The Delaware Water Gap is a water gap on the border of the U.S. states of New Jersey and Pennsylvania where the Delaware River cuts through a large ridge of the Appalachian Mountains .
55-811: The gap makes up the southern portion of the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area , which is used primarily for recreational purposes, such as canoeing , fishing , hiking , and rock climbing . Though the US National Park Service manages the National Recreation Area, portions of the water gap are also patrolled by New Jersey Division of Parks and Forestry . The park does not charge an entrance fee but does have expanded amenity fees, including vehicle season and daily passes, bicycles amenity fees, and charges for beach use. Most of
110-633: A narrow belt along the Himalayas to cover mainland and island Southeast Asia as far as Sumatra , Java , Borneo , and Palawan . Finally, oaks of multiple sections ( Cyclobalanopsis , Ilex , Cerris , Quercus and related genera like Lithocarpus and Castanopsis ) extend across east Asia including China, Korea, and Japan. Potential records of Quercus have been reported from Late Cretaceous deposits in North America and East Asia. These are not considered definitive, as macrofossils older than
165-529: A number of structures remain from early Dutch settlement during the colonial period. Outdoor recreational activities include canoeing, hiking, camping, swimming, cycling, cross-country skiing, horseback riding, and picnicking. Fishing and hunting are permitted in season with valid state licenses. The area is also noted for its many waterfalls . These include Buttermilk Falls, the tallest falls in New Jersey at about 90 feet (27 m), and Raymondskill Falls,
220-707: A part of the Northeast region, and later the North Atlantic-Appalachian Region. Oak See also List of Quercus species . An oak is a hardwood tree or shrub in the genus Quercus of the beech family . They have spirally arranged leaves, often with lobed edges, and a nut called an acorn , borne within a cup. The genus is widely distributed in the Northern Hemisphere; it includes some 500 species, both deciduous and evergreen . Fossil oaks date back to
275-485: A range of flavours, colours, and aromas. The spongy bark of the cork oak is used to make traditional wine bottle corks. Almost a third of oak species are threatened with extinction due to climate change, invasive pests , and habitat loss . In culture, the oak tree is a symbol of strength and serves as the national tree of many countries. In Indo-European and related religions, the oak is associated with thunder gods . Individual oak trees of cultural significance include
330-872: A ravine to rejoin the Appalachian Trail at Sunfish Pond. Running from Springer Mountain , Georgia to Mt. Katahdin in Baxter State Park , Maine , the Appalachian Trail enters the Delaware Water Gap at the Delaware River on the Route 80 Bridge. It goes to Sunfish Pond, and continues northeast to Stokes State Forest . The trail crosses Route 206 and continues along the ridgeline of the Kittatinny Mountains to High Point State Park , eventually entering New York . Of
385-508: A single oak tree produces both staminate ('male') flowers in the form of catkins , and small pistillate ('female') flowers, meaning that the trees are monoecious . The fruit is a nut called an acorn , borne in a cup-like structure known as a cupule ; each acorn usually contains one seed and takes 6–18 months to mature, depending on the species. The acorns and leaves contain tannic acid , which helps to guard against fungi and insects. There are some 500 extant species of oaks. Trees in
440-557: A small area of the west of Cuba ; in Mesoamerica it occurs mainly above 1000 metres. The genus crossed the isthmus of Panama when the northern and southern continents came together and is present as one species, Q. humboldtii , above 1000 metres in Colombia. The oaks of North America are of many sections ( Protobalanus , Lobatae , Ponticae , Quercus , and Virentes ) along with related genera such as Notholithocarpus . In
495-720: Is Mount Minsi , named after the Native American tribe of the area. The summit of Tammany is 1,540 ft (470 m) above sea level. In 1739, America's first botanist, John Bartram of Philadelphia , followed the course of the Delaware River in his search for American trees, evergreens and shrubs to supply new species that were formerly unknown to British naturalists. These gardeners waited months for shipments of saplings, seeds, and pinecones to be sent by sea that were then introduced into English gardens. Using Native American trails, Bartram rode on horseback through
550-722: Is a 70,000-acre (28,000 ha) national recreation area administered by the National Park Service in northwest New Jersey and northeast Pennsylvania . It is centered around a 40-mile (64 km) stretch of the Delaware River designated the Middle Delaware National Scenic River . At the area's southern end lays the Delaware Water Gap , a dramatic mountain pass where the river cuts between Blue Mountain and Kittatinny Mountain . More than 4 million people visit
