Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area is a
national recreation area administered by the
National Park Service
The National Park Service (NPS) is an agency of the United States federal government within the U.S. Department of the Interior that manages all national parks, most national monuments, and other natural, historical, and recreational properti ...
in northwest
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delawa ...
and northeast
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...
. It is
centered around a stretch of the
Delaware River
The Delaware River is a major river in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. From the meeting of its branches in Hancock, New York, the river flows for along the borders of New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware, before ...
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 the recreation area annually, many from the nearby
New York metropolitan area
The New York metropolitan area, also commonly referred to as the Tri-State area, is the largest metropolitan area in the world by urban area, urban landmass, at , and one of the list of most populous metropolitan areas, most populous urban agg ...
. 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
Worthington State Forest is a state forest located in Warren County, New Jersey within the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area, just north of the water gap in the Skylands Region of the state. It covers an area of and stretches for mor ...
and a section of the long-distance
Appalachian Trail
The Appalachian Trail (also called the A.T.), is a hiking trail in the Eastern United States, extending almost between Springer Mountain in Georgia and Mount Katahdin in Maine, and passing through 14 states.Gailey, Chris (2006)"Appalachian ...
are located within the area, alongside
numerous waterfalls and historic sites.
The region, known historically as the
Minisink, was inhabited by the
Munsee
The Munsee (or Minsi or Muncee) or mə́n'si·w ( del, Monsiyok)Online Lenape Talking Dictionary, "Munsee Indians"Link/ref> are a subtribe of the Lenape, originally constituting one of the three great divisions of that nation and dwelling along ...
at the time of
Dutch and French
Huguenot
The Huguenots ( , also , ) were a religious group of French Protestants who held to the Reformed, or Calvinist, tradition of Protestantism. The term, which may be derived from the name of a Swiss political leader, the Genevan burgomaster Be ...
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 the
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
, colors =
, anniversaries = 16 June (Organization Day)
, battles =
, battles_label = Wars
, website =
, commander1 = ...
acquired land for the reservoir. The controversial project was ultimately canceled in 1978 and the land transferred to the recreation area.
There are recent efforts to re-designate the area as a
national park
A national park is a natural park in use for conservation purposes, created and protected by national governments. Often it is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or owns. Although individual ...
, the first in New Jersey or Pennsylvania.
Description
The recreation area includes parts of
Sussex
Sussex (), from the Old English (), is a historic county in South East England that was formerly an independent medieval Anglo-Saxon kingdom. It is bounded to the west by Hampshire, north by Surrey, northeast by Kent, south by the Englis ...
and
Warren counties in New Jersey, and
Monroe,
Northampton
Northampton () is a market town and civil parish in the East Midlands of England, on the River Nene, north-west of London and south-east of Birmingham. The county town of Northamptonshire, Northampton is one of the largest towns in England ...
, and
Pike counties in Pennsylvania. The
Appalachian Trail
The Appalachian Trail (also called the A.T.), is a hiking trail in the Eastern United States, extending almost between Springer Mountain in Georgia and Mount Katahdin in Maine, and passing through 14 states.Gailey, Chris (2006)"Appalachian ...
runs along much of the eastern boundary of the park and is maintained and updated by the
New York–New Jersey Trail Conference
The New York – New Jersey Trail Conference (NYNJTC) is a volunteer-based federation of approximately 10,000 individual members and about 100 member organizations (mostly hiking clubs and environmental organizations). The conference coordin ...
.
The park offers historical and cultural sites including the
Minisink Archaeological Site,
Millbrook Village
Millbrook, also known as Millbrook Village, is an unincorporated community located along Old Mine Road within Hardwick Township, formerly Pahaquarry Township, in Warren County, in the U.S. state
In the United States, a state is a con ...
, and the arts center in
Peters Valley and rural scenery approximately an hour's drive from
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
. The park has significant Native American archaeological sites. In addition, 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 , and Raymondskill Falls, the tallest in Pennsylvania at about .
