Pea Patch Island
Chester Island
Monds Island
Little Tinicum Island
Mud Island
Petty’s Island
Amico Island
Mud Island Shoal
Burlington Island
Newbold Island
Yards Island
Rotary Island
Park Island
Duer’s Island
Harvey’s Island
Lowne’s Island
Malta Island
Hendrick Island
Eagle Island
Bull’s Island
Cutbush Island
Prahls Island
Wall’s Island
Treasure Island
Delaware Memorial Bridge
Commodore Barry Bridge
Girard Point Bridge
Betsy Ross Bridge
Burlington-Bristol Bridge
Delaware River–Turnpike Toll Bridge
I-295 North
Trenton-Morrisvile Toll Bridge
West Trenton Railroad Bridge
Scudder Falls Bridge
Washington Crossing Bridge
New Hope-Lambertville Bridge
Stockton Bridge
Lumberville-Raven Rock Bridge

  • The Delaware River flows 330 miles between Delaware and New York, harboring roughly 123 islands as it carves a ragged border between Pennsylvania and New Jersey.

  • Some islands are mere shoals or sandbars, while others span hundreds of acres. Some are no longer true islands after reattaching to mainland via nature or human engineering.

  • The federal government, states, counties, corporations, and private individuals all own islands that are used for recreation, industry, or, in most cases, nothing at all.

  • Join us for a ride up the Delaware River.

    Islands in the stream

    Published

  • Pea Patch Island

    • OwnerDelaware
    • Acres225

    This island is one of the largest Atlantic Coast nesting sites for herons, egrets, and ibises north of Florida, with prime bird-watching from an observation point on the island’s Prison Camp Trail.

    But you can get there only by limited ferry service. Check the schedule online, as the season is typically limited from April to September. Camping is allowed.

    Fort Delaware, located on Pea Patch Island, served as a camp for up to 10,000 Confederate POWs at a time during the Civil War.

    The island stopped being manned after World War II and it became a state park in 1951. Fort Delaware was later restored as a memorial site.

    A ship in the Delaware River passes Fort Delaware on Pea Patch Island on Sunday, May 31, 2026.
    David Maialetti / Staff Photographer
    David Maialetti / Staff Photographer
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  • Lenape people once fished and farmed the Delaware River’s islands.

  • Legend has it that pirates prowled the shores of some islands, using the easy access to the river from the Atlantic Ocean and up the Delaware Estuary.

  • Over centuries, islands’ boundaries have shifted or disappeared like Smith’s and Windmill Islands. They were once playgrounds of the wealthy but were later dredged away between Camden and Philadelphia for shipping.

  • Partiers and boaters flock to some islands, often leaving trash behind. Tides wash in bottles, volleyballs, snack wrappers, and other debris.

  • Chester and Monds Islands

    • OwnerNew Jersey Audubon
    • Acres101 (Chester) and 120 (Monds)

    New Jersey Audubon acquired these two sizable islands from chemical conglomerate DuPont, and they’ve become a haven for birds.

    New Jersey Audubon did not respond to multiple requests for comments on how the islands are used and its purpose in acquiring them.

    Monds island is seen from Greenwich Township, N.J., on Wednesday, July 8, 2026.
    Monds island is seen from Greenwich Township, N.J., on Wednesday, July 8, 2026.Jose F. Moreno / Staff Photographer
    Jose F. Moreno / Staff Photographer

  • Little Tinicum Island

    • OwnerPennsylvania
    • Acres80

    Little Tinicum Island represents one of the few tidal mud flats in the state and is home to several wetland species of plants and animals not commonly found in Pennsylvania. The island is a good place to observe waterfowl.

    The 80-acre island is located just southwest of Philadelphia International Airport and is part of William Penn State Forest. There is a primitive campground accessible by boat and the Little Tinicum Trail includes a wildlife viewing area, patrolled by the state’s Fish and Boat Commission.

    Dominant trees include black willow, sycamore, silver maple, cottonwood, boxelder, and river birch. Common birds include red-winged blackbird, grackle, Baltimore oriole, and American redstart. The island also supports a heron rookery.

    Little Tinicum Island seen from Governor Printz Park on Wednesday, July 8, 2026 in Essington, Pa
    Little Tinicum Island seen from Governor Printz Park on Wednesday, July 8, 2026 in Essington, Pa
    Monica Herndon / Staff Photographer
    Monica Herndon / Staff Photographer

  • The Federal Aviation Administration detoured our flight away from Mud Island because it is near Philadelphia International Airport.

