceed 2 miles on Easton Avenue to DeMott Lane; it is the second set of lights after JFK Blvd. Turn right (at DeMott light) into the driveway to the historic Van Wickle House. Parking Lot is straight ahead, near the footbridge. DeMott bridge to 5 Mile Lock: Turn right out of driveway onto Easton Ave. After 1.5 miles, go under I-287 bridge. Stay in the right lane, because the turnoff to the 5 Mile Lock is immediately after the bridge (0.1 mile) on the right. There is a small parking area, which is rather sloped. 5 Mile Lock to South Bound Brook Lock: Turn right onto Easton Ave. Stay in the right lane to avoid the U-turn traffic. Easton Ave goes into South Bound Brook and becomes Main St. Continue to the lights just before the bridge. At the lights turn left (following sign To I-287) onto Weston Canal Road. Do not cross the bridge! The parking area for the South Bound Brook Lock is 200yds after the lights, on the right hand side. South Bound Brook Lock to 10 Mile Lock: Turn right out of parking area. You are now on Weston Canal Rd. After 2.3 miles you will pass a large arched footbridge. (Do not stop here!) The parking area for 10 Mile Lock is about 0.3 miles further on, just past the Elizabeth Town Water Company. The parking area is on the right, and has a sign NJ Water Supply Authority. 10 Mile Lock to East Millstone (Route 514): Turn right out of parking lot, follow Weston Canal Road. You will pass Zarephath after 0.5 mile. At 1.2 miles the road turns right and crosses the canal on Route 623 into Manville. Do not cross the canal here! Turn left before the bridge, staying on Weston Canal Rd. (You are essentially continuing straight, keeping the canal on the right.) Soon the road turns sharply left taking you away from the canal. Take the first right after this bend onto Mettler Rd. At 3.9 miles you come to a T-junction. Turn right here onto Amwell Rd. (Route 514) You reach East Millstone at 4.4 miles. Go across the bridge on Amwell Rd. The parking area is on the right immediately across the bridge. East Millstone to Blackwells Mills: Turn left out of the parking area, going back across the bridge. Immediately turn right. After 0.2 miles you come to a T-junction. Turn right down the hill onto Canal Rd. (You are now following the canal again.) Pass Grouser Rd. going off to the left. Stay by the canal. Pass Miller Farm Rd. on the left. After 2.2 miles, you come to a four-way stop with a small house to the right. Turn right at the stop sign, across the bridge. The parking area is just across the bridge on the left. Blackwells Mills to Griggstown Locks:Turn right out of the parking area. A Route: Cross the Millstone River on the Weston Causeway bridge. Turn left onto River Road and follow river. After 3.5 miles, turn left and cross Griggstown Causeway. Turn right onto Canal Road and proceed 0.7 miles to Griggstown Locks. The parking area on the canal side is marked by a brown D+R Canal State Park sign. B Route: Turn right at the four-way stop onto Canal Road. At 1.4 miles the road turns sharply left (and becomes Suydam Rd); just after the sharp turn you must make a right to stay on Canal Road. For a long while, on this stretch, you lose sight of the canal. At 3.7 miles Griggstown Causeway crosses the canal. Go past this staying on Canal Rd. At 4.4 miles Griggstown Lock is marked by a brown D+R Canal State Park sign. Griggstown Locks to Rocky Hill (Route 518): Follow Griggstown Canal Road At 2.5 miles you come to Rt 518. Turn right onto Rte 518. Cross the bridge. The parking is immediately on the right and is marked by a brown D+R Canal State Park sign. Rocky Hill (Route 518) to Kingston Locks: Turn left out of parking, crossing the canal bridge again. Turn right at the lights onto Rocky Hill Rd. Rocky Hill Rd. becomes Laurel Ave which then meets Rte 27 at the lights. Turn right onto Rte 27. Go through one set of lights and down the hill. At the bottom of the hill just before the bridge turn left into the Kingston Lock parking area. (Kingston lock is just beside the Wine PressKingston Locks to Alexander Road: Turn left onto Route 27. Proceed into Princeton along Rte 27. Go straight at light for Washington Rd. Pass Palmer Square and turn left onto University Place. Pass the Train Station on your left. The road turns to the right and comes to a T-junction with lights. Turn left onto Alexander Rd. Follow this about 1 mile to the bridge over the canal. The canal bridge is marked by a yellow Narrow Bridge sign. The parking area is immediately on the right; if you cross the canal you have gone too far. Park and walk back to greet the arriving runners.
Driving Instructions from Princeton to Rutgers
Click here for directions in the other direction.
