Sunfish Pond, December 2, 2012, Worthington State Forest

It's hard to fathom that Sunfish Pond, a higher elevation glacial lake in one of the most beautiful forests in New Jersey, was once in danger of extinction. Forty years ago, power companies had designs on damming the Delaware River at the Water Gap and setting up a mini reservoir system, which would have meant an end to Sunfish Pond. Thankfully, cooler heads prevailed, led by a grassroots New Jersey-based conservation group called the Lenni Lenape League, and Sunfish Pond remains as one of the best day hikes in the entire region.

K and I hiked up to Sunfish Pond - which is located on the Appalachian Trail - on a cold, foggy Sunday morning. In these parts, you HAVE to hit the trail early or risk running into hoards of people - even in the off season. Some parts of the Water Gap region see few hikers. Sunfish Pond is not one of them.

Sunfish Rules

By staying overnight nearby, we were able to hit the trail soon after sun up. Seeing only two cars in the parking lot of I-80 was a harbinger of good things to come. On the way up, we only encountered four hikers - all of whom were going in the opposite direction - and had the trail pretty much to ourselves. The Appalahian Trail here is a gradual ascent up to Sunfish Pond and the early morning fog made for some eerie, yet attractive views into the dense forest. A sighting of a pileated woodpecker bouncing around in and out of the fog was an added bonus.

Appalachian Trail to Sunfish

At the pond, we had the lone bench all to ourselves and broke for a leisurely lunch and thermos of coffee. Not a single hiker arrived at the pond during our lunch break, enhancing the peace and quiet of a special place.

Dunnfield Creek Trail

Although planned as an up and back, we decided to turn our hike into a loop and returned via Dunnfield Creek Trail, aka Dunnfield Hollow Trail, which descends along the creek and requires quite a few fords along the way.

Destination: Sunfish Pond
Distance: 8 miles up and back
Elevation: 1,379 feet Gain: 1,200 feet
Route: Appalachian Trail, Dunnfield Creek Trail
Conditions: Fog, 40 degrees F