Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area
Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area is a 70,000-acre (28,000 ha) national recreation area administered by the National Park Service in northwest New Jersey and northeast Pennsylvania. It is centered around a 40-mile (64 km) stretch of the Delaware River designated the Middle Delaware National Scenic River. At the area's southern end lays the Delaware Water Gap, a dramatic mountain pass where the river cuts between Blue Mountain and Kittatinny Mountain.
Silver Thread Falls, the smaller waterfall at Dingman's Falls site, near Dingman's Ferry, Pennsylvania, June 2006
Canoe at Poxono Access
"The Gap" as seen from the Delaware River Viaduct
The Water Gap depicted in 1830
A national recreation area (NRA) is a protected area in the United States established by an Act of Congress to preserve enhanced recreational opportunities in places with significant natural and scenic resources. There are 40 NRAs, which emphasize a variety of activities for visitors, including hiking, camping, boating, fishing, swimming, biking, horseback riding, and wildlife viewing, in areas that include multiple-use management for both conservation and limited utilization of natural resources. They have diverse features and contexts, being established around reservoirs, in urban areas, and within forests. Due to their size, diversity of activities, and proximity to population centers, NRAs are among the most visited units of the National Park System, with six among the thirty most visited sites.
East entry sign for the Ross Lake National Recreation Area in Washington
Hoover Dam and Lake Mead between Nevada and Arizona
Image: Fall at Allegheny Reservoir
Image: 3 Aerial Amistad