  • Flight continues after this message

  • Mud Island

    • OwnerPhiladelphia
    • Acres40

    Though no longer a true island, Mud Island is notable for housing Fort Mifflin, a National Historic Landmark. It might seem remote, but is surrounded by dense industrial development in Southwest Philadelphia, including nearby Philadelphia International Airport.

    The fort is one of the few remaining examples of the nation’s first system of harbor defense. The location just off the confluence of the Schuylkill and Delaware Rivers made it a tactical key to defending Philadelphia during the American Revolution.

    The U.S. government later hired French military engineers, such as Pierre Charles L’Enfant, to rebuild Fort Mifflin, including the commandant’s house. Visitors can tour the facilities and see battle reenactments.

    The land now suffers from poor drainage and threats from sea level rise. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers uses a site on Mud Island to dump spoils from river dredging.

    Fort Mifflin is shown on Thursday, April 9, 2026 in Philadelphia. An American Revolutionary War historical site located on Mud Island along the Delaware River, floods regularly. Now, a much needed $7 million tide gate is being installed to protect it.
    Fort Mifflin is shown on Thursday, April 9, 2026 in Philadelphia. An American Revolutionary War historical site located on Mud Island along the Delaware River, floods regularly. Now, a much needed $7 million tide gate is being installed to protect it.Jose F. Moreno / Staff Photographer
    Jose F. Moreno / Staff Photographer

  • The FAA cleared our flight to resume above Petty’s Island.

  • Petty’s Island

    • OwnerCitgo
    • Acres300

    This property off Pennsauken has long been viewed by New Jersey as a potential environmental and recreational haven with Philly skyline views.

    It was first inhabited by Indigenous Lenni-Lenape people, and later became associated with William Penn. Local lore also includes stories of Blackbeard docking there and Benjamin Franklin spending a night. Over time, the island was used for farming, trading, and shipbuilding.

    The island took its name from John Petty, an 18th-century Philadelphia trader.

    Its modern identity began when Citgo began buying land there in 1916 and owned the entire island by the 1950s. Venezuela’s state oil company acquired ownership of Citgo in the 1980s, and the company left pollution on the island from oil storage and distribution.

    In 2009, Citgo donated the island to New Jersey’s Natural Lands Trust after years of back and forth. Public access is currently limited to scheduled programs, and trails and exhibits have been installed.

    Final title transfer from Citgo to the trust depends on cleanup. Citgo must remove infrastructure and remediate contamination. Citgo also agreed to put $13.3 million into a remediation trust fund.

    The island’s future became murky when an American court-approved the sale of Citgo to U.S.-based Amber Energy, in a process involving Citgo’s Venezuelan parent company. Further exacerbating issues: the U.S. captured President Nicolás Maduro of Venezuela in January.

    A view of the channel between Pyne Poynt Park (left) and Petty's Island (right) from the shoreline at Cramer Hill Waterfront Park on Jan. 7, 2026.
    A view of the channel between Pyne Poynt Park (left) and Petty's Island (right) from the shoreline at Cramer Hill Waterfront Park on Jan. 7, 2026.Frank Kummer / Staff
    Frank Kummer / Staff

  • Amico Island

    • OwnerBurlington County
    • Acres55

    This peninsula might not be a true island, but the Burlington County-owned park is open to the public with a collection of trails, some of which overlook the river. The park contains upland forests, freshwater ponds and wetlands, river shoreline and meadows. Hikers, cyclists, anglers, and picnickers explore the area that sits at the confluence of the Rancocas Creek and Delaware River.

    The park has overlooks and river vistas for bird and wildlife observation.

    Views include marinas and boaters that ring the park on nice days. White-tailed deer, cottontail rabbits, hawks, eagles, and great blue herons can often be seen. There is a small island in Dredge Harbor visible from Amico’s south overlook, and houses up to 100 nesting great blue herons every March through June.

