Flat terrain on the McDade Trail between the Owens and Turn Farm trailheads in Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area
Note: There are mile marker posts along the McDade Trail just as there are along a highway. Trail miles are counted south to north, with Mile 0 being at the southern trailhead at Hialeah. Since this report is written from the perspective of traveling south from the Owens Trailhead to the Turn Farm Trailhead, the accounting of the trail miles covered on the trip is in reverse order.
Trail Miles Covered: 5.5 to 4.6
Length: .9 mile (McDade Trail only) or 1.2 mile (from parking lot to parking lot)
Difficulty: Easy
River Run Shuttle: The shuttle does not stop at either trailhead.
The Owens Trailhead parking lot is located at the bottom of the longest hill on the McDade Trail. If you are heading north from here, you have quite a climb. However, if you are heading south, you now have roughly four miles of fairly level trail. The general trajectory is downhill, but you will be descending so gradually that you’ll barely notice it.
At the southern end of the Owens Trailhead parking lot, a hikers-only trail forks off from the road to the right, keeping those on foot out of traffic. Bikers must stick to the road, which almost immediately dead ends into another one, Freeman Tract Road. Take a right.
McDade Trail at the southern end of the Owens Trailhead parking area, Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area
Freeman Track Road heads up a mild hill for about 200 feet before coming to where the McDade Trail splits off to the left (hikers rejoin the trail at this point). Freeman Track Road continues on and eventually merges with River Road, which is the road on which the Turn Farm Trailhead parking lot is located.
McDade Trail follows Freeman Tract Road just south of the Owens Trailhead in Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area
Split of the McDade Trail and Freeman Tract Road just south of the Owens Trailhead, Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area
Most of the McDade Trail between Owens and Turn Farm is as flat as a pancake. It runs right along the Delaware River, though there are not many clear views of the water due to the trees and other vegetation that stand between the river and the trail.
Flat terrain on the McDade Trail between the Owens and Turn Farm trailheads, Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area
Glimpse of the Delaware River from the McDade Trail between the Owens and Turn Farm trailheads, Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area
The Turn Farm Trailhead parking lot is not on the McDade Trail but is instead reached via a .3-mile connector to River Road. There is a restroom at Turn Farm, but unless you need to use it or parked there, just keep traveling south on the McDade Trail. There is a directional sign at the intersection. Though I didn’t take the connector, I know that it is uphill all the way, climbing 100 feet over the course of its .3 mile run (6% grade, a mild hill).
Intersection of the McDade Trail and the connector to the Turn Farm Trailhead parking area, Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area
The distance from the Owens Trailhead to the Turn Farm Trailhead connector is .9 mile. The National Park Service lists the distance as 1.2 mile, but that’s if you actually travel all the way to the parking lot.
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Last updated on January 23, 2024
