Sunday, January 12, 2025

Delaware Water Gap NRA, NJ - Van Campens Glen with Coventry Pond, Cutoff Road and Seasonally Closed Old Mine Road

ABOUT THE PARK:
Millbrook Village - National Park Service
Old Mine Road - National Park Service
Van Campens Glen - National Park Service
Coventry Pond - National Park Service
Seasonal Road Closures - National Park Service

DIRECTIONS:
GPS Coordinates 41.07386, -74.96322
Parking at Millbrook Village

TRAIL MAP: 
Delaware Water Gap & Kittatinny Trails Map 121 - New York New Jersey Trail Conference


HIKE DISTANCE:  7.7 miles

THE HIKE: 
I have hiked this area several times but there were still a couple of trails I had not yet hiked that I wanted to incorporate using Old Mine Road which is closed to traffic in the winter.
Starting through Millbrook Village, turning right at the intersection up ahead ...
... then left on Millbrook Road.
Van Campens Brook
Shortly after crossing over Van Campens Brook, left ...
... on the Coventry Pond Trail.
There are nice views of Van Campens Brook with the Donkey Hollow Trail
Coming up on ...
Coventry Pond
There are footpaths to the left and right leading partially around Coventry Pond.
Heading back.
Turning left into Millbrook Village.
The trail is closed for Watergate restoration much closer in than it was a couple of years ago when I was here.  So we cut over to ...
... Old Mine Road and turned left.
The footprints are mostly from the previous day.  One set probably belonged to the one hiker I ran into later on.  There were lots of interesting animal prints also.  I think I saw bobcat, fox, raccoon, squirrel, mouse, rabbit and deer prints.
It is very pretty and peaceful.  Love that there is no traffic.
This is where most of the footprints leave Old Mine Road - the Upper Glen entrance.
We continued on to the Lower Glen entrance so we could hike back upstream.  Only two sets of footprints had done likewise the day before.
Turning left into the Lower Glen area.
The parking lot was covered with animal prints.  They must be having some celebration party with no cars and people coming and going.
We ran into one other hiker coming out as we were going in.  That was it for the entire hike.  This place is insanely packed in the summer.  Winter is the time to go when it is quiet and peaceful!
There were some patches of ice but not enough for spikes so we just had to be very careful.
At the T-intersection going left would lead back to Old Mine Road and where all of the footprints were headed.  But I wanted to try the old abandoned Cutoff Road to the right.
There was one set of footprints that came and went so that led me to believe the trail was clear enough to hike.  Looking at the other end in Google Earth it is completely overgrown so maybe it would be OK in the winter.  It was.
There was one obliterated section early on but there was a very clear alternate path to the right.
Back on the old abandoned road.  There is old asphalt under the snow.
This comes out at Millbrook Road where we turned left.
There isn't any room to walk off the road for the 3/4 mile road walk but I figured with Old Mine Road closed there would not be much traffic.  Only one car passed us.
Power cut views.
Back at Millbrook Village, we turned left at the wooden guardrails to see where that went.
It follows Van Campen Brook along the back side of Millbrook Village and ends here.
Heading back.
Back through Millbrook Village ...
... to the parking lot.

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