Port Jervis offers several points of interest: public access to the Delaware River, trails for walking and cycling, and local and railroad history. You can organize your stay around the activity you have in mind. Would you like the river to be the focus, spend time on a trail, or are you more interested in historical points of interest? The specific options range from a flat out-and-back route to a pump track that calls for its own riding technique.
River Access and Trails
West End Beach is a public access point to the Delaware River in Port Jervis. It offers a specific place to visit if you want to spend time by the river.
The Watershed Trails are volunteer-built biking and hiking trails on a 2,400-acre property owned by the City of Port Jervis. They include vernal pools and small waterfalls. Both the type of activity and the landscape features can help you decide which trail to choose.
The D&H Canal Trail has a different focus: it is a flat walking trail, one mile out and one mile back, with no loop. That makes the full round trip two miles. Remains of the D&H Canal, which once ran through the center of Port Jervis, can be seen along the trail. Unlike the Watershed Trails, this is a walk along a fixed out-and-back route rather than a network of biking and hiking trails.
Different Ways to Ride
The Port Jervis Pump Track offers a different kind of cycling. Banked turns and built-up ramps are designed so riders can generate speed by pumping up and down, without pedaling or pushing off. If cycling is your focus, the contrast is clear: the Watershed Trails emphasize trails and landscape features, while the Pump Track focuses on riding technique built around turns and ramps.
Local History and Distinctive Points of Interest
The Fort Decker Museum of History is a stone house built in 1760 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Fort Martinus Decker was burned down in 1779 during the American Revolutionary War, in a raid led by Joseph Brant. These two facts offer different historical points of reference for Port Jervis.
Regular tours of Fort Decker are scheduled for 2026 on the last Saturday of each month from 1 to 4 p.m., through October. If you plan to visit Fort Decker, check the date before your visit.
At Tri-States Rock in Port Jervis, one person can stand in three states at the same time. If you are interested in distinctive geographic points of interest, this feature offers a different accent from the historic buildings and trails.
The Port Jervis Railroad Museum preserves the city’s railroad heritage. Another railroad point of interest is the Erie Railroad Turntable in Port Jervis; it is considered the largest operating turntable in the United States.
Discover more destinations: Unionville, Middletown, New Hampton, Highland Falls, Orange Lake, Fort Montgomery, Slate Hill, Cornwall
For the broader travel overview: Orange.