Geology and geography
Delaware Water Gap
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 , from New Jersey's
Mount Tammany on
Kittatinny Mountain, elevation . The gap is less than wide at river level and less than wide at the ridge line. The river is about 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
The Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad (also known as the DL&W or Lackawanna Railroad) was a U.S. Class 1 railroad that connected Buffalo, New York, and Hoboken, New Jersey (and by ferry with New York City), a distance of . Incorporated in ...
of the
Delaware-Lackawanna Railroad
The Delaware-Lackawanna Railroad is a shortline railroad operating in Northeastern Pennsylvania, especially the Scranton area.
DL began service in August 1993 and is the designated operator for of trackage in Lackawanna, Wayne, Northampton, ...
runs through the western side.
Minisink
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
The Delaware River is a major river in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. From the meeting of its branches in Hancock, New York, the river flows for along the borders of New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware, before ...
valley in northwestern
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delawa ...
(
Sussex
Sussex (), from the Old English (), is a historic county in South East England that was formerly an independent medieval Anglo-Saxon kingdom. It is bounded to the west by Hampshire, north by Surrey, northeast by Kent, south by the Englis ...
and
Warren counties), northeastern
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...
(
Pike and
Monroe counties) and New York (
Orange and
Sullivan counties). The name was derived by Dutch colonists from the
Munsee
The Munsee (or Minsi or Muncee) or mə́n'si·w ( del, Monsiyok)Online Lenape Talking Dictionary, "Munsee Indians"Link/ref> are a subtribe of the Lenape, originally constituting one of the three great divisions of that nation and dwelling along ...
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.
History
At the time of European contact, the Minisink was inhabited by
Munsee
The Munsee (or Minsi or Muncee) or mə́n'si·w ( del, Monsiyok)Online Lenape Talking Dictionary, "Munsee Indians"Link/ref> are a subtribe of the Lenape, originally constituting one of the three great divisions of that nation and dwelling along ...
, the northern branch of the
Lenape
The Lenape (, , or Lenape , del, Lënapeyok) also called the Leni Lenape, Lenni Lenape and Delaware people, are an indigenous peoples of the Northeastern Woodlands, who live in the United States and Canada. Their historical territory inclu ...
. The area's first European settlers arrived in the late seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries and were
Dutch and French
Huguenot
The Huguenots ( , also , ) were a religious group of French Protestants who held to the Reformed, or Calvinist, tradition of Protestantism. The term, which may be derived from the name of a Swiss political leader, the Genevan burgomaster Be ...
families from colonial New York's
Hudson River Valley
The Hudson Valley (also known as the Hudson River Valley) comprises the valley of the Hudson River and its adjacent communities in the U.S. state of New York. The region stretches from the Capital District including Albany and Troy south to Yo ...
.
Tocks Island Dam project
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 the aftermath of two separate
hurricane
A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system characterized by a low-pressure center, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain and squalls. Dep ...
s (
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
A 1950s proposal to construct a dam near Tocks Island across the Delaware River was met with considerable controversy and protest. Tocks Island is located in the Delaware River a short distance north from the Delaware Water Gap. In order to co ...
was in the works before the 1955 floods. But several deaths and severe damages resulting from these floods brought the issue of flood control to the national level. The
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
, colors =
, anniversaries = 16 June (Organization Day)
, battles =
, battles_label = Wars
, website =
, commander1 = ...
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
The National Park Service (NPS) is an agency of the United States federal government within the U.S. Department of the Interior that manages all national parks, most national monuments, and other natural, historical, and recreational properti ...
, to offer recreation activities such as hunting, hiking, fishing, and boating. In addition to flood control and recreation, 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
Eminent domain (United States, Philippines), land acquisition (India, Malaysia, Singapore), compulsory purchase/acquisition (Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, United Kingdom), resumption (Hong Kong, Uganda), resumption/compulsory acquisition (Austr ...
