The river that slows you down

The Musconetcong runs roughly 45 miles from Lake Hopatcong to the Delaware, and its Hampton stretch is among the loveliest — a designated National Wild and Scenic River, no less.

Anglers know it for brown and rainbow trout; birders for herons, kingfishers, and the occasional bald eagle. In spring the shadbush blooms white along the banks, and in autumn the whole valley turns copper.

The river isn't scenery here — it's the organizing fact of the town. Roads bend with it, the old mill faces it, and every flood and dry spell is remembered by name.