Fall foliage in New Jersey usually starts in the northwest corner of the state in the Delaware Water Gap and along the Kittatinny Ridge, so on yet another nice fall day we headed out that way. The foliage was kind of a mixed bag still, but hiking Mt. Minsi is always nice. It was quite hazy but the views were still great.

Normally when we hike Minsi we just keep going south along the AT then backtrack, and come back via the Minsi fire road which makes for a nice long hike (16.6 mile version here). Or sometimes we “Mind The Gap”… hiking both Mt. Minsi and Mt. Tammany in one day. And of course, you can just hike Mt. Minsi itself for a wonderful 5.1 mile trip.

This time we decided to change it up. Sometimes with really familiar routes you overlook things, and there were areas on the Kittatinny Trails Map we realized we’d never checked out… Read more…

NJ Hiking Delaware Water Gap Moderate, Viewpoint

With the recent heat, we were looking for a mostly shady hike and ended up in the Delaware Water Gap at the Pocono Environmental Education Center. There were also strong thunderstorms possible in the afternoon, and we wanted a route with options to bail if need be.

The parking lot of PEEC sits in the center of the area’s trails so a hike can be cut short if storms roll in (or if you’ve decided you’d had enough of romping around in the heat/humidity!) There are a variety of trails of different lengths, or combine all to make about a 7.5 mile route. Read more…

NJ Hiking Delaware Water Gap Moderate, Waterfall

For summer holiday weekends, we prefer to head away from the shore and the associated crowds/traffic. After poking around our stack of maps, Rattlesnake Swamp caught my eye.

We’d done the trail probably a good 6 or 7 yrs ago, maybe more, and hadn’t been back since. I believe we weren’t enthralled with it because it was really overgrown and/or confusing… can’t recall. Time to revisit.

This time we combined Coppermines, the AT, and Rattlesnake to make a big loop, which serves up a bit-o-everything: streams, water cascades, mines (closed), ridge hiking with views of rural Jersey, a fire tower, lush trails, rhododendron tunnels, a swamp… very nice. Read more…

NJ Hiking Delaware Water Gap Fire Tower, Viewpoint, Waterfall

The weather for Mother’s Day weekend was positively lovely but we had obligations to attend to both days. With another perfect hiking day forecast for Monday, there was no other option than to take a day off. (We would have just spent the day looking out our office windows and sighing dramatically, anyway.)

We opted for one of our all-time faves, Dunnfield Creek trail to Sunfish Pond, around the pond, then return via the Appalachian Trail. It had been a few years since we’d done this route, as we’ve been sticking to the longer and more challenging Mt Tammany Fire Road – Sunfish – Dunnfield route.

Since it wasn’t a weekend, it was also a better day to be going to such a popular area. We were still surprised to see many cars in the lot and quite a few people enjoying Sunfish.

9.5 miles. More info on hikes to Sunfish Pond here.

ROUTE: Appalachian Trail – Dunnfield Creek (GREEN) – AT around Pond – Turquoise – Fire Road – Appalachian Trail

There was a forest fire in the area last year, and damage was visible on the west side of the pond and along the Appalachian Trail on the return. The Appalachian Trail acted like a fire break – the forest was burnt right up to it, but the fine on the other side.

Wildlife spotted: FOUR snakes, and a salamander(?) of some sort (a quick look online found reptiles in NJ and this nifty salamander search tool but not sure still). [update: This is actually probably a 'five lined skink lizard' - thanks Nicholas! A little skink info here: Finding a Five-lined Skink in NJ] Read more…

NJ Hiking Delaware Water Gap Appalachian Trail, Lake, Moderate

We did this hike after a brief 2 mile hike at Tillman Ravine, which is further down the road from Millbrook Village. This hike is about 6.9 miles, so combined with Tillman it made for a decent length hike.

This hike starts at historic Millbrook Village and mostly follows woods roads. Get a peek at the Delaware River from atop a bluff, walk past houses abandoned because of the Tocks Island Dam project, and take a brief side trail to tiny DePue Cemetery. Then hike through Van Campens Glen – a shady, rocky (and popular) path next to a stream and waterfall.

It was a beautiful day yet we only encountered a couple of hikers on the trail.

More people were at Van Campens Glen, and once it gets warmer this area will be teaming with people. It’s one of the most scenic areas in NJ so you won’t have it to yourself, but it is certainly worth a visit. Read more…

NJ Hiking Delaware Water Gap Cemetery, Historical, Moderate, North NJ, Waterfall