Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area makes for a surprisingly adventurous destination on the Pennsylvania-New
Jersey state line.
Cover Photo: A Paddler on the Delaware River Above the Water Gap. All Photos by Mike Bezemek
It’s not every day that you stumble across two stellar national park units near the busiest metro on the East Coast. But on a Monday in early August, roughly 70 miles inland from New York City, my wife and I did just that. After our first visit to the Adirondacks, we were towing our camper south through rural mountain highways to avoid the infamous I-95 corridor. Then we turned onto NY Route 97 and began following the upper Delaware River.
We’d long heard the stories about George Washington and the Continental Army crossing the lower Delaware River to attack British-allied mercenaries near Trenton, N.J. But we knew far less about the upstream stretches of the longest undammed river in the East. As we drove through leafy forests, catching glimpses of sparkling blue waters with white-topped riffles, it was easy to understand why these pristine 73 miles are managed by the park service as a wild and scenic river.
However, exploring this impressive upper section would have to wait, as we continued into Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area. We’d chosen this particular NPS unit, which protects a 40-mile corridor of the middle Delaware River, for a few reasons. In addition to paddling, it offers a promising cluster of activities: waterfall hikes, camping, bike paths, scenic drives, and historic sites. On paper, the DWG seemed downright “national park-like,” so the biggest question was if the experience would match the map.
Dingmans Falls and Campground
For our three nights, we set up our camper in the wooded Dingmans Campground, which put us in the middle of the rec area. Venturing out from there, we soon came to realize that this is a scenic park unit filled with contradictions.
In the 1960s, the US Army Corps acquired this Appalachian river corridor for a planned dam and reservoir. Due to widespread local and environmental opposition, the plan was eventually abandoned. The Delaware River remained free-flowing, and the rec area was transferred to the National Park Service.
Today, at both the north and south ends of rec area, there are abandoned entrance stations that hint at better-funded days long past. There’s no entrance fee, but moderate parking fees are charged at the five major river access points and beach sites.
The rec area averages just over four million visitors per year, which makes it one of the most visited NPS units, with comparable numbers to major national parks like Rocky Mountain, Acadia, and Grand Teton. However, most DWG visitors come on Saturdays and Sundays from spring through fall. In fact, during our midweek summer visit, we saw very few people at the campground and most outdoor sites.
One exception was the Dingmans Creek Trail, which we visited on our arrival afternoon. This is one of the most popular spots in the park, seeing a steady stream of visitors shuffling between the parking lot, Dingmans Falls Visitor Center, and walking path. The half-mile boardwalk trail follows a lush creek gorge past Silverthread Falls to several lookouts below and above the impressive Dingmans Falls.
The McDade Recreational Trail
The longest trail in the area is the McDade Recreational Trail, which is popular for hiking, running, and biking. This multiuse gravel path runs for 31 miles along the west side of the Delaware, with occasional river views while passing through dense riparian forest and adjacent farmlands. Since the trail conveniently connects the river access points, it’s also perfect for a bike shuttle.
So, on Tuesday, we locked up our kayaks by the campground launch ramp and drove downstream to Bushkill Access. After paying the parking fee, we biked north along the pleasant gravel trail. We’d chosen this section because the visitor center staff said it avoided a closure, due to storm damage, elsewhere on the McDade. However, we soon received a contradictory report.
“Bridge out, a ways up!” shouted an oncoming gravel cyclist as he flew past.
This happened so fast, it took us a while to comprehend the cyclist’s words. Next, we came across a casual biker who said he’d turned around at a closure sign but hadn’t seen this supposedly flood-destroyed bridge.
“You can’t get through,” lamented the biker. “You’ll have to turn around.”
This was unwelcome news, given the only alternatives were to skip kayaking on this hot day, or we could ride around on the very busy Highway 209 that bisects the park. I explained our predicament and the misinformation we’d received at the visitor center.
“People,” sighed the biker, as we parted ways.
Sensing something was amiss, we rode past the closure sign to inspect the situation. From what we’d heard, I expected a chaotic scene straight out of the Himalayas. Vegetation stripped away by a flash flood. A former bridge site buried by mud and boulders. Instead, a canted wooden bridge had one missing board and was wrapped like a mummy with a hundred feet of yellow caution tape. In the babbling brook, local cyclists had placed some tree-trunk slices as makeshift steps. We were across in less than a minute and on our way to kayaking.
Paddling the Delaware River
Paddling away from shore, it felt exciting to explore such a historic river. There are about a dozen access points throughout the rec area, offering shorter and longer options. We wondered how many people we’d encounter on our 10-mile run from Dingmans to Bushkill on a Tuesday afternoon.
The answer was maybe 30 between two canoeing groups and some few families on shore. During three hours on the water, we saw mostly trees, birds, and jumping fish. The river was wide with a mix of moving currents, slower pools, and occasional riffles or wave trains. We saw one motorboat, which was forced to turn back downstream due to shoals. My wife enjoyed these minor rapids so much, we talked about planning a whitewater paddling trip for the near future.
Millford, Pennsylvania and Grey Towers NHS
That evening, we went to Millford, Pa., for drinks and dinner. We started at Log Tavern Brewing, which offers an impressive selection of craft beers. Despite not being a beer drinker, my wife was surprised by the sweetness of the peanut butter chocolate stout. Between this first visit and coming back a second night, I sampled a solid New England IPA, a West Coast IPA, and a Czech pilsner. For dinner, we walked through the quaint mountain town to the Historic Dimmick Inn and sat on the porch.
The next morning, we visited the nearby Grey Towers National Historic Site. This preserved French chateau was the summer home of Gifford Pinchot, the first chief of the U.S. Forest Service, which today manages the site. There are several walking paths around the estate, plus house tours and museum exhibits.
Old Mine Road and Raymondskill Falls
On our last day, we hit several more highlights, including the Old Mine Road, an unpaved scenic drive that leads past several historic colonial buildings on the way to the recreated historic townsite of Millbrook Village. The road is on the New Jersey side of the rec area, which also contains about 28 miles of the Appalachian Trail.
Then we drove through rural neighborhoods toward Interstate 80, which passes through the actual water gap, where the Delaware River cuts through a ridge of the Appalachians. Along the way, we encountered numerous yard signs proclaiming, “No National Park,” in reference to a proposal to upgrade the designation of the rec area.
The other highlight of our last day was hiking from the Raymondskill Falls Trailhead. The short and steep trails to the tiered falls and Conabaugh Creek were very pretty. Then we hiked the Cliff Trail along a woodsy ridgetop to several overlooks. This afforded us one final view of the historic Delaware River and a surprising NPS rec area that, while it may not be called a national park, definitely has the qualities of one.
