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 Reporter |
Summary: From trailhead, hike a tenth of a mile north. On the right hand side of the road, you will see a gate, and a trail going up. Climb the trail. The first area will be grassy, quickly followed by a young forest. This part of the trail will be marked by a green dot on a white rectangle mark on tree trunks. When you intersect with the orange rectangle marked trail, turn left onto it, until you climb to the Appalachian Trail intersection (AT is marked white rectangles). On the AT turn south (right), and on the next intersection, turn left into a trail that will border the pond, and will start to amaze you with how beautiful this area is. Keep walking. You will find a wood road where you turn right, and walk for a while until you join the Appalachian trail again, this time traveling north (right). Here is where you will truly enjoy the pond. There are several rocky overlooks to the left, where you might want to lunch. Reach orange trail, and retrace to car. Trailhead: Old Mine Road, on the NJ side of the Delaware Water Gap. Parking spot on the river side of the road, just south of the trailhead. PK Coordinates: 41.01748N, 75.07010W. Most direct route is on I80, just on the New Jersey side, there will be an exit to the recreation area. Take Old Mine Road North for 4.5 miles. Trailhead will be on your left. Alternatively, if you come from the north, it is 7 miles south of Millbrook.Trailhead is about a tenth of a mile north of the parking area. There is a metal gate in front of the trailhead. (Lat:41.01748 Lon:-75.0701) Trail Guides for Sunfish Pond - Delaware Water Gap: Appalachian Trail Guide to New York - New Jersey by Daniel Chazin (Appalachian Trail Conference) Best Seasons: Year-Round User Groups: Hikers, Dogs, Ranger Contact: Worthington state forest 973-841-9575, NPS DWGap - (570) 588-2435 Localhikes Reporter: This hike was submitted by Jose Anes, who has posted 25 other hikes on this site. To visit this reporters web site, click here. Trail Reviews Page 1 of 2 Submit your own review 
Reviewed by DD on 10/25/2010 Hiked the white blazed AT from Dunnfield to Sunfish Pond, then took the green blazed trail back down to make the loop. It was a beautiful day for a hike, crisp and cool in the morning and warming to mid 60's by afternoon. Both trails are VERY rocky. I'd estimate that on 60% of the hike you are walking on trails consisting of softball or better sized rocks. The AT section we climbed to the top does get steep in some sections, but isn't overbearing for anyone in decent condition. Sunfish Pond is beautiful, but I think we missed peak colors in the folliage by a couple of weeks. The fallen leaves made seeing the uneven rocky trail a little more challenging, leading to more that a few clumsy strides due to unsure footing. Well worth it though 
Reviewed by Kev on 9/4/2010 Hiking up to Sunfish pond is one of my favorite day hikes around the PA and NJ area. The view of the crystal clear glacial lake allows for a mental and physical break after a strenuous hike up 1400 vertical feet. The hike up is a great cardio workout as well as a peaceful getaway. Highly recommended for a day getaway trip. 
Reviewed by Josh on 3/21/2010 The hike itself was nice. I think the views of Sunfish Pond are overrated. If I were to do the hike again, it would definitely be in early-mid October.
Reviewed by joe on 6/18/2009 Hiking from old mine road is steep and taxing. Once there sunfish pond is beautiful when spring mountain laurels bloom. The fragrance is intoxicating. As previous comments suggest it is a one time only experience unless you own a helicopter.
Reviewed by SalC on 9/8/2008 This is a beautiful hike along side dunnfield creek to top of tammany hill. Sunfish pond is CLEAR and cool, no garbage in the pond. I met up with a couple of appalacian trail hikers, one who was about sixty and using metal crutches to hike. He looked like he was thirty years old. Because of the difficulty (for first timers) not many hike up to the pond, which is good. Last time I hiked this trail was about five years ago.
Reviewed by missy on 4/1/2008 This was my first time on a "real" hike and loved it! First 1/2 mile a bit hard until your body loosens up, but the pond was worth it. You need to have a good pair of shoes with hard soles, no sneakers. We followed the light blue trail back down and thought that was fun, crossing over the creek a few times and the water falls were nice surprises along the way.
Reviewed by Mike on 9/6/2007 I hiked the Appalachian trail from the Dunnfield Parking Area to Sunfish Pond and back. The trail was scenic, but I found the rocky uphill conditions to be very challenging. As a novice hiker, I made the mistake of wearing sneakers rather than hiking boots. This trail requires boots! Even wearing sneakers, I managed to complete the round trip in just over 3.5 hours, which included 30 minutes of sightseeing around Sunfish Pond. The water was extremely clean, and the pond was beautiful. I highly recommend the effort.
Reviewed by Ann on 8/20/2007 As a beginner I was a bit challenged with the rockiness of the trail up to Sunfish Pond. The Scenery was great but I thought I really had to pay attention to stepping or twist my ankle. Wear good hiking shoes. On the way back we took the green path (yes I wimped out!) I have to say, The beauty and richness of this trail topped going up and was just breathtaking! Really incredible. Small waterfalls and tiny pools to cool yourself. I'm going back in two weeks and can't wait! Notice: Traveling in the backcountry can be hazardous. You are responsible for informing yourself about these hazards and taking necessary precautions. Information on this web site comes from volunteer reporters and may contain errors or omissions. A current guidebook and proper equipment are essential for safe enjoyment of the hikes posted on this site. Keys: New Jersey Hiking, New Jersey Trails, New Jersey Hikes, Bergen County Hiking, Bergen County Trails, Bergen County Hikes | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
