Hemlock Pond in Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area

---

Blue Mountain Lake Area Trails Home Page

---

• Length: 1-mile loop, though it is a .8 mile hike (one way) from the Crater Lake parking lot to reach the starting point
• Time: 2 hours round trip
• Difficulty: Hemlock Pond Trail is easy, but the connector trail is moderate to strenuous

The Hemlock Pond Trail in Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area can only be reached by first hiking partway on either the Crater Lake Trail or the Outer Blue Mountain Lake Trail. Whichever one you choose, be sure to combine both trails into a loop hike. I started from Crater Lake, which is the quickest way to get to Hemlock Pond. A loop with these two trails is approximately 3.5 miles long.

Crater Lake is located in New Jersey a few miles south of Walpack Center at the end of Skyline Drive. If you are using Google Maps for driving directions, search “Crater Lake Walpack Township.” Be aware that Skyline Drive is closed from Friday evenings at 8 PM until Mondays at noon starting in late May and continuing through the first weekend in October. I have no idea why it is closed on weekends when most people would want to visit, but that’s the situation.

If you are navigating with the trail map in the Guide to the Gap, the free publication given out by the National Park Service, you are bound to get confused due to the map’s lack of details and inaccuracies. Most hiking apps for a phone have better maps, though what shows up in the way of actual trails varies depending on the app. I use a dedicated GPS unit and a hiking app on my phone, and neither shows the same trails, but both are far better than the map in the brochure.

Corrected trail map for the Blue Mountain Lake area of Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area (click to enlarge)

The route of the Hemlock Pond Trail is marked with green blazes. These are paint splotches on trees that serve as Hansel and Gretel breadcrumbs. They come in handy on the trails in this area due to the numerous unmarked and unmapped intersections.

The quickest way to get to the Hemlock Pond Trail from the Crater Lake Parking Lot is to take the dirt road across from the restroom building. This sets you off hiking on the northeast side of the Crater Lake Trail in the counterclockwise direction. It is roughly .4 mile to the start of a connecter to the Hemlock Pond Trail. This is the way I did the hike, and this report is written from that perspective.

Start of the Crater Lake Trail in Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area

The first tenth of a mile around Crater Lake is on the dirt road. This stretch consists of hiking up and over a fairly steep hill, plus there is a lot of loose gravel on the road. This doesn’t mean much when hiking uphill, but on the downhill side, be aware that it is often like walking on marbles, and it is easy to slip.

Dirt road segment at the start of the Crater Lake Trail in Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area

After a tenth of a mile, there is an unmarked intersection and no directional signage to guide you. The road continues to the right and heads towards the Buttermilk Falls Trail, paralleling the Appalachian Trail. I had hiked from Buttermilk Falls to the Crater Lake Parking Lot, and this road was blocked off on the Buttermilk Falls end. It shows up on all hiking apps, but it has been deleted from the National Park Service map, so obviously the government doesn’t want you going that way—perhaps there is a secret military base down there. Anyway, take a left at the fork onto the narrower hiking trail to remain on the Crater Lake Trail.

Stay left to remain on the Crater Lake Trail when it splits from the dirt road, Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area

Typical terrain on the northeast side of the Crater Lake Trail in Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area

The narrow trail soon widens, and tire tracks worn into the ground indicate that it was once a road. This is a nice section of trail, though it does head uphill at a moderate pace.

Wide section of trail on the northeast side of the Crater Lake Trail in Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area

Just past the section of trail lined with rocks (photo above) is another unmarked intersection and no indication of which way to go. There are two orange blazes (blaze color of the Crater Lake Trail) that stairstep to the right on a tree in the middle of the intersection. Two blazes indicate a turn, and the direction of the stairsteps indicates which way to turn. Thus, stay to the right and continue up the hill to remain on the Crater Lake Trail.

Second unmarked intersection on the Crater Lake Trail in Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area

A tenth of a mile past the last intersection, about .4 mile from the parking lot, is a triangular intersection with a pile of boulders in the middle. If you are hiking the Crater Lake Trail, stay to the left. A right is the connector to the Hemlock Pond Trail. As a bonus, it is also the Appalachian Trail. If you haven’t yet set foot on this internationally-known trail, you can now brag to your friends that you hiked part of it.

