Delaware Water Gap
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| Delaware Water Gap | |
|---|---|
 The Delaware Water Gap from Kittatinny (I-80 on the left) |
|
| Elevation | |
| Location | New Jersey/Pennsylvania,  United States |
| Range | Blue Mountains/Kittatinny Ridge |
| Traversed by | Interstate 80 |
The Delaware Water Gap is on the border of New Jersey and Pennsylvania where the Delaware River traverses a large ridge of the Appalachian Mountains. A water gap is a geological formation where a river cuts through a mountain ridge.
The Delaware Water Gap is the site of the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area, which is used primarily for recreational purposes, such as rafting, canoeing, swimming, fishing, hiking and rock climbing. With a fishing license, one can fish in the Delaware for carp, shad and other fish.
[edit] Geography and boundaries
The ridge of the Appalachians that the Delaware crosses is called the Blue Mountains in Pennsylvania and the Kittatinny Ridge in New Jersey. The New Jersey mountain is Mt. Tammany (located in Worthington State Forest); the Pennsylvania mountain is Mount Minsi. The summit of Tammany is 1200 ft (360 m) above the river. The Appalachian Trail threads the gap, and climbs the Kittatinies alongside Dunnfield Creek.
The Worthington State Forest is to the immediate northeast on the New Jersey side of the river. Interstate 80 passes through the gap on the New Jersey side via the Delaware Water Gap Toll Bridge, while the New Jersey Cut-Off mainline of the old Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad—now owned by the Pennsylvania Northeast Regional Rail Authority and operated by the Delaware-Lackawanna Railroad—passes through on the Pennsylvania side. Pennsylvania Route 611, which is adjacent to the railroad for most of way through the Gap, occupies the right-of-way of a former trolley line. Interstate 80 occupies the former right-of-way of the New York, Susquehanna and Western Railway.
[edit] National Park Service
The Red Dot Trail provides a path to the top of the Kittatinny Ridge, which has views of the entire area. This is roughly a one-hour hike, traversing over 600 vertical feet. The Gray Dot Trail is a very steep, climber's trail that goes from I-80 to the top of the gap along the top of the big wall.
Rock climbing is mostly done on the New Jersey side. Climbers can walk along the cement wall along I-80 until they pass the big wall on I-80 and then go up a path that follows the base of the big wall. The path is steep and fairly dangerous, with poison ivy in the spring and summer and occasionally falling rock. The wall is metaquartzite, with bands of shale from a half inch to four inches thick. The sun shines on the wall from 10am to 3pm.
In the 1960s, a dam was planned upstream of the water gap at Tocks Island, but was never built, although the land for the proposed reservoir had already been purchased. The Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area was created from the land acquired for the planned reservoir.
Pahaquarra Boy Scout Camp was located on the Old Mine Road on the New Jersey side of the river. The camp served Boy Scouts from the George Washington Council. Camp Weygadt was located at the base of Mount Tammany. It served Boy Scouts from the Delaware Valley Council.
