Coppermine Trail

Dogs No Dogs

Features Birding · Fall Colors · River/Creek

Lace up your adventure shoes as you prepare to climb the Coppermine Trail and experience its diverse habitats and history.

Starting at the roadside parking area off Old Mine Road, climb through mixed hardwood forests flush with white oak, red maple, and shagbark hickory. After passing the Lower Kaiser Spur Trail on your right, ascend steeply into one of the Delaware Water Gap's most distinctive ecosystems: the hemlock ravine.

Often housing some of the oldest trees in the park, hemlock ravines thrive through out-competing other, usually deciduous tree species for sunlight. Through their tightly bunched crowns, eastern hemlocks provide an incredibly shady, moist environment for the understory. As a result, the understory can only support the few plant species that thrive in these conditions. The most tolerant of these plant species is the fern, of which there are over 70 different varieties in this ecosystem.

Passing through the ravine, listen closely for the high-pitched call of the Blackburnian warbler - a stunning, orange-and-black colored bird that takes refuge amongst the tall, dense hemlock canopy.

After enjoying this favored Delaware Water Gap ecosystem, climb out of the ravine into typical mixed woodlands, following the trail past two historic copper mines until its junction with the Appalachian Trail near the ridge-top.

Eastern hemlock, mixed hardwoods, and numerous species of fern dominate this landscape. For the lucky few, the Blackburnian warbler and its high-pitched song may make an appearance.