. Approximately 15,000 people were displaced by the condemnation of personal property along the Delaware River and the surrounding area. An estimated 3,000 to 5,000 dwellings and outbuildings were demolished in preparation for 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.
Establishment of the recreation area
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 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 the
National Park Service
The National Park Service (NPS) is an agency of the United States federal government within the U.S. Department of the Interior that manages all national parks, most national monuments, and other natural, historical, and recreational properti ...
and added to the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area.
Recent history
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
A national park is a natural park in use for conservation purposes, created and protected by national governments. Often it is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or owns. Although individual ...
, which would make it the first such park in Pennsylvania or New Jersey. Local
Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is an environmental organization with chapters in all 50 United States, Washington D.C., and Puerto Rico. The club was founded on May 28, 1892, in San Francisco, California, by Scottish-American preservationist John Muir, who b ...
chapters have supported this proposal, claiming it would help to improve the Recreation Area's infrastructure and capacity for tourists.
Superintendents and regional affiliations
Previous and current superintendents of the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area include:
* Peter DeGelleke, 1965–1973
* James McLaughlin, 1973–1979
* Albert "Amos" Hawking, 1979–1988
* Richard Ring, 1988–1992
* Roger Rector, 1992–1997
* William Laitner, 1997–2003
* John Donahue, 2003–2017
* Sula Jacobs, 2018–present
The park is currently a part of Interior Region 1 of the National Park Service. It was originally a part of the Northeast region, and later the North Atlantic-Appalachian Region.
Gallery
File:Marie Zimmerman Farm Hog Barn DWG NPS.jpg, The Hog Barn at the Pennsylvania farm of artist Marie Zimmermann
File:Raymondkill.jpg, Raymondskill Falls
File:Dingmansfalls.jpg, Dingman's Falls
File:Middle Delaware River above Walpack Bend.jpg, Middle Delaware River above Walpack Bend
File:Delaware Water Gap.jpg, View of Mount Tammany from Delaware Water Gap
Notable sites within the Park
*
Brau Kettle The Brau Kettle is a geological feature known as a karst that is located along the Wallpack Ridge in the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area in Sandyston Township, New Jersey. Its name derives from the Dutch for "brewing kettle" or "boiling ...
*
Brodhead Farm
*
Callahan House
*
Cold Spring Farm Springhouse
*
Dingman's Ferry Dutch Reformed Church
*
Metz Ice Plant
The Metz Ice Plant, also known as the Jacob Klaer Gristmill and the Milford Ice and Refrigeration Company, is an historic, American ice manufacturing plant that is located in the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area in Milford, Pike County, ...
*
John Michael Farm
*
Military Trail
*
Nyce Farm
*
Schoonover Mountain House
*
Capt. Jacob Shoemaker House
*
John Turn Farm
*
Marie Zimmermann Farm
*
Van Campen's Inn
Van Campen's Inn or Isaac Van Campen Inn is a fieldstone residence that was used as a yaugh house during the American colonial era. Located in Walpack Township, Sussex County, New Jersey along the Delaware River, it is a historic site located a ...
*
Raymondskill Falls
*
Zion Lutheran Church
*
List of waterfalls of the Delaware Water Gap
References
External links
National Park Service: Delaware Water Gap National Recreation AreaThe Friends Of The Delaware Water Gap National Recreation AreaThings to do in Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area
{{authority control
National Park Service National Recreation Areas
National Park Service Wild and Scenic Rivers
Wild and Scenic Rivers of the United States
Pocono Mountains
Delaware Water Gap
National Park Service areas in New Jersey
National Park Service areas in Pennsylvania
Protected areas of Sussex County, New Jersey
Protected areas of Warren County, New Jersey
Protected areas of Northampton County, Pennsylvania
Protected areas of Monroe County, Pennsylvania
Protected areas of Pike County, Pennsylvania
Protected areas established in 1965
1965 establishments in New Jersey
1965 establishments in Pennsylvania