Appalachian Trail Overnight Backpacking Teaser
Mark the Appalachian Trail (the “AT”) off your bucket list.
Backpack a section of the AT in the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area on this intro to overnight backpacking trip.
The AT is one of the longest continuously marked footpath in the world, measuring roughly 2,180 miles in length. The AT goes through fourteen states along the crests and valleys of the Appalachian Mountain range from the southern terminus at Springer Mountain, Georgia, to the AT’s northern terminus at Katahdin, Maine.
We start at the Cat Fish Pond Gap near the Appalachian Mountain Club’s Mohican Outdoor Center with a refreshing 5.6 mile hike on day 1. The hike begins with a short ascent as we travel southbound on the AT over Mt. Mohican and following Raccoon Ridge in New Jersey. We continue southward along the Kittatinny Mountain Range where Native Americans once flourished, taking advantage of the various vistas and one 360 degree lookout. The AT enters Worthington State Forest and leads to and skirts the banks of Sunfish Pond, a glacial lake designated as a National Natural Landmark. After surrendering to the serenity and beauty of the lake, we will continue for a short distance to an Appachian Trail Backpackers camp site, where we will setup camp for the night.
Day 2 is riddled with several different route options, ranging from 3.5 miles to 6 miles and all offering different natural wonders on great connector trails. Options range from hiking out on the AT, a slow, quaint descent leading to Dunfield Creek, to descending a beautiful tree-filled valley on a trail that skims the banks of and criss-crosses Dunfield creek, which drains the mountain and flows into the Delaware River. Other variations are possible and all routes lead to scenic swimming pools and waterfalls as you finish the hike along Dunfield Creek at the base of Mt. Tammany in the Gap.
Optional
Depending on a multitude of factors, you may have the opportunity to hike up a rugged, at times steep, rocky trail leading to the peak of glaciated Mt. Tammany. The elevation gain is close to 1,200 feet in 1.2 miles and takes approximately 1 hour. Once upon the peak, you will embrace stunning postcard vistas of the Delaware Water Gap, where the majestic Delaware River snakes through a glaciated chasm between Mt. Minsi (PA) and Mt. Tamannay (NJ) creating the gap.