    The Tacony-Palmyra Bridge seen from Amico Island Park on Tuesday, June 16, 2026 in Delran, NJ. Amico Island Park is a 55-acre peninsula in Burlington County.
    The Tacony-Palmyra Bridge seen from Amico Island Park on Tuesday, June 16, 2026 in Delran, NJ. Amico Island Park is a 55-acre peninsula in Burlington County.Monica Herndon / Staff Photographer
    Monica Herndon / Staff Photographer

  • Mud Island Shoal

    • OwnerRybas family
    • Acres32

    Just off the coast of Bensalem Township in Bucks County, sits Fairview Island. But its owners, the Rybas family, call it Mud Island Shoal.

    The Rybases purchased a chunk of the estate of Philadelphia's prominent Biddle family in the 1970s. The island was part of the deal.

    “It just sits there,” said Walt Rybas. “Ducks use it.”

    William and Sarah Biddle came to Burlington from England in 1681. Over the decades, the Biddle family expanded, rising up in banking, law and politics in Philadelphia during the American Revolution. Nicholas Biddle was head of the Second Bank of the United States.

    The Biddle estate was known as Andalusia. In 1980, James Biddle, a preservationist, donated part of the estate that is now the 50-acre Andalusia Historic House, Gardens & Arboretum. The property faces the Delaware River and is open to the public for a $20 entrance fee.

  • Burlington Island

    • OwnerCity of Burlington / Board of Island Managers
    • Acres396

    Burlington Island has a long history as the location of the first recorded European settlement in New Jersey when 30 families of Walloons, a French-speaking ethnic group from what is now Belgium, arrived in 1624.

    An amusement park was erected in 1917, and visitors arrived via ferries, but fire destroyed the park in 1928. A subsequent mining operation dug out what became a 97-acre lake.

    The island has four miles of hiking trails and is able to be used for recreation, education, preservation, and cultural purposes, according to the nonprofit Friends of Burlington Island. The southern half of the island is owned by the City of Burlington but under jurisdiction of the State of New Jersey Green Acres program. The northern half is owned by the Board of Island Managers.

    In 2016, the city filed a lawsuit to fight a proposal by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) to dump dredge spoils on part of the island to open the river for cargo vessels. The suit remains unresolved in New Jersey Superior Court. Steve Rochette, a spokesman for the USACE, said, however, that there have been no recent discussions to place spoils on the island.

    An undated photograph of Burlington Island. (
    An undated photograph of Burlington Island. (Burlington County Historical Soc
    Burlington County Historical Soc

  • Newbold Island

    • OwnerPSE&G and Bordentown Township
    • Acres530

    The island gets its name from Michael Newbold, who is said to have set up a Quaker colony there before William Penn arrived in 1683. Penn later established his plantation, Pennsbury, directly across the river.

    Utility company PSE&G owns the bulk of the island, where it once planned a now-scrapped nuclear power plant. It has since been negotiating with New Jersey to potentially make it a public open space.

    A few years ago, Bordentown Township township purchased 73 acres of waterfront on the island for $4.6 million to keep it from being developed.

    The township is currently working with the state Department of Environmental Protection to complete cleanup of a former shipyard on the mainland. The township plans to convert the area adjacent to the island into a public park, which would feature paths, boardwalks, scenic overlooks, fishing piers, and a kayak launch.

    The island would remain untouched without a bridge to the mainland.

  • Most islands remain unnamed, according to an Inquirer analysis of databases from New Jersey and the Delaware River Basin Commission (DRBC), while some have multiple names.

  • Of the islands in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, 52 are publicly owned, 16 are private, and six are vacant land. Bucks County alone counts 20 islands.

  • Rotary Island

    • OwnerNew Jersey
    • Acres31

    Once owned by the Trenton Rotary Club as a camp for ill children, the undeveloped Rotary Island is now owned by New Jersey and available to kayakers and boaters on the river.

    It’s managed by Washington Crossing State Park, although it is not part of the park property. New Jersey State Parks manages the forested property for conservation.

  • Lowne’s Island

    • OwnerPa. Department of Conservation and Natural Resources
    • Acres10

    On Christmas night 1776, George Washington, having fled the British in New Jersey, regrouped in Bucks County to recross the Delaware River as part of a surprise attack on Trenton. That attack was planned at McConkey Ferry Inn, across from what is now Lowne’s Island, also known as McConkey Island.

