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| Hiking the Mt Tammany Trails |
One of the southern most hiking trails in the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area is the Mt. Tammany Trail located in Knowton Township, NJ. Named after the Lenni Lanape chief Tamanend and located in Worthington State Forest, Mount Tammany offers gorgeous views of the Delaware River, the Water Gap, and Mt. Minsi. The Mt. Tammany Trail is actually comprised of two separate trails, the Red Dot and the Blue blazed trails. The Red Dot hiking trail is the shorter of the two, at about 1.3 miles, but is also steeper, while the Blue trail is longer, at 2.2 miles, but is a more gradual climb. Most people suggest taking the Red Dot up to the summit and the Blue trail down. The Blue hiking trail leads to the white blazed Appalachian Hiking Trail which brings you back to your starting point.
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| Mt. Tammany Red Dot Trail |
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| Red Dot Trail Stairs |
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| Just follow that guy |
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| Red Dot Hiking Trail Markers |
Getting to the Mt Tammany trails is easy if you know where Interstate Route 80 is. Just take I-80 until you near the NJ/PA border. On the NJ side you will see small brown signs for the Dunnfield Creek recreation area. If you are coming from the east, take the off ramp and pull into the second parking lot. If you are coming from the west, take one of the multiple off ramps down to Old Mine Rd. then loop under I-80 to the parking lot previously mentioned. Those coming from the east can also park in the first lot which leads you directly to the Red Dot trail. It is highly suggested that you arrive early as these lots fill up quickly. On the day of my trip, in late April, the lot had just three other cars in it at 8am. By the time my hike was over at 11am, the entire lot was jam packed with cars and two school buses loaded with kids. Trust me, arrive early.
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| Hiking the Mt Tammany Trail |
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| The start of the rocks |
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| Red Dot Hiking Trail Rocks |
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| Get ready to climb |
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| Long hill of rocks |
The Mt. Tammany Red Dot trail is located to the right side of the lot near the road at N40° 58.302' W75° 07.532'. Look for the brown sign near a set of stairs. The trail towards the left rear of the lot is the Appalachian trail which is the path you'll take on the way down. The Red Dot hiking trail starts by going up a set of wooden stairs. For a few hundred feet you'll follow a dirt path until you begin seeing rocks, rocks and more rocks. Get used to it, this is what the majority of this trail looks like. Keep an eye on the red markers as they can be sparse in some areas. They're usually on trees but some are painted on rocks along the way as well. A half mile up the trail you will come to the first overlook. While this is a great spot to take a drink of water and cool down, I wouldn't get too caught up here as there is an even nicer view at the top.
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| The Red Dot Trail markers are all over the place |
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| First Overlook |
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| View of Mt Minsi in PA |
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| View of the Delaware River between NJ/PA |
After 1.3 miles of hiking you will finally reach the summit of Mt. Tammany. To the right is a large rock ledge that gives you the best views. Sit back, grab a bite to eat and enjoy the fruits of your labor. On the day of my visit, temps were in the mid 70s but the breeze at the top makes it feel much cooler. If you are coming on a colder day, it is definitely recommended to bring an extra layer of clothing for this area.
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| Continuing the climb to the summit |
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| Hiking Trails in Pennsylvania and New Jersey |
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| Mount Tammany |
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| Enjoy the awesome view! |
Now that you've taking those awesome selfies at the top of Mount Tammany, it is time to find your way back down. You could reverse your route back down the Red Dot hiking trail but is usually recommended to take the Blue blazed trail down because it is easier to descend. The Blue trail is toward the east at N40° 58.078' W75° 06.770'. If you are coming from the rock ledge at the summit, you should be able to see the Blue trail to your right.
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| The path to the Blue trail |
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| Another rocky path |
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| Mt Tammany Blue Trail |
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| On our way back down the hill |
The Blue trail descends for about 1.5 miles until you see the Dunnfield Creek and the first of two bridges at N40° 58.630' W75° 07.237'. Then, about a 1/4 mile later the trail will merge with the white blazed Appalachian Trail. You will hike along the creek for another half mile before finally returning to the parking lot you began at. Just beforehand you will come across a wood covered steel bridge at N40° 58.384' W75° 07.587'. Overall this hike was 3.8 miles and took about 2 hours not including time to enjoy the summit. It is a tough hike for those not used to so much climbing but the views at the top were well worth it.
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| Dunnfield Creek |
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| Dunnfield Creek Waterfalls |
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| Wooden bridge over Dunfield Creek |
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| View along the creek |
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| Dunnfield Creek Natural Area |
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| Over the creek |
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| View of the second bridge |
If you'd like to follow my steps through the Mount Tammany Trails,
check out the map of my trip and download the GPX file below. It
contains the route I took as well as some important waypoints.
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| Mt Tammany Elevation Graph |
There's a good reason why this hiking trail is so popular. I've been there about a dozen times it's always awesome. You got lucky and went up on a pretty clear day but I'd say even rainy days are pretty cool on Mt Tammany. Just don't do like I did and try hiking this trail when there might be a thunder storm. Yikes!!!
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