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Delaware Water Gap National Recreation AreaCanoeists at the Water Gap
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A River and its Valley

For 40 miles the Middle Delaware River passes between low forested mountains with barely a house in sight. Then the river cuts through the mountain ridge to form the famed "Water Gap." Exiting the park, the river will run 200 miles more to Delaware Bay and the Atlantic Ocean at Wilmington, Delaware.

National Parks along the Delaware River

 
A view of the Delaware River from Riverview PA

Get to know the river

Swim; fish and boat; canoe, kayak, raft and tube. The Middle Delaware (left) is one of the cleanest rivers around; the Delaware watershed provides water for 10% of the nation's population

 
A view of the Water Gap from Kittatinny Point NJ

Hike the Endless Mountain

You are in the footsteps of two centuries of hikers as you climb the gateposts of the gap, Mt. Minsi PA and Mt. Tammany NJ (left and above) and emerge atop the "endless mountain" — Kittatinny Ridge. You can hike 27 miles of the Appalachian Trail within the park.
 
Dingmans Falls PA

Watch the Watershed at Work

The Water Gap is a geological testament to the power of flowing water.

On the Pennsylvania side, streams tumble off the Pocono plateau and rush through dark hemlock groves to the river. Watch the watershed in action at Dingmans Falls (left)Raymondskill, or Childs Park.

 
Garis House (built around 1850), Millbrook Village NJ

Stroll into the Past

There's still more to do; this valley has been a home for thousands of years, and dozens of historic structures dot the park's scenic byways. Step back to the year 1900 at Millbrook Village (left), open weekends in summer. In October, a hundred volunteer "villagers" bring the place alive for Millbrook Days.
 

Write to

Visitor Services Division
Delaware Water Gap NRA
Bushkill, PA 18324-9999

E-mail Us

Phone

Visitor Information - HQ
(570) 426-2452

Park Business/Lost & Found/Emergency:
(570) 426-2435

Fax

(570) 426-2402

Climate

Link to National Weather Service forecasts and to river conditions by selecting "more"
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Architect's aerial view of an earthen dam stretching across a wide river  

Did You Know?
... that the reservoir of the proposed Tocks Island Dam would have inundated 30 miles of the Delaware River and 30,000 acres of its river valley (now part of Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area. The defeat of the dam was an early victory of the environmental movement in this country.
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Last Updated: June 12, 2008 at 13:42 EST