Delaware Water Gap Hiking

I’ve been hiking the Delaware Water Gap for more than 20 years. Not continuously, mind you, but 20 years on and off is a long time. My parents used to bring a few of us little rascals, and march us up the never-ending red dot trail. We would run ahead, and wait for them on one of the many views. We’d splash around in Dunnfield creek. We’d sleep in the car the whole way home.

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The overlook near the top of Mount Tammany is one of the best views in all of New Jersey.

What better place to admire the Mountain Laurel than from the top of this mountain.

The Red Dot Trail is blazed white with a red dot. In some places, it's so rocky that the blaze is painted on the sides of boulders.

Ahh, those were the days.

But now I’m an adult. I can’t run up the trails. I’ll get my boots wet if I try to splash in the creek. And I can’t sleep on the way home, cause I’m driving. But the Gap is still an amazing day trip, and it’s worth a little bit of a struggle.

It’s fitting that this hike begins off of a New Jersey Interstate rest stop, because the crowds you’ll find on this trail might make you want to just sit in traffic instead. But you can avoid the crowds, and get the summit to yourself, as long as you start early.

Starting at a rest stop off of Interstate 80 in the northwest corner of New Jersey. The Red Dot Mt. Tammany trail begins with a steep climb from the parking lot. Then it levels out for a bit, but don’t get used to it. Pretty soon you’ll hit a rocky upslope, and every time I hike this section of trail, I sweat profusely. It’s a rude awakening. I always tell myself I’m in a lot better shape than the last time, but it never gets any easier! After 20 minutes though, you’re already at a view of the Southern Gap, and you can take a break and watch the rafters and kayakers pass by below on the Delaware River.

Continuing up along a gentle and grassy ridge, the hike levels out briefly, and during wetter days there’s a small trickle across the trail. At this point, you’ve probably already crossed paths with plenty of squirrels and chipmunks. I’ve even run into a porcupine just off-trail in this area before.

Then the real climb begins. In a twist of trail terrain that keeps things interesting, there’s a scramble on this hike, up an ancient slide, and for a short time it requires all of your concentration. Broken and angular pieces of boulder lying on skewed angles provide an ankle workout. Halfway up the scramble, the trail cuts left, horizontally across the slope. But it’s not done with you yet, and soon you’re following red dots back up the rocks again.

Within minutes of finishing the scramble, there’s another view along the trail, albeit a few steps down a side trail. If you’ve got plenty of time, go check it out. It provides a view of the gap at a different angle than the one from the top. Then continue along the much easier trail grade, where the tree cover becomes a bit thinner, and before you know it, the sun is shining bright on your face. There’s one more spur trail on the right to another view, and then the top view.

If you happen to make it up to the top before anyone else, the view may not be so obvious from the trail. Just follow the beaten path and you should be all right. If you find yourself in a position where the trail cuts in a leftward direction and is either level or a slight downhill, you missed it!

But the view from here is spectacular, and definitely one of the best places to view the actual Gap, which is the empty space between the two sides of the Kittatinny Ridge. Over a span of a few years (give or take 400 million), the Delaware River itself helped to create the Gap. You can see the distinct curve of water below, as it winds and continues cutting its way between where you stand (Mt. Tammany), and that big hunk of rock (Mt. Minsi) across in Pennsylvania. You’ve climbed more than a thousand feet from the parking lot to get here.

On most days, you can look down upon hawks circling below for prey, and the interstate waaaaaaay below. If there are any paddlers in the river, they’ll look almost microscopic from here. The view to the West extends for miles and miles and miles, and nearing peak foliage in autumn, this is one of the best views in all of New Jersey. During warmer months, spend some time poking around the overlook; there are always some new flowers blooming or lizards hiding in between the rocks. Or just have a seat, eat some lunch, and admire the view.

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