Worthington State Forest is a

state forest A state forest or national forest is a forest that is administered or protected by some agency of a sovereign or federated state, or territory. Background The precise application of the terms vary by jurisdiction. For example: * In Australia, a ...

located in

Warren County Warren County is the name of fourteen counties in the USA. Some are named after General Joseph Warren, who was killed in the Battle of Bunker Hill in the American Revolutionary War: * Warren County, Georgia * Warren County, Illinois * Warren County ...

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

within the

Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area is a national recreation area administered by the National Park Service in northwest New Jersey and northeast Pennsylvania. It is centered around a stretch of the Delaware River designated the Middl ...

, just north of the

water gap A water gap is a gap that flowing water has carved through a mountain range or mountain ridge and that still carries water today. Such gaps that no longer carry water currents are called wind gaps. Water gaps and wind gaps often offer a prac ...

in the Skylands Region of the state. It covers an area of and stretches for more than along the Kittatinny Ridge near Columbia. The park offers

hiking Hiking is a long, vigorous walk, usually on trails or footpaths in the countryside. Walking for pleasure developed in Europe during the eighteenth century.AMATO, JOSEPH A. "Mind over Foot: Romantic Walking and Rambling." In ''On Foot: A Histor ...

camping Camping is an outdoor activity involving overnight stays away from home, either without shelter or using basic shelter such as a tent, or a recreational vehicle. Typically, participants leave developed areas to spend time outdoors in more na ...

(including a hike-in, primitive area) and canoeing and kayaking on the Delaware River. There are nearly of

hiking trail A trail, also known as a path or track, is an unpaved lane or small road usually passing through a natural area. In the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland, a path or footpath is the preferred term for a pedestrian or hiking trail. The ...

s within the park, including of the

Appalachian Trail The Appalachian Trail (also called the A.T.), is a hiking trail in the Eastern United States, extending almost between Springer Mountain in Georgia and Mount Katahdin in Maine, and passing through 14 states.Gailey, Chris (2006)"Appalachian ...

, which passes through the park. The park is operated and maintained by the

New Jersey Division of Parks and Forestry In the state of New Jersey, the New Jersey Division of Parks and Forestry is an administrative division of the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection. In its most visible role, the Division is directly responsible for the management and ...

History

The forest is named after Charles Campbell Worthington, who, throughout the late 1800s, purchased of land of both sides of the river, including parts of

Mount Tammany Mount Tammany is the southernmost peak of the Kittatinny Mountains, in Knowlton Township, Warren County, New Jersey, United States. It is tall, and forms the east side of the Delaware Water Gap. Across the Gap is Mount Minsi, on the Pennsylvani ...

. His intent was to create one of the premier deer hunting preserves in the county. He would name this estate Buckwood Park. He built Buckwood Lodge, a small mansion on the side of Kittatinny Ridge, between the river and Sunfish Pond, a small lake higher up the ridge covering . Worthington gave Sunfish Pond the name of Buckwood Lake, and used it as a water supply for his lodge. The

Old Mine Road Old Mine Road is a road in New Jersey and New York said to be one of the oldest continuously used roads in the United States of America. At a length of , it stretches from the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area to the vicinity of Kings ...

, one of the earliest roads in the area, runs along the Delaware; it was used for transporting copper and slate from nearby mines and quarries, and is believed to have originally been a Native American trail that saw use by

fur traders The fur trade is a worldwide industry dealing in the acquisition and sale of animal fur. Since the establishment of a world fur market in the early modern period, furs of boreal, polar and cold temperate mammalian animals have been the mo ...

and

Dutch Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People E ...

settlers.

Area

The forest includes the Dunnfield Creek Natural Area; the creek is designated a wild

trout Trout are species of freshwater fish belonging to the genera '' Oncorhynchus'', '' Salmo'' and '' Salvelinus'', all of the subfamily Salmoninae of the family Salmonidae. The word ''trout'' is also used as part of the name of some non-salm ...

stream. The Sunfish Pond Natural Area consists of a glacial lake and the surrounding

chestnut oak ''Quercus montana'', the chestnut oak, is a species of oak in the white oak group, ''Quercus'' sect. ''Quercus''. It is native to the eastern United States, where it is one of the most important ridgetop trees from southern Maine southwest ...

forest, and can be reached by a steep and rocky climb along the

. At , Mount Tammany offers a view of the Delaware Water Gap.Caldwell, David
"Falling (Literally) For Mount Tammany"
'' New Jersey Monthly'', September 11, 2012. Accessed June 30, 2022. "To really enjoy Mount Tammany—the rocky hump on the New Jersey side of the Delaware Water Gap—you have to climb it.... Although you are a mere 1,527 feet above it all, you feel on top of the world."

References

External links

New Jersey Skylands - area history

NY-NJTC: Worthington State Forest
{{commons category Delaware Water Gap New Jersey state forests Protected areas of Warren County, New Jersey State forests of the Appalachians

History

Area

See also

References

External links