    Washington commandeered large flat-bottomed Durham boats and ferries for hundreds of men, horses, artillery, and equipment, and wrote from the Inn on Dec. 25, 1776 to Colonel John Cadwalader, “I am determined as the night is favorable to cross the river…”

    Though Lowne’s Island played no significant role in the attack, the boats were hidden farther upriver on Malta Island near New Hope so they were not visible to the British across the river, according to the Solebury Historical Society. Malta Island became choked with mud and sand and is no longer an island.

    And undated photo of the reenactment of Gen. Washington crossing the Delaware River at McConkey's Ferry.
    And undated photo of the reenactment of Gen. Washington crossing the Delaware River at McConkey's Ferry.Visit Bucks County
    Visit Bucks County

  • In the 1980s, two area congressmen grew so alarmed by development threats to islands that they directed a National Park Service study in an effort to create a trust for their preservation. The effort fizzled.

  • Pennsylvania contains the most islands, with 53, followed by New Jersey’s 43, New York’s 25, and Delaware’s 2.

  • Bulls Island

    • OwnerNew Jersey
    • Acres80

    Still forested, this island is a launching point for cyclists, hikers, and boaters and a well-known birding spot. It includes a park office, picnic area, playground, and a pedestrian bridge designed by pioneering engineer John Roebling that crosses into Pennsylvania. The bridge provides access to the nearly 60-mile towpath at Delaware Canal State Park, which also connects to the 165-mile Delaware and Lehigh (D&L) trail. It is surrounded by the 77-mile Delaware and Raritan (D&R) canal path to the east and the Delaware River on the west.

    Last year, Bulls Island Recreation Area hosted 246,860 visitors.

    A boy cycles through the Bulls Island recreation center on Tuesday, June 16, 2026.
    A boy cycles through the Bulls Island recreation center on Tuesday, June 16, 2026.Aidan T. Gallo / Staff Photographer
    Aidan T. Gallo / Staff Photographer

  • Treasure Island

    • OwnerHaubert Outdoor Oriented Adventure Hospitality, LLC
    • Acres42

    Once one of the oldest Boy Scout camps in the country, Treasure Island was sold in 2018 to Haubert Outdoor Oriented Adventure Hospitality, LLC.

    Haubert, based in Upper Black Eddy, Pa., has an arrangement with the nonprofit Friends of Treasure Island to allow scouts to continue camping there for free about 10 times a year.

    Hank Wiese, a spokesperson for Friends of Treasure Island, said the island has 13 campsites, and several buildings, including a dining hall and staff cabins. Haubert rents the sites to private users in the summer.

    The Friends of Treasure Island
    The Friends of Treasure IslandCourtesy of The Friends of Trasure Island
    Courtesy of The Friends of Trasure Island

This ends our flight, but not the islands of the Delaware River, and their history is fascinating.

Tiny Getter’s Island in Easton was the site of Pennsylvania's last public execution: the hanging of Charles Getter in 1833 for strangling to death his pregnant wife.

The Easton Sentinel reported that 100,000 visitors came from “far and wide” to witness the hanging, filling hotels and public houses before settling on hills and banks to watch.

Easton residents Priya Muddu and her daughter Meena purchased the island in April for $75,000 from the Heilman family, who had owned it for decades.

Farther north is Tocks Island. In 1955, Congress commissioned the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) to study building dams and reservoirs along the Delaware River after two hurricanes caused massive flooding that killed 100 people.

The USACE proposed building Tocks Island Dam in Warren County, N.J., which would have flooded the area to create a massive lake-sized reservoir 40 miles long and a mile wide.

The plan caused an uproar, the project was shelved, and land acquired by the federal government was given to the National Park Service to create the 70,000-acre Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area.

As the river flows up through New York, more islands abound, each with its own story.

Staff Contributors

  • Design and Development: Sam Morris
  • Reporting: Frank Kummer
  • Editing: Erica Palan, Cindy Henry, and Sam Morris
  • Photography: David Maialetti, Jose F. Moreno, Monica Herndon, Frank Kummer, and Aidan T. Gallo
  • Videography: Gabe Coffey
  • QA: Sarah Pham
  • Photo Editing: David Maialetti and Frank Wiese
  • Social Editing: Esra Erol
  • Pilot: Gilberto Velez-Domenech from LightHawk
  • Flight Coordinator: Jonathan Milne from LightHawk
  • Island data sources: DRBC and NJGIN
  • Copy Editing: Brian Leighton
to continue

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