This hike will test your stamina but will reward you with spectacular views and a trip through some of the state’s wildest terrain. The hike up to Sunfish Pond has been called the best hike in New Jersey. I’m going to go one better and send you on one of my favorite hikes. You’ll get that highly rated trip to Sunfish Pond in, but with a few extra bonus features. This route follows beautiful Dunfield Creek, takes you around Sunfish Pond, along the crest of the Kittatinny Ridge and finally to a spectacular overlook with an iconic view of the Delaware Water Gap. It is about a 10 1/2 mile loop that will challenge you both in distance and with elevation gain (over 1,500 feet). If you’re hiking in the warmer months you’re likely to encounter bears and rattlesnakes along the route. This hike features some steep climbs and rocky terrain so make sure you’re wearing appropriate footware. Take plenty of water, check the weather and prepare for a great hike that will take you around 4 -5 hours to complete, dependent upon how long you linger at each beautiful spot you will pass.
Directions
This is an easy place to find. Take Route 80 west to the Dunfield Creek/Appalachian Trail exit, right past mile marker 1. When you exit the highway, there will be a parking area immediately to the right. On peak hiking days, the main parking lot may be full and you will need to return here if you cannot find a spot in the A.T. area. (If that’s the case, you’ll need to get back on 80, get off at the last exit in NJ, go under the highway and come back on 80 east to the U-Turn at the weigh station exit and back onto 80 west in order to come back around again) Otherwise, bear left at the exit and take it to the parking area for the Appalachian Trail.
See more pictures from this hike on the Photographs page
The Hike
I noticed on my last visit that some of these trails now have been renamed. The Red Dot Trail is now the Mt. Tammany Trail. The Blue Dot Trail is now the Pahaquarry Trail (A little homage to the now defunct Pahaquarry Township). The Turquoise Trail is now called the Buckwood Trail. You can find descriptions here. It doesn’t change anything. They’re still blazed the same and go to the same places-they just have new names. I’m going to still refer to them by their old names.
You will be following the white blazed Appalachian Trail to the green blazed Dunnfield Creek Trail, back to the Appalachian Trail, to the turquoise blazed Turquoise Trail (go figure!) to the unmarked Mount Tammany Fire Road to the blue blazed Blue Dot Trail to the red blazed Red Dot Trail back to the parking area. Note, you will also need to follow a short unmarked connector trail that goes between the main Dunnfield Creek/Appalachian Trail parking area and the overflow lot just to the east. If you park in the overflow lot you will use this at the beginning of the hike. If you park in the main lot, this will take you back to your car at the end of this trip.
This hike is almost entirely within Worthington State Forest with the final section taking you to Mount Tammany being in the Delaware Water Gap National Recretation Area. You can dowload a copy of the trail map which covers the entire hike here. If you parked in the main lot you will find the AT near a couple of port-a-potties at the back corner of the parking lot. If you parked in the overflow lot, you will find the unmarked connector at the far end of that lot for the short trip over to where the hike begins. It uses a set of stairs to go first uphill and then downhill on another set of stairs to the main lot. Wherever you parked, this hike begins by following the white blazes of the Appalachian Trail where the trail enters the woods at the far end of the main parking lot.
The Appalachian Trail enters the woods and crosses Dunnfield Creek immediately on a foot bridge. The trail then follows the creek uphill to your right. You will climb steadily with views of the creek below you. In approximately 1/2 mile, the Appalachian Trail will come to an intersection with the Dunnfield Creek Trail. The AT splits uphill to your left while the the green blazed Dunnfield Creek Trail and blue blazed Blue Dot trail follow the creek to your right. Follow the blue & green blazes. Turn right to cross back over Dunnfield Creek on a bridge and continue to follow the green blazes. The Blue Dot Trail (which you will see later-much later) will leave uphill to the right while the green blazed Dunnfield Creek Trail will go left to continue to follow the creek uphill.
For the next 3 miles just follow the green blazes as the trail follows the creek steadily uphill towards its source. This is one of the prettiest stretches of trail in New Jersey. Along the way (about a 1/2 mile from the start of the green trail), you’ll pass an intersection with the red blazed Holly Springs Trail that connects to the Appalachian Trail. The AT is parallelling your route about 1/2 mile to your left and is nowhere near as interesting as what you’re experiencing here.
The trail will cross Dunnfield Creek several times. This can be a challenge when the creek is running high. There is a high water bypass that is marked that you can use if this is the case. It will eliminate two crossings of the creek. As you continue to climb, the creek will become narrower. Finally, as the trail levels off (about 2 miles in), you will cross to the west side of the creek for the last time and begin to leave the immediate streamside area. You will see a large swamp to your right as the trail crosses first an area that can be pretty wet and then turns left and heads steeply uphill. You will crest the ridge and head slightly downhill where you will come to two intersections in short order. First, you’ll come to the unmarked Sunfish Pond Fire Road, which will head to your right. Then, in about 100 feet, the Dunnfield Creek Trail will end at the intersection with the Appalachian Trail at the far southern end of Sunfish Pond. Take in the view here for a few minutes.
