Delaware Water Gap

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.

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 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).

Geology

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 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 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 the area. The Wisconsin glaciation, which occurred between 21,000 B.C. and 13,000 B.C., covered the entire Kittatinny Ridge and ended near Belvidere. When the glaciers retreated, the existing gap assumed its present form.

The mountain is comprised of Silurian shawangunk conglomerate. This is gray quartzite, which makes the mountain highly resistant to weathering. The Silurian High Fall formation of sandstone 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 about across at river level and wide at the top. The river through the gap is 290 feet above sea level.

The ridge of the Appalachians that the Delaware crosses is called the Blue Mountains in Pennsylvania and the Kittatinny Ridge in 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 is Mount Minsi, named after the Native American tribe of the area. The summit of Tammany is above sea level.

Flora and fauna

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 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 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

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