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Leaf Peepers Paradise II

19 Wednesday Oct 2016

Posted by dawnjbenko in Uncategorized

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Tags

autumn, conservation, delaware river, delaware valley, delaware water gap national recreation area, fall, hiking, leaf peeping, nature, new jersey, nj, pa, pennsylvania, scenic, tourism

In the previous post we shared some of the best “drive-to” leaf peeping spots in the NY/NY/PA tri-state area.  Now, we’re going to show spots that require a little, and sometimes a lot, more effort.

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View of the Delaware River from Mount Tammany
© Dawn J. Benko

Two mountains provide breathtaking views of the Delaware Water Gap.  One is Mount Tammany on the New Jersey side, just off of Rt. 80.  The best views are along the red dot trail.  It is, however, the more difficult of the two trails.

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A little rock scrambling along the red dot trail
© Dawn J. Benko

There are a couple of spots to take in the views, and if you continue to the top, you will find large areas on fire with blueberry bushes sporting their fall colors.  MAP

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Blueberry bushes on the top of Mount Tammany
© Dawn J. Benko

On the opposite side of the Delaware, in Pennsylvania, is Mount Minsi.  You can get to the trail via Lake Rd. in the town of Delaware Water Gap.  The white-blazed Appalachian Trail is the most scenic route but can be difficult in spots.  There is a much easier route to the summit via a woods road, but it does not have the views along the way.  MAP

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View from Mt. Minsi with the Mt. Tammany and the Delaware Water Gap in the distance
© Dawn J. Benko

Farther north on the Pennsylvania side of the Delaware is the Cliff Trail along the Raymondskill Ridge.  There are a number of overlooks that afford the opportunity to take in the beauty of the Delaware Valley.  Filmmakers were so taken by the awe inspiring views that some of the scenery were used as stand-ins in a number of early Westerns.  MAP

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View of the Delaware Valley from the Raymondskill Ridge
© Dawn J. Benko

If you look down from the cliff and across Rt. 209, you will see meadows and farm fields that are intersected by a trail.  This is called McDade Trail.  Spanning 31 miles along the Delaware River, it runs the gamut from easy to challenging and offers scenic river views, shady forested areas, wide open farm fields and bustling wetlands. It even throws in some history for good measure.  MAP

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A soybean field awaits harvesting along McDade Trail.
© Dawn J. Benko

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Leaf Peepers Paradise

03 Monday Oct 2016

Posted by dawnjbenko in Delaware Water Gap NRA, High Point State Park

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Tags

autumn colors, delaware river, delaware water gap national recreation area, fall, high point monument, high point state park, leaf peeping, new jersey, new york, nj, ny, pa, pennsylvania, scenic drives

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High Point Monument as seen from Lake Marcia

Fall is here, and soon the leaf peepers will be out in force–myself included.  Here in the NJ, NY, and PA tri-state area there is no shortage of leaf peeping opportunities.  Some venues you can drive to, some require moderate hiking, and some require a little more effort.  Today I am going to concentrate on the drive-tos.

One of the best places to take in the autumn colors is at the High Point Monument in High Point State Park, Montague, NJ, where you have panoramic views of New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania.  You can even climb to the top of the monument for a better view.  Check with the park hours.  Map

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View from High Point Monument. In the distance is the Mid-Delaware bridge which connects Port Jervis, NY to Matamoras, PA
© Dawn J. Benko

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View of New Jersey farmland from the High Point Monument
© Dawn J. Benko

In New York, there are a couple of great spots where you can drive and park to take in the views.  One is Elks-Brox Memorial Park, which overlooks historic Port Jervis, NY.  Local lore has it that Point Peter, which is in the park, was the inspiration for Washington Irving’s Rip Van Winkle.

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Point Peter
© Dawn J. Benko

In August 2008, Port Jervis was named one of the “Ten Coolest Small Towns” by Budget Travel magazine.  Map

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View of Port Jervis, NY from Elks-Brox Memorial Park
© Dawn J. Benko

Just outside of Port Jervis is the “Hawks Nest”, which is a section of State Route 97 that winds along the Delaware River.  Frequently seen in automobile commercials, this portion of highway was originally a one-way dirt road dating back to 1859.

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A section of NYS Route 97 knowns as the “Hawks Nest”
© Dawn J. Benko

At the foot of the Hawk’s Nest stand sturdy stone walls which are remnants of the Delaware and Hudson canal that ran parallel to the river here.