605-452: Is from Old English ac (seen in placenames such as Acton , from ac + tun , "oak village" ), which in turn is from Proto-Germanic *aiks , "oak". Oaks are hardwood ( dicotyledonous ) trees, deciduous or evergreen, with spirally arranged leaves , often with lobate margins ; some have serrated leaves or entire leaves with smooth margins. Many deciduous species are marcescent , not dropping dead leaves until spring. In spring,
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#1732766275529660-464: Is less than 1,000 feet (300 m) wide at river level and less than 1 mile (1.6 km) wide at the ridge line. The river is about 350 feet (110 m) wide at the gap. The gap has long facilitated transportation across the ridge, with Pennsylvania building the first road through the gap in 1793. Today, I-80 occupies the eastern side of the gap, while PA 611 and the Pocono Mainline of
715-644: Is now located in Pocono Summit, Pennsylvania , on the shores of Stillwater Lake . Pahaquarra Boy Scout Camp was located on the New Jersey side of the Delaware Water Gap on Old Mine Road at the abandoned Pahaquarry Copper Mine . The camp served Boy Scouts from the George Washington Council . Just north of this camp was Camp Cowaw Boy Scout Camp which served Raritan Council Boy Scouts. Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area The Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area
770-453: Is on the western side of the gap near the base. The eastern side of the gap has Ordovician Martinsburg shale. Sedimentary rock is along the river. The Bloomsburg Red Beds, a red shale, are at the gap under Dunnfield Creek. The Delaware Water Gap is nearly 1,300 feet (400 m) wide at river level and about 1 mile (1.6 km) wide from the top of Mt. Tammany to the top of Mt. Minsi. It is more than 1,200 feet (370 m) from mountaintop to
825-474: The Congress authorized the building of a dam across the Delaware River at Tocks Island, upstream of the water gap. Meant to control hurricane-related flooding, it was never built. The land for the proposed reservoir, which had already been purchased, was used to create the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area in 1965. There are two visitor centers, one in New Jersey near the Delaware River bridge and
880-623: The Delaware-Lackawanna Railroad runs through the western side. The Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area incorporates much of the historical Minisink . The Minisink (or more recently "Minisink Valley") is a loosely defined geographic region of the Upper Delaware River valley in northwestern New Jersey ( Sussex and Warren counties), northeastern Pennsylvania ( Pike and Monroe counties) and New York ( Orange and Sullivan counties). The name
935-503: The National Park Service and added to the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area. The recreation area is currently facing major under-funding. Deferred maintenance costs total over $ 161 million, with an annual $ 6 million routine maintenance cost. In November 2021, a proposal was introduced to redesignate the recreational area as a full-fledged national park , which would make it
990-643: The Paleogene , and possibly from before the Eocene are mostly poorly preserved without critical features for certain identification. Amongst the oldest unequivocal records of Quercus are pollen from Austria, dating to the Paleocene -Eocene boundary, around 55 million years ago. The oldest records of Quercus in North America are from Oregon , dating to the Middle Eocene, around 44 million years ago, with
1045-853: The Royal Oak in Britain, the Charter Oak in the United States, and the Guernica Oak in the Basque Country . The generic name Quercus is Latin for "oak", derived from Proto-Indo-European *kwerkwu- , "oak", which is also the origin of the name " fir ", another important or sacred tree in Indo-European culture. The word "cork", for the bark of the cork oak , similarly derives from Quercus . The common name "oak"
1100-551: The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers acquired land for the reservoir. The controversial project was ultimately canceled in 1978 and the land transferred to the recreation area. There are efforts as of 2022 to re-designate the area as a national park , the first in New Jersey or Pennsylvania. The recreation area includes parts of Sussex and Warren counties in New Jersey, and Monroe , Northampton , and Pike counties in Pennsylvania. The Appalachian Trail runs along much of
1155-546: The Yosemite Decimal System scale. Climbers follow the gray dot trail along Route 80, then pass the large rock face, then go up the path to the route they choose. Beginning in 2010, the Pennsylvania side has been periodically closed to climbing during the nesting season for the endangered peregrine falcons . The Easton Area Council of the Boy Scouts of America operated Weygadt Scout Reservation at
