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