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| Blue Mountain Summit, View to the Northwest and Fog Trails on the Delaware River |
With May quickly approaching, I resolved to hurry up and do at least one more big hike in the Delaware Water Gap before the season's end. My season for the Gap is November-April. Outside of those six months, there are just too many people for my liking. I'd also been cooped up in a car on several recent road trips and really needed some foot-powered locomotion. I ultimately decided on a 12.5-mile loop that covers 2,500 feet of gain starting along the Appalachian Trail ridge, descending into Tillman Ravine, climbing back up the ridge, descending again past the Silver Spray waterfalls, and then concluding with a final climb back up to the top. My new favorite hiking GPS app, CalTopo, is a great tool for putting together hikes at the Delaware Water Gap. Unlike the Adirondacks, there are not many long distance trails other than the AT, so a good app helps plan out the higher-mileage, higher-elevation gain hikes that I am looking for. I've been using CalTopo in conjunction with my NY-NJ Trail Conference paper maps and it has tons of neat features for the serious hiker. It's so much better than AllTrails, aka Facebook for hikers.
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| Spring Fiddlehead Ferns on the AT |
I started out at 7 a.m. from the small parking lot off Owassa Road and made quick work of the switchback climb up to the AT. The warblers were out early and I got the sounds and sightings of plenty of Black and White Warblers almost immediately. I followed the rocky ridge up and over Rattlesnake, Bird and Blue Mountains and then descended past the Brink Road shelter to the highlight of the day -- The Tillman Bog. Iridescently-beautiful tree swallows were flitting about the dead trees and beaver lodges and in the background rose the distinct call of a Barred Owl doing his usually-nocturnal thing in the early a.m. I thought about finding a spot to camp out for an hour to listen and watch, but in the end I only spent about 15 minutes there before hitting the trail again. I'll be back.
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| Tillman Bog |
After the bog, I followed a combination of hiking trails and the auto road down to the bottom of Tillman Ravine, then climbed back up past its many impressive cascades. We had a substantial rain the day before and that was one of my reasons for choosing this hike. As I expected, the water was flowing nicely through this picturesque spot and it reminded me a little of the Flume and Basin in the White Mountains, though on a much smaller scale. More importantly, there were no cars in the two parking areas that give access to the ravine and I fortunately had it all to myself.
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| Tillman Ravine |
I took a relatively-newer trail called the Maple Leaf Trail back up towards Bird Mountain and then descended again along the trail that passes the Silver Spray waterfalls. You actually have to leave the trail to get to my favorite viewing spot, but it is less than a 1/4 mile detour and well worth it. After another break next to the cascades, I followed the long, straight woods road to the connector trail that leads back up to the AT. This is a rocky, steep trail reminiscent of something you'd find in the Adirondacks. It felt a little strange doing a steep climb so late in the day since my usual peak bagging always means climbing early and descending late. But it was fine. Once back on the ridge, I followed the AT back to the switchback and headed down to my car.
On the day, I only encountered two other hikers. That won't be the case come May.
Destination: Rattlesnake, Bird and Blue Mountains, Tillman Ravine and Silver Spray Waterfall
Distance: 12.5 miles
Elevation: 2,569 feet gain
Route: Clockwise hour glass loop: Mullins Road Trail to Appalachian Trail to Brink Road to Tilman Road to Tillman Trails to Red Maple Trail to Woods Road to Appalachian Trail to Woods Road to AT Connector to Appalachian Trail to Mullins Road
Conditions: Sunny, 34-64 degrees F
Notable Flora/Fauna: Black and White Warbler, Prairie Warbler, Black-Throated Green Warbler, Louisiana Water Thrush, Barred Owl, Tree Sparrow, Oven Bird