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#17327662755291210-436: The oak apple , and a large number of pests and diseases. Oak leaves and acorns contain enough tannin to be toxic to cattle, but pigs are able to digest them safely. Oak timber is strong and hard, and has found many uses in construction and furniture-making. The bark was traditionally used for tanning leather . Wine barrels are made of oak; these are used for aging alcoholic beverages such as sherry and whisky , giving them
1265-445: The 2,174 miles (3,499 km) of trail, 28 miles (45 km) are within the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area. Additional trails also traverse through the area. The gap is a popular place to rock-climb in New Jersey. The climbs are 150 to 300 ft (46 to 91 m). Most climbing is done on the New Jersey side due to easier access. There are about one hundred climbs on the New Jersey side. Climbs range from 5.1 to 5.14 on
1320-598: The Middle Eocene . Molecular phylogeny shows that the genus is divided into Old World and New World clades , but many oak species hybridise freely, making the genus's history difficult to resolve. Ecologically, oaks are keystone species in habitats from Mediterranean semi-desert to subtropical rainforest . They live in association with many kinds of fungi including truffles . Oaks support more than 950 species of caterpillar , many kinds of gall wasp which form distinctive galls , roundish woody lumps such as
1375-706: The Old World, oaks of section Quercus extend across the whole of Europe including European Russia apart from the far north, and north Africa (north of the Sahara) from Morocco to Libya. In Mediterranean Europe, they are joined by oaks of the sections Cerris and Ilex , which extend across Turkey, the Middle East, Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan , while section Ponticae is endemic to the western Caucasus in Turkey and Georgia . Oaks of section Cyclobalanopsis extend in
1430-584: The Water Gap, which allowed entry to the lands beyond. A northern deciduous forest cloaks the slopes of the Delaware Water Gap. Hardwood species comprising the forest include various oaks , hickories , maples , ash , elm , cherry , walnut , birch , sycamore , and beech . Coniferous species include Eastern White Pine , Pitch Pine , Eastern Red Cedar , and Eastern Hemlock . Black bear , white-tailed deer , gray squirrels , red squirrels , raccoons , gray fox , fisher , and chipmunks are some of
1485-469: The aftermath of two separate hurricanes ( Hurricane Connie and Hurricane Diane ) that passed over the area within the span of one week. On 19 August 1955, the river gauge at Riegelsville, Pennsylvania recorded that the Delaware River reached a crest of 38.85 feet, or 16.85 feet above flood stage. A project to dam the river near Tocks Island was in the works before the 1955 floods. But several deaths and severe damages resulting from these floods brought
1540-513: The area, alongside numerous waterfalls and historic sites. The region, known historically as the Minisink , was inhabited by the Munsee at the time of Dutch and French Huguenot colonization in the late 17th century. The national recreation area was established in 1965 ahead of a dam project which would have flooded a large region north of the Water Gap. Over 15,000 people were displaced as
1595-416: The area. The Wisconsin glaciation , which occurred between 21,000 BCE and 13,000 BCE, covered the entire Kittatinny Ridge and ended near Belvidere. When the glaciers retreated, the existing gap assumed its present form. The mountain is composed of Silurian shawangunk conglomerate . This is gray quartzite, which makes the mountain highly resistant to weathering. The Silurian High Fall formation of sandstone
1650-687: The base of Mount Tammany from 1931 until 1968. The Reservation was originally home to two Scout camps—the Easton Council's Camp Weygadt on the southern part of the reservation and the Minsi Trails Council's Camp Minsi on the northern section of the reservation. In the later part of the 1930s, the Bethlehem Council moved their camp to the Poconos, and the entire reservation in the Water Gap became Camp Weygadt. Camp Minsi
1705-483: The dam project and subsequent flooding of the valley. This included many irreplaceable historical sites and structures connected with the valley's Native American and colonial heritage. In support of the Tocks Island Dam project, Congress authorized the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area in 1965. The area was intended to encompass a narrow strip of shoreline surrounding the reservoir, in part to make
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1760-599: The dam would be used to generate hydroelectric power and provide a clean water supply to New York City and Philadelphia. Starting in 1960, the present-day area of the Recreation Area was acquired for the Army Corps of Engineers through eminent domain . Approximately 15,000 people were displaced by the condemnation of property along the Delaware River and the surrounding area. An estimated 3,000 to 5,000 dwellings and outbuildings were demolished in preparation for
