This park preserves 40 miles of the middle Delaware River and almost 70,000 acres of land along the river s New Jersey and Pennsylvania shores. At the south end of the park, the river cuts eastward through the Appalachian Mountains at the scenic Delaware Water Gap.

NPCA Recommends

A Fall Hike of the Appalachian Trail north of the Delaware Water Gap

Some travel the world to see great animal migrations, whether the wildebeests on the Serengeti, the Gray Whales off Baja, or the Chiru of the Tibetan Steppes. But you don't need to go that far when a late September or early October hike along the Appalachian Trail north of the Delaware Water Gap will place you under the wings of thousands of migrating hawks each day. Mount Minsi and Tammany bracket the water gap, and from either of them one can gaze east across the great coastal plain of New Jersey or just straight up to watch hawks and other birds on their updrafts.

Depending upon your time and energy this can be either a day hike, or it can fill a weekend. Take Route 80 west to the Delaware Water Gap to the Dunnfield Trailhead. From there head north and east on the Red Dot (Tammany) Trail, which is a short but steep rocky climb to the top of Tammany Mountain. Enjoy the view and birds. Then continue north and west back to the Appalachian Trail on the Blue-blazed Trail. At this point head north up the AT. Depending upon your time, from Dunnfield to the top of this portion of the trail, one can go 22 miles to Stokes State Forest. Along the way one may encounter porcupines, black bears, the Catfish Fire Tower, and passes by Rattlesnake Swamp. For camping one may either stop at Backpacker Site #2 in Worthington State Forest, or once pass the boundary north of Sunfish Pond, pretty much camp anywhere along the trail following AT rules.

For the return, one may either do a u-turn anywhere along the trail and head back, or cut west at one of several trail intersections and descend down to the Old Mine Road which parallels the Delaware all the way back to Dunnfield. Or for those really organized, get a friend to pick you up on Route 206 where the AT crosses it on the border of Stokes State Forest.

For more info and maps visit the NPS Delaware Water Gap website.

—By Alexander R. Brash, NPCA's Northeast Regional Office

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