Issue #3 — Wednesday, May 13, 2026
A weekly pick of one family-friendly hike within a 2-hour drive of Hoboken — always with an "aha" worth the gas money.
You scramble up 1,250 feet of rocky red-blazed trail to a cliff edge where the Delaware River cuts a 1,200-foot-deep notch between Mount Tammany and Mount Minsi — one of the most dramatic geological features on the East Coast. From the exposed summit ledges at 1,527 feet, turkey vultures and bald eagles ride thermals at eye level, and the river bends silver through the gap far below. On a clear May morning, you can trace the Appalachian ridge north toward High Point and south into Pennsylvania farm country.
Geology, raptors, and a view that makes you forget you're 75 minutes from the Lincoln Tunnel. That's the bar.Park at the Dunnfield Creek Natural Area lot off I-80 West (take the last exit before the toll bridge into Pennsylvania — it's marked for the Appalachian Trail). The lot fills by 9 AM on weekends, and there's no overflow. From the lot, follow the flat gravel path along Dunnfield Creek for about a quarter mile, then hang a left at the red-blazed junction. This is where the climbing starts — and it doesn't stop.
The Red Dot Trail gains 1,250 feet in about 1.2 miles. It's steep, rocky, and in a few spots you're pulling yourself up with your hands. The first big payoff comes at about 0.8 miles — an exposed ledge with a jaw-dropping look straight down the Gap. The summit ridge arrives around 1.2 miles, with multiple cliff-edge viewpoints. Stay well back from the edge, especially with kids. There are no guardrails and the drops are hundreds of feet.
For the descent, continue along the ridge to the blue-blazed trail, which drops more gradually through forest back to Dunnfield Creek, then follows the creek back to the parking lot. The loop is gentler on the knees and far prettier than retracing the Red Dot. Total loop: about 3.5 miles.
Twenty minutes across the bridge into Pennsylvania, downtown Stroudsburg has a walkable Main Street with more character than you'd expect. Some easy hits:
Water (1.5L per person — more for hot days like this weekend), hiking boots or sturdy trail runners, sunscreen, hats, snacks, a basic first-aid kit, and binoculars if you have them (for the raptors). Download the trail map offline — cell service is spotty near the trailhead.