Outdoor Appeal: 6 
Setting: Small, scenic, elevated Delaware River bank, Delaware canal as backdrop, Picnic area
Explorable Op's: A few. There is a stairway down to the river which gives you a small landing to access the water. Only 2 or 3 people can easily occupy the area at a time. A good view of the canal is cut off by small saplings that have sprung up since the floods.
Difficulty: Easy. With the exception of the stairs down to the river, the entire area is flat. The canal path frames out the parking lot and grassy picnic area.
Facilities: Civilized. Modern, clean bathrooms complete for family/handicap use. The restrooms are housed in a beautifully designed faux old canal lock house. The restrooms area also has water fountains outside in season. I'm not positive, but I think the restrooms are even air conditioned! There are 7 picnic tables with view to the river and 5 charcoal grills. The parking lot is large for the area of the park and paved.
Review: The park gives you a beautiful view of the river and has picnic tables in shaded, grassy areas. The north tip of Eagle Island and Hendrick Island are visible from the banks of the park, but it is only accessible by boat. The islands are in the flood plain, so as you can imagine the vegetation looks ravaged. This is a nice little picnic area for small kids. It doesn't look like much is there, but to a 1 year old and a 2 and 1/2 year old it was totally new and exciting. In fact, many of the places we visit may look unimpressive at first glance but they might as well be Disney World to my kids. New places can really stir up their curiosity. They can find fun in the simplest of places as long as it is perceived as new. Virginia Forrest State Park is just a slice of bank overlooking the Delaware River - a nice place to have lunch. But to my kids it was an adventure. Using the water fountain, checking out the bathrooms and seeing that the lights come on by themselves, riding along the canal and parking lot on a bike, throwing sticks in the river, having lunch with a view on a clear day, finding a "secret" bench on the canal... it really doesn't get much better than that. 
Recommendations: Bring a picnic, bikes, maybe a fishing pole. An hour here is enough. If you're grilling maybe 2 hours will do it. Check out the canal bridge and lock just south on the canal trail. There is a "secret" spot just north on the canal. It is just a memorial bench and a little open space. But it might be good to know about if you arrive and the area is slightly crowded. If you get rained out, head south on route 32 until you get to Center Bridge. Pull in to Dilly's Corner and treat yourselves to some burgers, hot dogs and some ice-cream and all will be right with the world again. 
Setting: Small, scenic, elevated Delaware River bank, Delaware canal as backdrop, Picnic areaExplorable Op's: A few. There is a stairway down to the river which gives you a small landing to access the water. Only 2 or 3 people can easily occupy the area at a time. A good view of the canal is cut off by small saplings that have sprung up since the floods.
Difficulty: Easy. With the exception of the stairs down to the river, the entire area is flat. The canal path frames out the parking lot and grassy picnic area.
Facilities: Civilized. Modern, clean bathrooms complete for family/handicap use. The restrooms are housed in a beautifully designed faux old canal lock house. The restrooms area also has water fountains outside in season. I'm not positive, but I think the restrooms are even air conditioned! There are 7 picnic tables with view to the river and 5 charcoal grills. The parking lot is large for the area of the park and paved.
Review: The park gives you a beautiful view of the river and has picnic tables in shaded, grassy areas. The north tip of Eagle Island and Hendrick Island are visible from the banks of the park, but it is only accessible by boat. The islands are in the flood plain, so as you can imagine the vegetation looks ravaged. This is a nice little picnic area for small kids. It doesn't look like much is there, but to a 1 year old and a 2 and 1/2 year old it was totally new and exciting. In fact, many of the places we visit may look unimpressive at first glance but they might as well be Disney World to my kids. New places can really stir up their curiosity. They can find fun in the simplest of places as long as it is perceived as new. Virginia Forrest State Park is just a slice of bank overlooking the Delaware River - a nice place to have lunch. But to my kids it was an adventure. Using the water fountain, checking out the bathrooms and seeing that the lights come on by themselves, riding along the canal and parking lot on a bike, throwing sticks in the river, having lunch with a view on a clear day, finding a "secret" bench on the canal... it really doesn't get much better than that. Recommendations: Bring a picnic, bikes, maybe a fishing pole. An hour here is enough. If you're grilling maybe 2 hours will do it. Check out the canal bridge and lock just south on the canal trail. There is a "secret" spot just north on the canal. It is just a memorial bench and a little open space. But it might be good to know about if you arrive and the area is slightly crowded. If you get rained out, head south on route 32 until you get to Center Bridge. Pull in to Dilly's Corner and treat yourselves to some burgers, hot dogs and some ice-cream and all will be right with the world again. 
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