McDade Trail between the Bushkill Access and Bushkill Village 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 in Hialeah. Since this report is written from the perspective of traveling south from Bushkill Access to Bushkill Village, the accounting of the trail miles covered on the trip is in reverse order.
Trail Miles Covered: 9.9 to 8.2
Length: 1.7 miles
Difficulty: Easy with a few moderate hills
River Run Shuttle: Bushkill Access is a regular stop on the shuttle route. The bus can be flagged from the Bushkill Village parking lot.
If you plan to begin or end your trip on the McDade Trail at Bushkill Access, keep in mind that there is a parking fee from mid-April through early October. If you get dropped off or picked up, there is no charge as long as the vehicle you use does not park at the facility. Get the latest fees on the National Park Service’s official Fees and Passes web page for Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area.
Whether you are traveling north or south on the McDade Trail, when you get to Bushkill Access, the trail comes in at one end of a very long asphalt driveway, passes the Bushkill Access Boat Ramp, and continues out the other end. I was heading south, and this report is written from that perspective.
Ride or hike past the Bushkill Access Boat Ramp to continue on the McDade Trail, Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area
McDade Trail’s southern trailhead at Bushkill Access in Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area
Since passing Dingmans Ferry Campground, the McDade Trail has been fairly level. Things get a little hillier south of the boat ramp, but the few hill are no more than moderate in difficulty. Also unlike the previous segments of the trail, the terrain is almost entirely forested from Bushkill Access to Bushkill Village.
Typical terrain on the McDade Trail between the Bushkill Access and Bushkill Village trailheads in Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area
Roughly a mile and a half from Bushkill Access, the McDade Trail comes out on Federal Road and crosses over Bushkill Creek via the road bridge. You must travel on the road while crossing the bridge, but there is a pedestrian lane. (Note that the name Federal Road changes to Milford Road south of Bushkill Creek.)
Pedestrian lane along Federal Road where the McDade Trail crosses Bushkill Creek, Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area
On the other side of the bridge is an old gas station. The McDade Trail cuts behind it and shortly afterwards comes up on the backside of the Bushkill Village Trailhead parking lot, which is also the parking lot for the Bushkill Meeting Center on Milford Road. The actual McDade Trail does not enter the parking lot, so hikers and bikers must take a short connector from the parking lot to the trail.
Old gas station just north of the Bushkill Village Trailhead parking lot on Milford Road in Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area
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Last updated on February 10, 2024
