AT Delaware Water Gap to High Point State Park

[windlion]

First chunk of my section hike north to Massachusetts. Climb out of DWG was much easier for me than last year's westward climb over the rocks around Mt. Minsi on the Pennsylvania side. Temps were moderate and I was lucky enough to be in tent for the few times that the rain got above a drizzle. Great views of the lakes and forests, birds, chipmunks, and squirrels going wild with spring's arrival.

I checked the car in at the HPSP ranger station and enjoyed an on-time and informative shuttle on the back roads to the Tammany trailhead and walked out of morning drizzle onto a glorious day of birdsong on Racoon Ridge. Mohican Outdoor Center was an easy ten miles in spite of a little mud, a few blowdowns, and one trailside rattler who was so chill that it didn't even coil. It was checking me out, though, zoom in on the raised head in the photo.

Best hotcake ever at MOC before I hiked on to Catfish fire tower and spent a hour with the fire ranger learning about the world he works in, enjoying the views across into PA, north to the Catskills, and the High Point Monument a few days ahead.

The lakeside scramble around Sunfish Pond seemed more difficult than it needed to be. A curious collection of artfully done rock cairns covers one of the stony beaches that the trail goes by, idle time activity for fishermen?

I filled up on water at Crater Lake (why "Crater"?) and tented out with a few others at one of the semi developed sites. No bear box, but a well placed branch allowed a spec 12-6 hang.

The views and critters were too enjoyable to rush by, so I took my time for the next two days and stopped to tent out at Gren Anderson and at Rutherford shelters. Plenty of clean water at each location! Gren Anderson is showing its age, but was reasonably clean; Rutherford was unfortunately dirty enough that I considered moving on.

A little respect for trail maintainers? Bear boxes and privies are not trash cans!

4265342654

Virginia is Not Flat

[tdoczi]

First chunk of my section hike north to Massachusetts. Climb out of DWG was much easier for me than last year's westward climb over the rocks around Mt. Minsi on the Pennsylvania side.

thats because of the route the AT takes on the NJ side of the gap. the two are not equivalents. if you were to take the NJ side equivalent trail out of the gap (the mt tammany red dot trail) it is actually quite harder than the PA side.

[windlion]

I noticed the red dot trail on the map. Is the view worth the extra effort?

Beautiful valley in any case. If Life gives me the chance to do this all over again, I might try to escape the white blaze fixation and do all of the "blue" trails along the AT instead, NJ's Red Dot included.

Given the network of blazes here in Sussex and Warren County, that would likely keep me in this area alone for at least one full hiking season? Are there others I should add to my list?

thats because of the route the AT takes on the NJ side of the gap. the two are not equivalents. if you were to take the NJ side equivalent trail out of the gap (the mt tammany red dot trail) it is actually quite harder than the PA side.

Virginia is Not Flat

[ldsailor]

Enjoyed your trip report. I'll be hiking the same area in a couple of weeks, so I also found it interesting for that reason. Did you see many hikers attempting a thru-hike?

[windlion]

Enjoyed your trip report. I'll be hiking the same area in a couple of weeks, so I also found it interesting for that reason. Did you see many hikers attempting a thru-hike?Couple of northbound flippers and three who said they were from Georgia as they dashed by.

Virginia is Not Flat

[tdoczi]

I noticed the red dot trail on the map. Is the view worth the extra effort?

Beautiful valley in any case. If Life gives me the chance to do this all over again, I might try to escape the white blaze fixation and do all of the "blue" trails along the AT instead, NJ's Red Dot included.

Given the network of blazes here in Sussex and Warren County, that would likely keep me in this area alone for at least one full hiking season? Are there others I should add to my list?


Virginia is Not Flat
the red dot trail is definitely worth checking out. as is the dunnfield creek trail which branches off the AT and then rejoins at sunfish pond.

the side trails further north from the DWG much less so. theyre good for making a would be out and back hike into a loop, but there isnt much scenic about too many of them.

the exceptions are a handful of small waterfalls and ravines. 3 come to mind, one of them is a long steep descent off of the AT and 2 others i recall being very far from the AT. all very nice but worth making a special trip for is arguable.

further north into NY state youll encounter a wealth of worthwhile side trails.