Mark and I recently visited the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area in Pennsylvania. We were interested in seeing this area because there has been discussion of it becoming a future national park. Our trip was in December, so I will be sharing what we did in winter (non-snow conditions) at the park. There are some roads and hikes that are closed in winter but we still found this to be a worthwhile time to visit.

What is the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area?

The Delaware Water Gap is located on the border of New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Here, the Delaware River cuts through a large ridge of the Appalachian Mountains. The area is known for its recreational activities and the Appalachian Trail passes through the area.

Our experience at the Delaware Water Gap

We arrived in the Delaware Water Gap area around noon on a Friday. We began our visit by exploring the Council Rock and Lookout Rock hike. This hike is located in the town of Delaware Water Gap, Pennsylvania. This trail offers the most iconic view of the Delaware Water Gap so it made sense for us to do this first. We also wanted to take advantage of the remaining daylight. The Council Rock and Lookout Rock hike is a 2.4 mile out and back hike along that Appalachian Trail that took us an hour and a half to do. On the way up is a mix of incline and then flat terrain; I would consider it easy to moderate. We were lucky to have the lookout to ourselves and we stayed there, taking in our surroundings. Something to note is that before our hike we read reviews about bears being in the area. Because of this, we made an effort to make noise while we hiked and carried pepper spray.

After our hike we were ready for lunch and to see more of the town of Delaware Water Gap, Pennsylvania. Our plan had been to go to the Joe Bosco Authentic Smokehouse which was nearby, but unfortunately they had had a power outage that day so were closed at the time we went. They serve up BBQ and have good ratings, so we were bummed to miss out on eating there.

Instead we continued on to the Shawneecraft Brewing Company. Mark and I both had a beer here and enjoyed one of their wood-fire pizzas. The brewery has a relaxed vibe and even has live music on weekend nights.

Our next stop was the Village Farmer and Bakery. I really liked this quaint bakery that has a variety of pies, baked goods, and jams and is known for their $4.95 hot dog and apple pie deal. We bought two personal size chicken pot pies to take home and a delicious raspberry jalapeno jam that we had sampled.

After that it was time to check into our hotel for the evening, the Deer Head Inn. The Deer Head Inn is a historic inn that is most known for showcasing some of the best jazz performers in the region at its restaurant. We booked a room and had made a reservation for dinner (by emailing beforehand) and after relaxing, we went downstairs for dinner and to enjoy the live jazz music which was impressive. After the night at the inn, a basic continental breakfast was provided for those who are at the hotel on Saturday and Sunday mornings. 

I think I had really high expectations based on reviews of the inn and while I had a nice time, particularly listening to the jazz music, I don’t know if I’d go out of my way to stay here again. The inn is closed in January and February as well, so would not work for some winter visits.

The town of East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania is only 10 minutes away and has multiple accommodation options as an alternative to the Deer Head Inn.

The next morning we left the town of Delaware Water Gap itself and drove forty minutes north to another part of the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area – the Raymondskill Falls and Cliff Trail hikes that are in Dingman Township, Pennsylvania. 

Both hikes leave from the same parking lot.

The first hike we did this morning was Raymondskill Falls. Raymondskill Falls is a multi-tiered waterfall that can be seen from two different viewpoints. The falls felt quite magical in winter with icicles and frost around them. The hike to see the falls is a 0.5 mile loop trail that took us about 30 minutes to do, including time to stop and take in the viewpoints. There are some stairs but it is worth it to see this waterfall (and when it’s not stairs it’s easy terrain).

We then went for a hike on the Cliff Trail which is across the street from where you park for Raymondskill Falls. There are several options of hikes in this area but our goal was to see another viewpoint of the Delaware River from the Tri-State Overlook. The Tri-State Overlook lets you see Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and New York all at once. We started by taking the Cliff Trail which was about 0.25 miles of straight uphill and then 0.25 miles of fairly flat terrain along the ridge. The views along the ridge were great as well, and we continued till we got to the viewpoint. From there we took the trail that was directly behind the viewpoint which is a more gradual decline trail back down to the parking lot. This hike was a round trip of a mile and took about 30 minutes.

Overall this was a short and sweet visit that gave us a good sampling of the areas attractions. Whether it will become a national park remains to be seen, but either way, we are glad we got to spend some time in the area.