1815-631: The eastern boundary of the park and is maintained and updated by the New York–New Jersey Trail Conference . The park offers historical and cultural sites including the Minisink Archaeological Site , Millbrook Village , and the arts center in Peters Valley and rural scenery approximately an hour's drive from New York City . The park has significant Native American archaeological sites. In addition,
1870-533: The eastern side of what was to be Kittatinny Mountain was uplifted 450 million years ago when a chain of volcanic islands collided with proto-North America. These islands slid over the North American plate, and deposited rock on top of the plate, forming the Highlands and Kittatinny Valley. About 400 million years ago, a small continent collided with proto-North America. The heat from the pressure melted
1925-481: The first such park in Pennsylvania or New Jersey. Local Sierra Club chapters have supported this proposal, claiming it would help to improve the Recreation Area's infrastructure and capacity for tourists. Previous and current superintendents of the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area include: The park is currently a part of Interior Region 1 of the National Park Service. It was originally
1980-456: The forest species of the area. Hunting of deer, turkey, and small game is permitted, following NJ Fish & Wildlife regulations, but is not permitted at any of the campsites. Shad migrate up the river through the gap in the spring. Other fish include bass , trout , carp , and walleye . Dunnfield Creek has been designated a "Wild Trout Stream" because of its natural brook trout fishery. Timber rattlesnakes and copperheads also inhabit
2035-728: The gap and north toward Pahaquarry. Interstate 80 passes through the gap on the New Jersey side as of the early 1970s via the Delaware Water Gap Toll Bridge , and occupies the former right-of-way of the New York, Susquehanna and Western Railway . The Pennsylvania portion of the New Jersey Cut-Off mainline of the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad comes into Slateford, Pennsylvania . The Pennsylvania Northeast Regional Railroad Authority owns
2090-637: The gap. The second trail to the top of Mt. Tammany. The most challenging hike in the park is to combine the Red Dot and Blue Blaze trails into a 3 mi (4.8 km) loop. Park Services suggest ascending the Red Dot and descending the Blue Blaze, and the Blue trail is less steep. Dunnfield Creek Trail departs from the Appalachian Trail above the Delaware River, follows the creek for two-thirds of its length with numerous stream crossings. The trail then climbs
2145-404: The genus Quercus consisted of Old World and New World clades. The entire genome of Quercus robur (the pedunculate oak) has been sequenced , revealing an array of mutations that may underlie the evolution of longevity and disease resistance in oaks. In addition, hundreds of oak species have been compared (at RAD-seq loci), allowing a detailed phylogeny to be constructed. However,
2200-641: The genus are often large and slow-growing; Q. alba can reach an age of 600 years, a diameter of 13 feet (4.0 m) and a height of 145 feet (44 m). The Granit oak in Bulgaria, a Q. robur specimen, has an estimated age of 1637 years, making it the oldest oak in Europe. The Wi'aaSal tree, a live oak in the reservation of the Pechanga Band of Indians , California, is at least 1000 years old, and might be as much as 2000 years old, which would make it
2255-606: The issue of flood control to the national level. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers proposed the construction of the dam, which would have created a 37-mile (60-km) long lake between Pennsylvania and New Jersey, with depths of up to 140 feet. The area around the lake would be established as the Tocks Island National Recreation Area under the oversight of the National Park Service , to offer recreation activities such as hunting, hiking, fishing, and boating. In addition to flood control and recreation,
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2310-519: The largest number of oak species, with approximately 160 species in Mexico, of which 109 are endemic, and about 90 in the United States. The second greatest area of oak diversity is China, with approximately 100 species. In the Americas, Quercus is widespread from Vancouver and Nova Scotia in the south of Canada, south to Mexico and across the whole of the eastern United States. It is present in
2365-560: The oldest oak in the US. Among the smallest oaks is Q. acuta , the Japanese evergreen oak. It forms a bush or small tree to a height of some 30 feet (9.1 m). The genus Quercus is native to the Northern Hemisphere and includes deciduous and evergreen species extending from cool temperate to tropical latitudes in the Americas , Asia, Europe, and North Africa. North America has
2420-877: The oldest records in Asia from the Middle Eocene of Japan; both forms have affinities to the Cyclobalanopsis group. Quercus forms part, or rather two parts, of the Quercoideae subfamily of the Fagaceae , the beech family. Modern molecular phylogenetics suggests the following relationships: Fagus (beeches) Trigonobalanus (3 evergreen species) Lithocarpus (stone oaks) Chrysolepis (chinquapins) Quercus pro parte Notholithocarpus (tan oak) Quercus pro parte Castanopsis (also called chinquapins) Castanea (chestnuts) Molecular techniques for phylogenetic analysis show that
