Boathouse whenever
there’s a full moon and
a warm night. As the
sun begins to set along
the Lakes District of the
Charles River, five miles
outside Boston, guides
pass out pictures of the
spot taken a century
before, featuring suited
men and women in big
hats and long dresses paddling their canoes.
This three-hour tour,
run by Charles River
Canoe & Kayak, proceeds
in the Victorian tradi-
tion. The river here forms
a series of glassy lakes,
tamed by dams that pow-
ered mills as early as the
17th century, and makes
for a picturesque paddle
after dark. Herons may be
spotted browsing along
the banks as guides tell
stories of the historic sites
along the way: Norum-
bega Park, the Totem Pole Ballroom
(now a Marriott), canoe clubs and boat-
houses—one of which was once a police
station dedicated to river patrols.
Boats tie up by an old watch factory
as guides pass out food from coolers. As
in the old days, paddlers in front turn to
face those behind as they snack. It’s easy
to see why people a century ago ventured
into the wilds of Newton to escape the
heat of Boston and spend the night in
their canoes.
Moonlight Rafting in the Poconos
When: July 3, 4 and 31; Aug. 28;
Sept. 11
Where: Pocono Whitewater Rafting
Center, Jim Thorpe, Pa.
Cost: $89.95 (includes equipment
rental, guide and après party)
Age: 10+ (adults-only trips available)
Information: poconowhitewater.com
If you don’t happen to be in the area
during a full moon, you may want to try
the City Lights tour, introduced this
year. Stable double kayaks put in at 7 p.m.
near Kendall Square, just in time to see
the lights of the city come on and reflect
in the darkening water. This route offers
striking views of the Boston skyline,
Cambridge and MIT as you paddle down
the river, under the railroad tracks and
the dramatically lit Zakim bridge.
Mountain Biking and Rafting
in the Poconos
Once a bustling railroad town in the
Poconos, Jim Thorpe, Pa., is now a quaint
mountainside burg with an awe-inspiring
waterfall. Hiking trails and proximity to
the Lehigh River attract hikers, mountain
bikers and rafting enthusiasts.
Pocono Whitewater’s moonlight
rafting trips attract families as well as
singles and groups. The rafts glide along
an eight-mile stretch of the Lehigh River,
where owls hoot overhead as you cruise
along the water.
Tour guides hand out glow sticks
to fasten around wrists—and you’ll
discover why as soon as you round the
first river bend and find yourself gliding
toward another raft. At times, it’s like
a wet, partially blind game of bumper
cars. But most of the ride is relatively
calm, allowing for lingering glances at
the ruins of 18th-century dams, locks
and dwellings. In the still of the night,
you hear the rapids before you see them.
Nothing is more thrilling than navigating a little white water in the dark, especially when the moon is high in the sky,
Sunset Biking in the Poconos
When: Through Aug. 14
Where: 2 Hazard Square, Jim
Thorpe, Pa.
Cost: $8.95 rental per hour
Age: All (child seats available)
Information: poconobiking.com
bathing the riverbanks and your fellow
adventurers in pale blue light.
True thrill seekers can get a bigger
taste of those rapids with a four-hour
moonlit white-water rafting trip. The
tour ends with a bonfire where you can
roast marshmallows or swap tales over
wine and cheese. Trips are scheduled
from May through October.
If you prefer to stay on terra firma,
mountain bike riders can get their fill
of the after-dark treatment, too. As
the sun begins to set, you can take a
self-guided tour through Lehigh River
Gorge State Park and marvel at the
steep-walls, waterfalls and massive rock
outcroppings.
Full-Moon Float Trips
on the Potomac River
No paddling experience is necessary
to join float trips along the Potomac,
led by River & Trail Outfitters. After a
brief safety lesson, groups put in from a
fisherman’s launch on the C & O Canal,
just outside Harpers Ferry, W.Va. This
part of the Potomac, an hour north of
Washington, D.C., is placid, almost lake-like, and you won’t see many signs of
civilization other than the lights from
an Amtrak train that runs along the river
before heading inland. After that, the
only sounds are crickets chirping and
paddles dipping into water. As the sun
sets, the moon rises over the hills to the
east, lighting the river and revealing
the wildlife that feeds or flies along its
banks. Look for deer, muskrats, herons,
ducks, geese, hawks and, if you’re lucky,
a bald eagle.
Full-Moon Float Trips on the Potomac
When: 7–10 p.m.; July 24
Where: Dargan Bend boat ramp,
10 minutes from Harpers Ferry, W.Va.
Cost: $41.42 (includes equipment
rental and guided tour)
Age: 8+
Information: rivertrail.com