Three-way intersection with the Crater Lake and Appalachian trails, Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area

You only get to stay on the Appalachian Trail for about a hundred yards—your friends don’t need to know—because at the top of the hill the connector to the Hemlock Pond Trail turns to the left and the Appalachian Trail forks off to the right and continues northeast through Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area, exiting the park near Walpack Center. Notice that the connector is marked with orange and green blazes, which indicates that it is associated with both the Crater Lake and Hemlock Pond trails.

Connector trail between the Hemlock and Crater Lake trails, Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area

The connector trail is downhill nearly all the way, and much of the descent is quite steep. There are four downhill segments, each separated by a very short level or uphill climb. All segments have an average grade of between 15% and 25% (15% is considered the start of strenuous hiking). And remember, you must hike back up the connector on the return trip.

Right off the bat is a rock slab, and since no path has been worn into the ground, it’s hard to figure out which way the trail goes, particularly since possible paths appear to branch off in two directions. However, if you look carefully to the left, you will see a blaze on the tree.

Rock slab at the start of the Crater Lake-Hemlock Pond connector trail, Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area

The rest of the connector trail is easy to follow, but it is littered with rocks, making progress without twisting an ankle quite slow.

Extreme rocky terrain on the Crater Lake-Hemlock Pond connector trail, Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area

A third of a mile down is the first of two back-to-back unmarked intersections with no directional signage. Here you must rely on the blazes. The first intersection is marked with a double blaze to the right. Where a left leads to, I am not sure, but I believe it connects to the Outer Blue Mountain Lake Trail. The second intersection has a double blaze to the left. I have no idea where a right leads to. Neither of my two GPS units show this intersection. If it weren’t for the blazes, I might still be standing there wondering which way to go.

Rely on the blazes to find your way on the Crater Lake-Hemlock Pond connector trail, Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area

The Hemlock Pond Trail is just around the corner from the second intersection, .8 mile from the parking lot. The connector trail dead ends into it, and you can see Hemlock Pond through the trees. Being a loop, you can go around the pond either way. I took a right and hiked in the counterclockwise direction.

Intersection of the Hemlock Pond Trail and the Crater Lake-Hemlock Pond connector trail, Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area

The Hemlock Pond Trail is an old road, so it is wide and quite smooth, much more pleasurable to hike than the connector trail. However, despite circling a pond, which is obviously flat, the trail is still hilly. This is because it goes nowhere near the pond and instead follows a ridge above it. In fact, the only view of the pond on the entire hike is at the dam at the far end. So much for a scenic pond trail.

Typical terrain of the Hemlock Pond Trail in Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area

After .4 mile, the Hemlock Pond Trail dead ends into Woods Road (aka Woods Trail). Take a left at the intersection. At this point the trail and the road are one in the same.

Woods Road segment of the Hemlock Pond Trail at Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area

As mentioned, the only view of Hemlock Pond is at the dam, which the trail crosses over. Once turning on Woods Road, the dam is less than a tenth of a mile away.

Hemlock Pond in Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area

Dam at Hemlock Pond in Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area

Just around the corner from the dam is the first intersection with the Outer Blue Mountain Lake Trail, which is marked with blue blazes. Stay to the left to continue around Hemlock Pond. Notice that the blazes are now blue and green, for this is another shared trail segment.

On its south side, the Hemlock Pond Trail the Blue Mountain Lake Trail are one in the same, Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area

The trail remains a wide former road, and as was the case on the other side of the pond, the terrain is hilly. There is one hill to climb up and over, though the average grade is only around 10%, not easy but not moderate either. At the bottom is the second intersection with the Outer Blue Mountain Lake Trail. This comes a quarter mile from the previous intersection. Double blue blazes stairstep to the right, so stay straight to remain on the Hemlock Pond Trail.

Southwest intersection of the Hemlock Pond and Blue Mountain Lake trails, Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area

In another tenth of a mile, you’ll be back at the connector trail to Crater Lake. Enjoy your hike up the steep and rocky hill. Total distance around the loop is 1 mile. Total distance to and from the parking lot without hiking around Crater Lake is 2.6 miles. And as mentioned earlier, if you hike around Crater Lake on the way back, you’ll end up covering about 3.5 miles.

Back to the Top