Trailhead for the Kaiser Trail at the intersection with the Appalachian Trail in Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area

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Mohican Outdoor Center Area Trails Home Page

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Length:  2.1 miles, one way
Time:  1 hour
Difficulty:  Moderate

The Kaiser Trail in Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area is an out-and-back trail that runs between Old Mine Road near Turtle Beach and the Appalachian Trail. If starting from Old Mine Road, the hike is uphill nearly all the way, and of course downhill all the way if starting from the Appalachian Trail. However, most of the hike is nothing more than a long, gradual descent / ascent, depending on where you start, with average grades of between 10% and 15% (strenuous hiking begins at 15%). The National Park Service rates part of the trail as strenuous, but even being an old guy, I never found any part of it beyond moderate in difficulty.

The Kaiser Trail has its own parking area along Old Mine Road that can hold perhaps a half dozen vehicles. The trail is on the opposite side of the road and is gated to keep vehicles off of it (hikers can get around the gate). There is no sign on the road identifying the trail or the parking lot, so you have to know where it is. If you are using Google Maps for directions, search “Turtle Beach New Jersey.” The trailhead is less than a quarter mile south of the beach entrance.

Roadside parking area on Old Mine Road for the Kaiser Trail in Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area

Old Mine Road trailhead for the Kaiser Trail in Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area

Nobody in their right mind is going to hike out and back on the Kaiser Trail. The more sensible approach is to make a loop that also utilizes the Appalachian Trail and the Coppermine Trail, a hike of about 6.5 miles. When starting on the Kaiser Trail, the general trajectory of the loop hike is uphill on the Kaiser Trail, level along the Appalachian Trail, and downhill on the Coppermine Trail, which is similar to the Kaiser Trail in difficulty. I did this loop but in reverse, starting on the Coppermine Trail, so I came down the Kaiser Trail from the Appalachian Trail intersection. This report is written from that perspective. For information on the other trails, see the Coppermine Trail and Appalachian Trail: Coppermine to Kaiser Trails reports.

Map of trails near the Mohican Outdoor Center at Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area

The hike down from the Appalachian Trail starts off with a nice view of the Lower Yards Creek Reservoir. Of course, with a view like this, you have to be at the top of a mountain. Now it’s time to head back down to Old Mine Road on the Kaiser Trail.

View of the Lower Yards Creek Reservoir from the intersection of the Appalachian and Kaiser trails in Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area

The Kaiser Trail starts off as a wide path that follows a ridge with steep slopes on either side. There are some rocks on the trail at the start, but the surface is smooth compared to the Appalachian Trail. However, don’t breathe a sigh of relief yet, because the rocks get worse and worse as you proceed down the mountain.

Typical terrain on the Kaiser Trail near its intersection with the Appalachian Trail, Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area

There are short segments on the Kaiser Trail with grades steeper than 10%, and you’ll find more rocks on these sections due to the fact that the topsoil tends to get washed away by rainwater that flows downhill along the trail.

Rocky terrain on the Kaiser Trail in Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area

A little more than a half mile from the start, the trail narrows considerably and basically becomes a gully. It had been raining hard the day before my hike, and now water was running right down the trail…I mean gully. Needless to say, things can get quite muddy. I ran into a problem with water on the Coppermine Trail as well, so you might want to avoid these trails after rain storms.

Gully-like terrain on the Kaiser Trail a half mile from the Appalachian Trail, Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area

Water running down the Kaiser Trail on its upper end near the Appalachia Trail, Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area

A mile from the start is the intersection with a connector to the Coppermine Trail (there are two such connectors, this is the upper one). If you start the hike on the Kaiser Trail at Old Mine Road and want to make a shorter loop, this is where you could cut over to the Coppermine Trail instead of hiking all the way to the Appalachian Trail. The connector is a little less than .2 mile long and covers fairly level terrain. However, there are three creeks that you must cross on stepping stones, so your shoes might get wet if the water is high.

One of three creek crossings on the upper connector between the Coppermine and Kaiser trails in Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area

The distance between the upper and lower connector trails is .6 mile. The hike is downhill at a mild pace along a rocky surface for the majority of this distance, but it does level out just before the lower connector.

Typical terrain on the Kaiser Trail between the two connectors to the Coppermine Trail, Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area

The lower Coppermine connector is .4 mile long. This is ultimately where I had to turn in order to get back to my vehicle on Old Mine Road at the trailhead for the Coppermine Trail. If you hike the loop the way I did and turn at the connector, expect a level trail for about a tenth of a mile before heading steeply downhill (23% average grade) all the way to the Coppermine Trail. This is without a doubt the steepest hill on the entire loop hike, plus it is full of rocks.

Southern end of the lower connector trail between the Kaiser and Coppermine trails in Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area

For purposes of writing this trail report, I continued to the start of the Kaiser Trail on Old Mine Road, which is just a half mile away. Within shouting distance of the connector is a creek crossing and a picturesque cascade of water.

Cascade near the intersection of the Kaiser Trail and the lower connector to the Coppermine Trail, Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area

For the first tenth of a mile past the lower connector, the Kaiser Trail is level and largely free of encumbering rocks. However, after that and continuing for about two tenths of a mile, things take a turn for the worse. First off, the hike from here to Old Mine Road has an average downhill grade of 15%, making it the steepest section of the Kaiser Trail. Second, the trail turns into another gully—signs of erosion—and is once again full of rocks. And to make matters worse when I did the hike, there was water streaming down the gully. Needless to say, it was a mess. Parts of it didn’t even look like a trail.

Rugged terrain on the Kaiser Trail a quarter mile from the Old Mine Road trailhead, Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area

The last tenth of a mile of the Kaiser Trail is in much better shape. It is a wide trail once again. If you remember, there was a gate at the trailhead on Old Mine Road to block vehicle traffic, so most likely it was a former road.

Terrain near the start of the Kaiser Trail at Old Mine Road, Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area

There is nothing particularly compelling about a hike on the Kaiser Trail, and as I said, if it’s been raining you should avoid the entire area. However, it is good exercise when hiked as part of the overall loop.

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