After taking time to appreciate the view in front of you, turn right onto the Appalachian Trail and follow it along the west shore of the pond. Again, this is some of the nicest hiking in the state, despite the fact that you won’t set foot on level ground. When you reach the north end of the pond keep an eye out for the intersection with the Turquoise Trail, it can be difficult to spot. Turn right on the Turquoise Trail and follow it to an elevated overlook of Sunfish Pond from the north end. This is another spot you may want to stay for a few minutes. When you’ve had enough of this view, continue on the Turquoise Trail. It will head slightly uphill though some dense woods and emerge onto the Sunfish Pond Fire Road (which you passed before near the end of the Dunnfield Creek Trail. It followed the eastern shore of Sunfish Pond to get to this point.). Turn left here. There are sparse blazes (but there are some) in this section and you will need to look carefully for the next turn, which will be to your right, in about 1/4 mile. The turquoise blazes at the point where the trail turns will be on a rock.
Turn right and follow the Turquoise Trail as it heads downhill through a thick field of low bush blueberries. In the summer, stay aware that this is an area frequented by timber rattlesnakes. The thick undergrowth obscures the trail surface in this section and you’ll likely only hear them moving through the dense vegetation. If you don’t bother them, they won’t bother you (isn’t that a typically Jersey thing?). The trail will head downhill to yet another crossing of Dunnfield Creek. This time you are very near the source of the creek and it is only a trickle at this point. On the other side of the creek you will head uphill, again through a thick growth of blueberry bushes before the trail levels off and ends at an intersection with the unmarked Mount Tammany Fire Road.
Turn right and head back towards the river. This section of trail is most notable for its isolation. You’re a long way from civilization and high up on the Kittatinny Ridge. This is the “death march” part of the hike. Your covering a lot of ground without much in the way of landmarks or features. You may catch some glimpses of a view off to your left but mostly the forest is too thick to offer a good look. That will change soon. You will follow the fire road for just about 3 miles. About half way along this stretch, you will pass a Forest Fire Service helicopter landing site. There is a large boulder along the fire road that offers a place to sit and take break and appreciate how quiet this area really is. Continue along the road until it comes to an intersection with the Blue Dot Trail where the Fire Road ends.
Head straight onto the blue blazed Blue Dot Trail. Now you will begin to get views off to the left, first of the valley below and the NJ Highlands beyond and then of the Delaware River flowing off to the south. Now the money shot! We saved the best for last on this hike, and that’s a high bar because you’ve seen some pretty nice scenery up until now. The Blue Dot trail turns to the right and ends at the Mount Tammany overlook of the Delaware Water Gap. Climb down to one of the rock overlooks. Depending upon when you’re here, this spot will have plenty of other people taking in this same view. Stay as long as you like. When you’ve had enough, head back uphill to find the Red Dot Trail that begins where the Blue Dot Trail ends.
Turn left and follow the red blazes. The trail will first go through some ups and downs but eventually will head steeply downhill. You’ll notice a change in the “feel” of the air (especially in the summertime) as you lose elevation and the sounds of the highway will grow. Pay careful attention to the blazes as the trail will takes some twists and turns on its route back down towards the highway. What may seem like the route of the trail may not be and at this point of the hike, you don’t want to backtrack uphill to rejoin the correct path.
The hike down can be tough because you won’t take a step on level ground. It will seem like an endless series of stepping from rock to rock. It’s 1.5 miles down from the top and going down a trail like this can be surprisingly taxing. The Red Dot Trail will eventually split at a “y” near the bottom of the mountain. If you parked in the main lot, turn right, if you parked in the overflow lot, turn left and head back to your car. In either direction a series of steps on the unmarked connector I mentioned at the beginning will take you to the parking lot.
This is a great hike. You need to be up to it and prepared, but it is rewarding. The terrain, the views, the isolation, the wildlife is all there for you to experience. This is why you head into the woods. If there is any drawback to this hike, it’s that this can be a VERY popular spot in good weather. You can’t blame people for wanting to be here. Parking can be an issue, there will be a lot of people at the beginning of the hike along Dunnfield Creek (many swimming in the creek) and Sunfish Pond can even have a lot of people picnicking along the shores. However, once you turn onto the Turquoise Trail, you likely won’t see another person until you reach the Mount Tammany overlook. It’s hard to argue with anyone who calls this the best hike in the state. It’s at the top of my list and you should add it to your New Jersey hiking “bucket list”.
Yo Hike This! 