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The Delaware River looking north above Walpack Bend near Walpack, New Jersey, where the river leaves the historic Minisink region, a buried valley eroded from the Marcellus Formation

The watershed of the Delaware River drains an area of 14,119 square miles (36,570 km²) and encompasses 42 counties and 838 municipalities in five U.S. states, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Delaware.^[1]^: p.9 This total area constitutes approximately 0.4% of the land mass in the United States.^[1]^: p.9 The Delaware River rises in the Catskill Mountains in Upstate New York, flowing southward for 419 miles (674 km) into Delaware Bay where its waters enter the Atlantic Ocean near Cape May in New Jersey and Cape Henlopen in Delaware. There are 216 tributary streams and creeks, comprising an estimated 14,057 miles of streams and creeks, in the watershed.^[1]^{: p.11, 25}

The waters of the Delaware River's basin are used to sustain "fishing, transportation, power, cooling, recreation, and other industrial and residential purposes."^[1]^: p.9 While the watershed is home to 4.17 million people according to the 2000 U.S. census, these bodies of water provide drinking water to 17 million people, roughly 10% of the population of the United States.^[1]^{: p.vi, 9} It is the 33rd largest river in the United States in terms of flow, but the nation's most heavily used rivers in daily volume of tonnage.^[1]^: p.11 The average annual flow rate of the Delaware is 11,700 cubic feet per second at Trenton, New Jersey.^[1]^: p.9

Tributaries

The main tributaries in New York are the Mongaup and Neversink rivers and Callicoon Creek. From Pennsylvania, the major tributaries are the Lackawaxen, Lehigh, and Schuylkill rivers. From New Jersey, the Big Flatbrook, Pequest, Musconetcong, and Maurice rivers, plus Oldmans, Raccoon and Rancocas creeks, flow into the Delaware.

Tributaries are arranged generally north to south from the source of the river to its mouth, its confluence with the Delaware River, tributaries within that rivers' watershed are mentioned in notes.

Tributaries in New York

Tributaries in Pennsylvania

Tributaries in New Jersey

The Appalachian Trail crosses the following tributaries or the watersheds of these tributaries in New Jersey: (1) Flat Brook (Big Flat brook), (Little Flat Brook), Dunnfield Creek, Stony Brook (Shawpocussing Creek), Paulins Kill via its tributary Yards Creek and Jacksonburg Creek.

Tributary	River length	Watershed area	Notes and remarks
Flat Brook	11.6-mile-long (18.7 km)		Flows into the Delaware at Flatbrookville, near Walpack Bend in Walpack Township, Sussex County, New Jersey Tributaries include: Tillman Brook, Little Flat Brook, Beerskill, Big Flat Brook, Criss Brook, Forked Brook, Normanock Brook, Parker Brook, Stony Brook
Paulins Kill	41.6-mile (66.9 km)	176.85 square miles (458.0 km2)	Flows into the Delaware near the Delaware Water Gap and Columbia in Knowlton Township in Warren County, New Jersey Tributaries include: Lake Owassa, Culver's Lake, Dry Brook, Culver Brook (West Branch of the Paulins Kill), Trout Brook, Keen's Mill Brook, Neldon's Brook, Swartswood Lake, Blair Creek, Jacksonburg Creek, Susquehanna Creek, Dilts Creek, Walnut Creek, Yards Creek
Pequest River	35.7-mile-long (57.5 km)	162.62 square miles (421.2 km2)	Flows into the Delaware at Belvidere in Warren County, New Jersey Tributaries include: Pophandusing Creek, Beaver Brook, Mountain Lake Brook, Furnace Brook, Bear Creek, Trout Brook
Musconetcong River	45.7-mile-long (73.5 km)		Flows into the Delaware at Riegelsville, 10 miles south of Phillipsburg in Warren County, New Jersey Tributaries include: Lake Hopatcong, Lake Musconetcong, Punkhorn Creek, Lubbers Run

Tributaries in Delaware

Naamans Creek
- South Branch Naamans Creek
Perkins Run
Stoney Creek
Shellpot Creek
- Matson Run
- Turkey Run
Christina River
- Brandywine Creek
  - Alapocas Run
  - Husbands Run
    - Willow Run
  - Wilson Run
  - Rocky Run
    - Hurricane Run
  - Carney Run
  - Ramsey Run
  - Beaver Creek
- Little Mill Creek
  - Chestnut Run
  - Willow Run
- Nonesuch Creek
- White Clay Creek
- Leathermans Run
- Muddy Run
  - Belltown Run
- West Branch Christina River
  - Persimmon Run
- East Branch Christina River
Army Creek
Tom Creek
Red Lion Creek
- Doll Run
Cedar Creek
Dragon Creek

Tributaries of Delaware Bay

A satellite image of Delaware Bay, January 2011

Delaware Bay is a major estuary outlet of the Delaware River on the Northeast seaboard of the United States whose fresh water mixes for many miles with the waters of the Atlantic Ocean. The bay, as an estuary, forms a transitional zone between the river environment provided by the Delaware River and maritime environment of the Atlantic Ocean that is subject to both marine influences, such as tides, waves, and the influx of saline water; and riverine influences, such as flows of fresh water and sediment. Delaware Bay covers 782 square miles (2,030 km²) in area.^[2] The bay is bordered by the State of New Jersey and the State of Delaware. The bay's outermost boundary separating it from the Atlantic are two capes: Cape Henlopen and Cape May.