Sport & Outdoor
Outdoor AdventureAdventure Sports
$25–$50Canoe, kayak, and raft rentals for trips down the Delaware River in the Poconos.
Photo: Mike Serfas, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons. Cropped and resized.
Sport & OutdoorOutdoor AdventureFamily FavoriteFree
Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area
Kittatinny Point, off I-80 at the Water Gap · Columbia, NJ
Why you should go…
This National Park Service area protects 40 miles of the Delaware River along the New Jersey and Pennsylvania border, including the gap the river cut through the Kittatinny ridge. You can canoe or kayak the river, fish, and hike trails to Mount Tammany, Dingmans Falls and Raymondskill Falls, which drops about 150 feet. A section of the Appalachian Trail runs through the park. There is no entrance fee, though a few sites charge a per-vehicle amenity fee.
- #national recreation area
- #waterfalls
- #kayaking
- #hiking
- #appalachian trail
Good to know
General sport & outdoor guidance
Habits that pay off across this whole category, not rules for this one venue. Always check the official site for the specifics.
Weather calls the shots
Check the forecast the morning of and keep an indoor backup in your pocket for the day it turns.
Shoes, water, sun cover
The three things that decide whether you last the whole outing or cut it short after an hour.
Parking and launches fill early
On a nice weekend, lots and trailheads are often full by mid-morning.
Daylight shrinks in shoulder season
Spring and fall visits need an earlier start than the same trip in July.
What's around here?
The closest stops to Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area, ordered by straight-line distance. A few more like it, plus some different kinds of fun so you can build a full day.
3.7 mi awayMore like this
- SightseeingLocal Gem
Pocono Mountains Visitors Bureau
FreeRegional tourism office for the Pocono Mountains with trip-planning help and visitor guides.
3.9 mi awaySwitch it up: Sightseeing
- Sport & OutdoorOutdoor Adventure
Bushkill Falls
Under $25Walk boardwalks, bridges and forest trails past eight waterfalls in the Pocono Mountains.
12 mi awayMore like this
- Sport & OutdoorOutdoor Adventure
High Point State Park
Under $25Climb to New Jersey's highest point, where a 220-foot obelisk looks out over three states and the Delaware Water Gap.
34 mi awayMore like this
- SightseeingHistory Buff
Morristown National Historical Park
FreeTour Washington's headquarters at the Ford Mansion and walk the soldier hut sites of the 1779-80 winter encampment.
37 mi awaySwitch it up: Sightseeing
- SightseeingHistory Buff
Passaic County Department of Cultural & Historic Affairs
FreeCounty agency promoting Passaic County's historic sites, including Lambert Castle and the Dey Mansion.
47 mi awaySwitch it up: Sightseeing
