DAY HIKER – Mount Tammany

Mount Tammany simply does not let visitors to Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area ignore its massive presence. Mount Tammany, named for the famous Lenni Lenape chief (and not the notorious 19th and 20th century political machine), sits like a bowling ball of red and gray rock, and you might conclude that at any moment Tammany could roll into the Delaware River.

I first saw Mount Tammany during a 2005 snowshoeing trip to Delaware Water Gap, and immediately Mount Tammany bullied its way into my conscious. The image of that imposing hunk of rock stayed with me, urging me to come and hike to its summit to see what it looks like from the top. I’ve hiked Mount Tammany every year since, intrigued by its red sandstone and once spotting a bear and two cubs ambling through the hemlocks and poplars.

Check out this strenuous 3.4-mile loop for a summit vista and a picturesque waterway easily cascading from the New Jersey mountains into Delaware River.

DIRECTIONS: Take I-80 to the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area exit. Follow the road past the visitor center on the right to where the road bends to the left. Follow the road into a small tunnel under I-80 and turn left. The Dunnfield Creek parking area is on the right after just a tenth of a mile.

HIKE ON: Start on the Red Dot Trail, which ascends stone steps above I-80. The Red Dot Trail (white blazes with red dots) relentlessly climbs about 1,300 feet over just 1.8 miles, but there’s plenty to see. After just half a mile, come to a vista looking south to Arrow Island in the middle of the Delaware River, the western flank of Mount Tammany and the face of Pennsylvania’s Mount Minsi across the water. Continue upward, passing red sandstone and lichen-covered boulders as the trail at times requires leg exertion and possibly hand over head scrambling.

Arrive at the Indian Head overlook after 1.4 miles. The 180-degree view takes in the Lehigh Valley to the south, Mount Minsi to the west and the Pocono Piedmont to the north. The Delaware River flows toward Philadelphia more than a thousand feet below your perch. Perfect place to rest the leg muscles and eat lunch.

Hook up with the Blue Dot Trail at Indian Head, following the blue blazes along the ridgetop. Checkout wintertime views through the forest of New Jersey to the south. Hike for 0.4 mile from the overlook to where the Blue Dot Trail branches off to the left while an abandoned road continues straight. Go left and descend into the valley between Mount Tammany and the Kittatinny Ridge, passing a thick mountain laurel grove a quarter of a mile after leaving the ridgetop.

Just a mile and a half after starting the Blue Dot Trail, reach the junction with the green-blazed Dunnfield Creek Trail and turn left with the dual blue and green blazes. A quarter of a mile later, the trail crosses a footbridge over Dunnfield Creek, and from the bridge, you can view a picturesque waterfall. The Blue Dot Trail then hooks up with the Appalachian Trail coming in from the ridge to your right. Go straight with the A.T., heading southbound with the white blazes for just under half a mile and arrive at your car.

Check out GPS waypoints and the route to see New Jersey’s Mount Tammany:

 

View Mount Tammany, N.J. in a larger map 

Tagged as: Bears, Black Bears, Delaware River, Delaware Water Gap, Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area, Dunnfield Creek, Hemlock, Hike, Hiking, Kittatinny Ridge, Lenni Lenape, Mount Minsi, Mount Tammany, Mountain Laurel, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Poplar, Trees