There are a number of pull-offs, where you can park and take in the great views of the Delaware River.  Map

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In New Jersey, National Park Service Rt. 615 traverses parts of the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area.  There are an abundance of places along this route to take in views of the Kittatinny Ridge.  Map

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Autumn colors pop below the Kittatinny Ridge in Walpack, NJ.
© Dawn J. Benko

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Some things just change

12 Monday Sep 2016

Posted by dawnjbenko in Stokes State Forest

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Tags

bear cubs, black bear, conservation, flooding, frog, hurricane Irene, montague, natural history, nature, new jersey, nj, stokes state forest, swamp, water snake, wetlands, wildlife

myswamp1

“My swamp”, October, 3 2010

Some things change for the better.  Some things change for the worse.  Some things….just change.

The place I lovingly call “my swamp”, probably, fits into the last category, but I’m not ready to let go of what it once was.

When I first happened upon it in the spring of 2007, it was a vibrant place, teeming with life.  That’s not to say it isn’t now.  It’s just different.

This was my happy place, the place where I began my journey as a nature photographer.  It was a place of surprises and wildlife encounters of the too close kind (see https://thejerseyphiles.com/2015/03/12/i-didnt-know-what-to-do-so-i-shot-her/).  It was a place of mystery and learning and fun.

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A very large black bear cools off in the swamp June 18, 2011

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A northern watersnake takes a green frog October 6, 2010

From great shots made to great shots missed, it was an endless source of joy and entertainment.  Endless, that is, until August 28, 2011.  That’s the day that hurricane Irene slammed into the Garden State, bringing with her torrential rains and record flooding.

The road to the swamp had been closed because of widespread damage to the roadway and bridges, but I decided to sneak up and see how “my swamp” had fared.  This is what I found:

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August 31, 2011

The force of all the water had blown a hole in the beaver dam that had created the swamp in the first place.  I was devastated but told myself, “The beavers will rebuild.  They have the technology.  They have the capability.”

I had seen it in other places.  Why not here?  Here’s why.  This quarter mile portion of creek had a series of beaver dams, and this section had already been abandoned by the beavers.  They were happily residing farther upstream above another dam.  But I returned week after week, hoping, yet knowing.

Although I was able to see things that I would not have seen if this spot had still been underwater, my visits became less frequent.

Jersey Wild collection

A mama bear & cubs October 10, 2011

Then one day I found that someone had stolen the ladder stand I had overlooking the swamp, and that took the rest of the wind out of my sails.  I’ve rarely gone since then.  As a matter of fact, yesterday was the first time I had visited this year.

It’s quite beautiful.

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Still, I don’t have a feel for it anymore.  It had a schedule and a rhythm that I could count on and that I loved.  This I don’t know.  And so I’m torn.  Is it time to become reacquainted or to just let go?

 

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Butterfly Weed & Great Spangled Fritillary

10 Sunday Jul 2016

Posted by dawnjbenko in Delaware Water Gap NRA, Parks

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Tags

butterfly, butterfly weed, conservation, delaware water gap national recreation area, great spangled fritillary, meadow, nature, new jersey, nj, summer, Walpack, wildlife

Great spangled fritillary & butterfly weed

Great spangled fritillary on butterfly weed in DWGNRA Walpack, NJ

BUTTERFLY WEED is a bushy plant belonging to the milkweed family and sports clusters of bright-orange flowers. Butterflies are attracted to its bright color and bountiful production of nectar. It is the larval food of the the queen and monarch butterflies and also attracts hummingbirds, bees and other insects. It can be found in fields, meadows and along roadsides.

ButterflyWeed_01It is also commonly referred to as orange milkweed and chigger flower. Because Native Americans used to chew on its tough root to treat pleurisy and other pulmonary ailments, it is sometimes called pleurisy root.

 

 

Great spangled fritillaries on butterfly weed

Great spangled fritillaries on butterfly weed in DWGNRA Walpack, NJ

GREAT SPANGLED FRITILLARIES are medium sized butterflies that can fly very quickly. They are very similar to the Aphrodite fritillary but can be distinguished by the wide, yellow band between the silver spangles on the underside of the hind wing. This band is much narrower on the Aphrodite.

Great spangled fritillary on butterfly weed

Great spangled fritillary on butterfly weed in DWGNRA Walpack, NJ

These butterflies nectar on milkweeds, thistles, Joe-Pye weed, red clover, alfalfa, dogbanes and many other midsummer wildflowers. They mate in June or July, and the female lays her eggs in August or September.
The Delaware Water Gap NRA is on of the best places to see these beautiful butterflies in the NY, NJ, PA tristate area.

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Buttermilk Falls

01 Friday Jul 2016

Posted by dawnjbenko in Delaware Water Gap NRA

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Tags

Buttermilk Falls, conservation, delaware water gap national recreation area, National Parks, new jersey, Walpack, waterfall

Buttermilk Falls in the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area is just as beautiful when it’s running low as when it’s running high.

Buttermilk Falls, Delaware Water GapButtermilk Falls, Delaware Water GapButtermilk Falls, Delaware Water Gap

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Guide to Waterfalls of the Upper Delaware Valley

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