Basecamp: Mohican Outdoor Center
- Hike the Appalachian Trail
- Volunteer for a family-friendly weekend trail crew
- Paddling and swimming on the Delaware River
- Bike the Paulinskill Valley Rail Trail or tour the Water Gap
- Fishing and paddling on Catfish Pond
- Cast flies for trout at Flatbrook and the Paulinskill River
- Rock climbing in the Delaware Water Gap
- Visit the Lakota Wolf Preserve and Historic Millbrook Village
Located in the 70,000-acre Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area, Mohican Outdoor Center is a great do-it-yourself destination for exploring this jewel of wilderness outside the urban areas of New York and New Jersey. This summer, the lodge is hosting volunteer-led, themed "Weekend Getaways."
1. Hike the Appalachian Trail
Mohican is an ideal jumping off point for a number of Appalachian Trail hikes.
Coppermine Trail
For an easier, family-friendly hike past the local waterfalls down to the Delaware River, take the Coppermine Trail off of the Appalachian Trail. Go two miles past the Coppermine Falls and down to the river, where you can see the remains of abandoned mines that date back to the eighteenth century. The trek is four miles roundtrip, with an elevation change of approximately 700 feet.
Kittatinny Ridge
For a moderate hike, stay on the Appalachian Trail going south along the Kittatinny Ridge until you get to the famed Raccoon Ridge, a peak in the Kittatinny Mountains with outstanding views of the New Jersey Highlands to the east and the Delaware River and Pocono Mountains to the west. This hike is suitable for both adults and children, with an approximate hiking time of 4 ½ to 5 hours. See AMC's Trip Planner for more information about this hike.
Circuit
For those hiking north on the Appalachian Trail, take the 5.8-mile loop trail out past Catfish Fire Tower and make the trip back to Mohican Outdoor Center on the Rattlesnake Swamp Trail, passing by Catfish Pond. If you've got less time, take the shorter 2.9-mile loop.
2. Volunteer for a family-friendly weekend trail crew
Make a meaningful contribution as a family this summer and learn new skills in scenic mountain settings as part of a weekend-long trail crew at Mohican Outdoor Center. Parents work cooperatively with their children and other volunteers on trail crews clearing new growth and fallen trees, cleaning drains, and helping with other maintenance tasks on the trails near Mohican Outdoor Center.
3. Paddling and swimming on the Delaware River
Summer is a peak time for paddling adventures. Moderate to flat-water makes for excellent beginner and family rafting, canoeing, and kayaking on the Delaware River. If you go, Kittatinny Canoes in Dingman’s Ferry and the Pack Shack Adventures are just 15 miles away in the town of Delaware Water Gap and offer rentals, guided trips, and transport to points north where the river is more narrow and challenging for experienced paddlers.
If you are up for a swim on the Delaware River, the Delaware National Recreation Area staffs Smithfield Beach in Pennsylvania, as well as some other beaches.
4. Bike the Paulinskill Valley Rail Trail or tour the Water Gap
Whether you are looking to go off-roading or stick to the pavement, there is a variety of terrain for bikers to check out in close proximity to Mohican Outdoor Center. Weaving through hardwood forests and farmland, northwestern New Jersey’s 27-mile Paulinskill Valley Rail Trail transports naturalists and ambitious fat-tire riders back in time. Located a few miles from the Appalachian Trail and Mohican Outdoor Center, the trail meanders past remnants of abandoned railroad stations and old logging roads, crossing the Paulinskill River at multiple points along the way. Once used to haul agricultural products and Pennsylvania coal, the trail now alternates between sections of challenging singletrack and pavement (to recover on) in Kittatinny Valley State Park.
Excerpted from July/August 2005 AMC Outdoors article "Paths of Least Resistance."
The Old Mine Road might be the oldest road in the United States, but nobody seems quite sure enough to state so definitively. In New Jersey's quietest corner, the road splits the Delaware Water Gap for 33 miles. With traffic almost exclusively limited to the hikers, campers, and anglers who seek haven within the 77,000-acre area, the Old Mine Road is a popular destination for cyclists.
Excerpted from August 2010 AMC Outdoors article, "Cycling New Jersey's Old Mine Road."
5. Fishing and paddling on Catfish Pond
Just a half mile north on Camp Road past the main lodge at Mohican Outdoor Center, you'll find Catfish Pond--home to perch, bass, sunfish...and catfish! Canoes and kayaks are available to cast your line offshore, or take a quiet flat-water paddling trip with the family.
6. Cast flies for trout at Flatbrook and the Paulinskill River
Slip on your waders and go stream fly-fishing in the Flatbrook, located about 5 miles away from Mohican Outdoor Center, or head to the Paulinskill River, which runs through Blairstown. Both are well known for trout fishing.
7. Rock climbing in the Delaware Water Gap
With over 200 rock-climbing routes, the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area is an ideal training ground for novices, plus it has its share of more challenging climbs for experienced climbing buffs. Climbers flock to Rick’s Rocks, just three miles from Mohican Outdoor Center on Route 602 at the Appalachian Trail in New Jersey, and to the head wall of the Delaware Water Gap, about 10 miles south of the lodge.
8. Visit the Lakota Wolf Preserve and Historic Millbrook Village
Open year-round, the Lakota Wolf Preserve in the mountains of the Delaware Water Gap is home to packs of Tundra, Timber, and Arctic wolves, as well as bobcats and foxes. View four packs of wolves in a natural surrounding and learn about the social structure of wolf packs, their eating habits, and interactions with humans. The preserve is located about eight miles south of Mohican Outdoor Center.
Four miles away from Mohican Outdoor Center in the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area, you’ll find Millbrook Village, a re-creation of a nineteenth century farming village. Come in late spring and visitors can take a self-guided walking tour, plus artisans demonstrate historic crafts on the weekends. If you’re up for a moderately difficult half-day hike, there's a 5.1-mile loop hike that begins and ends at Millbrook Village.