Updated 2002Maintained by: Charles Weibel, weibel @ math.rutgers.edu , last modified May 21, 2002
Washington Road (Princeton) to Kingston Locks: Cross bridge and proceed into Princeton along Washington. Turn right onto Route 27 (Nassau St.) and continue until crossing the bridge into Kingston. Immediately after bridge, turn right into Kingston Lock area, just to the right of the Wine Press. Kingston Locks to Rocky Hill/Griggstown: Turn right onto Route 27 North, go up the hill into Kingston. Turn left at the second traffic light onto Laurel Avenue. Laurel becomes Rocky Hill Road. After 2.5 miles, you come to a traffic light marked Griggstown Canal Road.
To stop here at the Rocky Hill access: Cross the canal here (on Rt 518); the parking is immediately on the right and is marked by a brown D+R Canal State Park sign. To proceed onto Griggstown, cross back over the canal bridge to the traffic light.
To Griggstown: Turn North onto Griggstown Canal Road, which is flat and follows the canal. (Do not stay on 518!) You can see the runners across the canal along this stretch. After 2.5 miles, you come to Griggstown lock, which is marked by a brown D+R Canal State Park sign. Griggstown Locks to Blackwells Mills: Turn left onto Canal Road. After 0.7 miles, you have a choice: A Route: Turn left, crossing Griggstown Causeway, and then turn right onto River road, which parallels the Millstone river; after 3.5 miles, turn right and cross the Millstone River on the Weston Causeway bridge. B Route: Continue straight for another 2.3 miles (losing sight of the canal for a long stretch) and turn left at the end (at a 'T' intersection) onto Suydam Road; at the canal, Suydam turns and becomes Canal Road again; continue for 1.4 miles to the 4-way stop sign, turn left and cross the canal bridge to park. Blackwells Mills to East Millstone: Cross the canal bridge and turn left at the 4-way Stop sign onto Canal Road, which follows the canal. Pass Miller Farm Road and then Grouser Road, both going off to the right. When you reach East Millstone, after about 2.0 miles, you leave the canal and go up a hill. Turn left at the top up the hill, and then left again (after 0.2 miles) onto Amwell Road (Rt 514), which has heavy traffic. Cross the canal bridge on Amwell; the parking area is on the right immediately across the bridge. East Millstone (Route 514) to 10 Mile Lock: Turn left out of the parking area, going back across the bridge on Amwell Road (Route 514). After 0.5 miles, turn left onto Mettler Road. This road will turn sharply to the left after a while, becoming Weston Canal Road and returning to the canal. DO NOT CROSS the canal 0.4 miles later at the truss bridge (to Manville)!! Keep the canal on your left. After 0.7 miles, you will pass Zarepath. Half a mile further on, you will see 10 Mile Lock. The parking area is on the left. It has a sign NJ Water Supply Authority. 10 Mile Lock to 5 Mile Lock: From the parking area at 10 Mile Lock, turn left on Weston Canal Road. Quick Route: Drive until the junction with I-287 and take I-287 South to the next exit (Easton Ave). On the exit ramp, bear left. (Most of the other traffic will bear right.) After a stop sign, you will join traffic that comes from Easton Avenue (on your right); once you are in this traffic stream, you go off to the right after .1 mile (almost immediately after going under 287); there is a tiny and rather sloped parking lot. Route past South Bound Brook Lock: Continue for 2.6 miles into South Bound Brook. The parking lot for the SBB locks is on the left, in town 200 yards before the lights at the Main Street bridge. To continue to 5 Mile Lock, bear right at the bridge onto Main Street (Route 527), which turns into Easton Avenue. As you pass the entrance to I-287, bear left; most of the traffic will continue right on Easton. Follow the road around, through a stops sign, to make a U-turn onto Easton Avenue going back towards Bound Brook and under I-287. Immediately (100 meters) after going under I-287, turn right into a tiny and rather sloped parking lot. This is 5 Mile Lock. To get to the spillway, get out of the car and walk along the canal about 200 meters. 5 Mile Lock to Landing Lane: From the parking lot, turn right (the only direction allowed). Stay in the left lane and proceed through the stop sign to get into the U-turn stream; this brings you to the point where you were earlier (the intersection with I-287). Now bear right; this brings you to Easton Avenue going towards New Brunswick. Continue 3.5 miles on Easton and get in the left lane when it goes up a hill. Just over the top, turn left at the traffic light marked Franklin Boulevard Franklin Blvd goes downhill to a traffic light at Landing Lane Bridge. The ending point of the race is just past this light, over the (nonfunctional) historic swing bridge on the left, but there is no real parking there. You can either park on the lot on the right before the traffic light (and cross the swing bridge on foot at your own peril) or continue straight across Landing Lane bridge over the Raritan river, on the left, and walk back to greet the arriving runners.