The Appalachian Trail in New Jersey: An Introduction

Dunnfield Creek

Appalachian Trail: An Introduction

The Appalachian Trail is approximately 2,200 miles (3,500 km) in length and runs from Mount Katahdin, Maine to Springer Mountain, Georgia. New Jersey is host to seventy-four (74) miles of the trail, cutting thru the northern part of the state. While I would love to take time to hike and camp along the entire length, I am going to settle for some of the more inspiring day hikes. I am using an article, New Jersey: Must-See Day Hikes on the Appalachian Trail by Colleen Goldhorn as a resource. It was published in June 2017 on the website, The Trek and lists five (5) hikes that are pretty special.

There may be other hikes or locations along the way; some of the waterfalls will be featured in a separate post. Many years ago I twice attempted to hike the Red Trail to the summit of Mt. Tammany only to turn back shortly after setting out. The first time was due to illness of my companion and the second was an injury that I suffered. The only section of the trail I have hiked at any length is along Dunnfield Creek at the Delaware Water Gap. This is the section of the trail that I will be taking when I do the Sunfish Pond hike.

Dunnfield Creek

The Hikes

The article discusses five (5) hikes, as-follows:

• Sunfish Pond
• Racoon Ridge
• Sunrise Mountain
• Catfish Fire Tower
• Pochunk Boardwalk & Stairway to Heaven

If you are familiar with the New Jersey section of the trail and would like to offer something not included here, please let me know in the comments below. There are also a couple other trails that I am considering but these five are the core. The plan is to hike each trail, shoot and write about each in a separate blog post. I do not get up to the northern end of the state that often so it is likely to take quite some time between posts.

I am looking forward to my Appalachian Trail adventure and taking you along with me. If you are experienced hiking the trail and wish to offer "must see" trails or features, please let me know in the comments below. I would also love to get tips from you and any stories you wish to share - have you come across bears? Snakes? Other critters? The hike I took to get the images featured here was the first time I was out when I had to think about bears - the two times mentioned above, I should have been thinking about them but never did. It was interesting and I was even more aware of my surroundings than usual, I was also noisier than usual. I typically try to be as quiet as possible because I am looking for deer but that tactic is not a good one when there are bears in the area.

So, with that I will bring this introduction to a close. Thanks for stopping by.

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All photos are copyright Joseph S. Valencia All Rights Reserved They may not be used in any way without express written permission of the photographer. If you wish to use any of the photos you may contact the photographer at valencia32photo@gmail.com

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