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| Hiking the McDade Trail |
Continuing my quest to hike the entire stretch of the
McDade Trail, I chose to hit another section of this hiking trail on this unseasonably warm October day. Today's trip begins at the Jerry Lees Trailhead at N41° 09.368' W74° 54.494'. This is
where I left off while going south on the McDade Trail in May. I took the trail from Jerry Lees and headed south toward the Bushkill Access trailhead, passing the Eshback and Egypt Mills trailheads along the way.
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| Jerry Lees Trailhead |
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| Jerry Lees Trailhead Sign |
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| McDade Trail Information |
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| McDade Trail Distance Chart |
This section of the McDade Trail is a very flat gravel covered walking path. If you are looking for a challenging climb or the feeling of being deep in the forest, this isn't for you. Like I said about an earlier section of the McDade Trail, this section is probably best left to those looking for a place to ride your bike or to go for a leisurely stroll with the kids. Unlike the
Milford Beach to Conashaugh section I hiked on a few weeks ago, this area offers few views of the River except for where the boat launches are located.
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| First steps along the trail |
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| Hiking trail sign |
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| Beautiful tall trees |
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| Hairy vine |
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| Giants |
If you've read by previous McDade Trail trip reports, you've seen these bridges before. They were built by the National Park Service to make it easier for hikers and bikers to span the multitude of creeks that intersect the trail. This segment of the McDade trail featured three of these bridges as well as a larger concrete bridge that passes over Toms Creek near the Egypt Mills Trailhead. On this day all but Toms Creek were completely dry.
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| First bridge |
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| Dry creek |
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| Large fields |
As with the bridges, this area of the McDade Trail has no less than four hand made log benches. That may seem trivial but when you're hiking for a dozen miles or more, these little benches are a beautiful sight.
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| Another bridge and bench |
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| Gravel path |
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| View of the Wheat Plains or Broadhead-Heller Farm |
After hiking about 3/4 of a mile you'll get a peek at the Wheat Plans Farm, also known as the Broadhead-Heller Farm, on the opposite side of Route 209. The original farm house is believed to have been built by Garrett Broadhead just after the Revolutionary War.
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| McDade Hiking Trail |
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| View of the Esback Farm from the McDade Trail |
At the 1.8 mile mark of this trip you will pass by the Eshback Trailhead. This trailhead is named after the Eshback Farm which still sits on the west side of Route 209 across from the Eshback trailhead access road. This was a well known dairy farm that was a common stop for those traveling along River Road, which is now called Route 209. The Eshback trailhead features a small free parking area, porta-potties, garbage bins and a boat launch. This is a great spot to get a good look at the Delaware River.
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| Eshback Trailhead |
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| Eshback Boat Launch |
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| View from the Eshback boat launch |
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| McDade Trail Pictures |
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| Remains of an old farm fence |
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| Old barb wire farm fence |
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| Autumn is here! |
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| Another great spot to rest |
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| Nice views along the McDade Trail |
After hiking about 3.8 miles you will come across the Egypt Mills Trailhead at N41° 07.523' W74° 57.161'. This trailhead is named after the milling village that was located along Tom's Creek to the west of Rt 209. The Egypt Mills Hunting Club was also located in this area. The Egypt Mills trail head features a small parking lot for those hiking the McDade Trail. There is no fee to park here.
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| Bridge over Toms Creek |
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| Toms Creek near Egypt Mills |
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| Fallen leaves |
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| McDade Trail |
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| Another bridge |
At the end of my hike I arrived at the Bushkill Access Trailhead at N41° 06.521' W74° 58.989'. Unlike
many of the parking areas and boat launches along the McDade hiking
trail, the Bushkill Access trailhead charges $10 for vehicle parking and
$2 for those biking or hiking in. Fees are paid using honor system
where you put the payment in a envelope and drop it in a small metal lock box. The
Bushkill Access trailhead offers restrooms with running water, separate
boat and kayak launches and a large parking lot.
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| Bushkill Access Trailhead |
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| Bushkill Access boat launch |
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| Awesome views from the boat launch |
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| Bushkill Access boat launch |
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| Bushkill Access restrooms |
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| Pay Fee Here |
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| Bushkill Access |
My total mileage for this trip was 12.8 miles making it my longest hike to date. While this section of the McDade Trail sure isn't the most challenging or exciting it still gives you a great walk in a beautiful area of the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation area with multiple views of the Delaware River and some historical landmarks.
If you'd like to follow my steps through the this hiking trail,
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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| McDade Trail Elevation Graph |
