Navesink River

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The Oceanic Bridge viewing towards Rumson

The Swimming River upstream of the Navesink, with the Clearwater garvey Hudson River Sloop Clearwater

The Navesink River is an estuary, approximately 8 mi (12 km) long in Monmouth County, New Jersey in the United States.

Known as the Swimming River, upstream of Red Bank, it is formed southwest of Red Bank by the confluence of the Swimming River with several smaller streams. It extends ENE along the north side of Red Bank, connecting to the Shrewsbury River estuary at Rumson, approximately 1 mi (1.6 km) south of the entrance of the Shrewsbury River into Sandy Hook Bay near Highlands. The area along the Navesink banks is one of the most affluent in New Jersey. It has long been an area of Old Money.

The Navesink River is bounded by the communities of Middletown, Red Bank, Fair Haven and Rumson.

The estuary is navigable (up to about 6 feet draft) up to Red Bank, where it provides marina facilities. Historically the river was important for transportation from the Navesink river communities to New York City and was serviced by side wheeler steam boats until the 1930's.

Today the river is a major recreational resource for powerboating, crabbing, fishing, sailing, ice sailing & ice skating when the river freezes in the colder winters, canoeing, kayaking, bird watching, swimming and rowing.

The river serves as an important model for water quality improvements. Extensive efforts at water quality improvements since the 1970's have resulted in major advances. Commercial clamming has made a significant come back, and present efforts at oyster bed restorations are underway.

With an opening to the Atlantic, the Navesink provides excellent fishing for species such as bluefish (snappers), striped bass and fluke. Crabbing is particularly popular in the upstream Swimming river section.