2475-533: The other in Dingman's Ferry, Pennsylvania . Headquarters is located on River Road in Pennsylvania. The New Jersey side of the gap is also protected within Worthington State Forest , a forest wholly contained within the recreation area. One of two trails leading up 1,200 vertical feet to the summit of Mt. Tammany. Once completed, one can see views of Mt. Minsi in Pennsylvania on the other side of
2530-414: The park is open 24-hours a day, with most day-use areas within the park open sunrise to sunset (such as trailhead parking lots, Millbrook Village, and all picnic areas). A water gap is a geological feature where a river cuts through a mountain ridge. The Delaware Water Gap formed 500 million years ago when quartz pebbles from mountains in the area were deposited in a shallow sea. The Martinsburg Shale on
2585-449: The project more cost-effective. The dam project was embroiled in controversy, engendering strong opposition from environmental groups and embittered, displaced residents. Due to this opposition, the unavailability of funding for the dam, and a geological assessment revealing the dam would be located near active fault lines , the federal government ultimately decided to abandon the project in 1978. The lands acquired were then transferred to
2640-426: The quartzite, which allowed it to bend the quartz pebbles. This layer was then uplifted and cracked over thousands of years. During this period, the Delaware River slowly cut its path down through the shattered and cracked quartzite. If the quartzite had not been cracked, the river would not have been able to cut its path through the mountain to form the gap. Millions of years of rain, ice, snow, and wind erosion shaped
2695-399: The recreation area annually, many from the nearby New York metropolitan area . Canoeing, kayaking, and rafting trips down the river are popular in the summer. Other activities include hiking, rock climbing, swimming, fishing, hunting, camping, cycling, cross-country skiing, and horseback riding. Worthington State Forest and a section of the long-distance Appalachian Trail are located within
2750-825: The river surface. The river through the gap is 290 feet (88 m) above sea level. The ridge of the Appalachians that the Delaware River crosses is called the Blue Mountains in Pennsylvania and the Kittatinny Ridge in Warren County, New Jersey . This is the first major ridge of the Appalachian mountains. New Jersey's mountain is Mount Tammany , named after the Lenni-Lenape Chief Tamanend . The Pennsylvania mountain
2805-414: The rocky areas of the mountain. Salamanders are found in the moist areas of the forest. Eastern prickly pear cactus also grows on the mountain near the red dot trail on the south eastern facing slope halfway up the mountain. Steep rock walls prohibited foot travel through the gap until a road was built on the Pennsylvania side of the river in 1793. In 1830, a road was built on the New Jersey side through
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#17327662755292860-418: The tallest in Pennsylvania at about 150 feet (46 m). The namesake feature of the recreation area is the prominent Delaware Water Gap , located at the area's southern end. The Delaware River runs through the gap, separating Pennsylvania's Mount Minsi on Blue Mountain , elevation 1,461 feet (445 m), from New Jersey's Mount Tammany on Kittatinny Mountain , elevation 1,527 feet (465 m). The gap
2915-633: The time of European contact, the Minisink was inhabited by Munsee , the northern branch of the Lenape . The area's first European settlers arrived in the late seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries and were Dutch and French Huguenot families from colonial New York's Hudson River Valley . The Delaware River is prone to floods—some resulting from seasonal snow melt or rain run-off from heavy rainstorms. However, record flooding occurred in August 1955 in
2970-457: The trackage in the Water Gap area. Delaware-Lackawanna Railroad operates the lines that run through the gap. Pennsylvania Route 611 occupies the right-of-way of a former trolley line. Martz Trailways has a bus station within the municipal boundaries of Delaware Water Gap. There are also numerous jitneys that stop there on their route between New York City and towns further areas such as Hazleton , Wilkes-Barre , and Scranton . In 1962,
3025-474: Was derived by Dutch colonists from the Munsee name for the area. While the term "Minisink" is not used often today, it is preserved because of its historical significance in the early European settlement of the region during the American colonial period and as an artifact of the early "first contact" between Native Americans and early European explorers, traders and missionaries in the seventeenth century. At
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