{"id":11594,"date":"2023-10-23T14:34:20","date_gmt":"2023-10-23T18:34:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/usnomadstudio.com\/usnomads\/?p=11594"},"modified":"2023-11-16T11:57:16","modified_gmt":"2023-11-16T16:57:16","slug":"new-jersey","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/usnomadstudio.com\/usnomads\/?p=11594","title":{"rendered":"New Jersey"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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NEW JERSEY<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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New Jersey<\/h1>

Around NJ<\/h5>

Though we are based relatively close to New Jersey we haven’t done a lot of exploring there — but there are a few places that we’ve checked out while “en route” south or west from NY.<\/p>

Overview:<\/strong> While much of New Jersey seems a continuation of the New York City metro area and its suburban bedroom communities–or the Jersey Shore beachfront scene–there are some bits of wilder open spaces and rural areas beyond the well known locations. Traveling south or west from the urban sprawl you begin to find them.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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TOPOGRAPHY:<\/strong> New Jersey is situated within both the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. Despite its heavily urban character and a long history of industrialization, forests cover roughly 45 percent of New Jersey’s land area. The state can be divided into five distinct areas based on natural geography and population concentration. Northeastern New Jersey, often referred to as the Gateway Region, lies closest to New York City and is the most urban in character. The northwestern part of the state, often referred to as the Skylands Region, is more wooded, rural, and mountainous. The Jersey Shore, along the Atlantic Coast has its own unique characteristics owing to its location by the ocean. The Delaware Valley includes the southwestern counties of the state, which reside within the Delaware Valley surrounding Philadelphia. The New Jersey Pine Barrens is situated in the southern interior of the state and covered extensively by mixed pine and oak forest.<\/p>

High Point in Montague Township is the state’s highest elevation at 1,803 feet above sea level. The Palisades are a line of steep cliffs on the west side of the Hudson River in Bergen and Hudson Counties. Major New Jersey rivers include the Hudson, Delaware, Raritan, Passaic, Hackensack, Rahway, Musconetcong, Mullica, Rancocas, Manasquan, Maurice, and Toms rivers. Due to New Jersey’s peninsular geography, both sunrise and sunset are visible over water from different points on the Jersey Shore.<\/p>

HISTORY:<\/strong> New Jersey was first inhabited by Paleo-Indians as early as 13,000 B.C.E., with the Lenape being the dominant Indigenous group when Europeans arrived in the early 17th century. Dutch and Swedish colonists founded the first European settlements in the state, with the British later seizing control of the region and establishing the Province of New Jersey. The colony’s fertile lands and relative religious tolerance drew a large and diverse population. New Jersey was among the Thirteen Colonies that supported the American Revolution, hosting several pivotal battles and military commands in the American Revolutionary War. New Jersey remained in the Union during the American Civil War and provided troops, resources, and military leaders in support of the Union Army. After the war, the state emerged as a major manufacturing center and a leading destination for immigrants, helping drive the Industrial Revolution in the U.S. New Jersey’s central location in the Northeast megalopolis helped fuel its rapid growth and suburbanization in the second half of the 20th century. <\/p>

While no federally recognized tribes are located in New Jersey, the state currently recognizes three Native American Tribes<\/a>: the Nanticoke Lenni-Lenape<\/a> the Powhatan Renape Nation<\/a> and the Ramapough Lenape Indian Nation<\/a> (also known as Ramapough Mountain Indians).<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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The Delaware Gap<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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The Delaware Gap refers to the place where the Delaware River cuts through a large ridge of the Appalachian Mountains on the border between New Jersey and Pennsylvania. The river and mountains define the natural landscape there, and much of the area is protected by the Delaware Gap National Recreation Area and State Forests on both the NJ and PA sides of the border. The Appalachian Trail hike goes through here, but there are also many less strenuous hiking trails on the various public land units, with camping and kayaking opportunities, as well as an easy dirt road to base your exploration around.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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ABOUT THE LANDSCAPE<\/h5>

The Delaware Water Gap is about 980 feet across at river level and 4,600 feet wide at the top. The river through the gap is 290 feet above sea level. The ridge of the Appalachians that the Delaware River crosses is called the Blue Mountains in Pennsylvania and the Kittatinny Ridge in Warren County, New Jersey. This is the first major ridge of the Appalachian mountains. New Jersey’s mountain is Mount Tammany, named after the Lenni-Lenape Chief Tamanend. The Pennsylvania mountain is Mount Minsi, named after the Native American tribe of the area. The summit of Tammany is 1,540 ft (470 m) above sea level.<\/p>

A northern deciduous forest cloaks the slopes of the Delaware Water Gap. Hardwood species comprising the forest include various oaks, hickories, maples, ash, elm, cherry, walnut, birch, sycamore, and beech. Coniferous species include Eastern White Pine, Pitch Pine, Eastern Red Cedar, and Eastern Hemlock.<\/p>

Black bear, white-tailed deer, gray squirrels, red squirrels, raccoons, gray fox, fisher, and chipmunks are some of the forest species of the area. <\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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\nA water gap is a geological feature where a river cuts through a mountain ridge. The Delaware Water Gap formed 500 million years ago when quartz pebbles from mountains in the area were deposited in a shallow sea. The Martinsburg Shale on the eastern side of what was to be Kittatinny Mountain was uplifted 450 million years ago when a chain of volcanic islands collided with proto-North America. These islands slid over the North American plate, and deposited rock on top of the plate, forming the Highlands and Kittatinny Valley.

\n\nAbout 400 million years ago, a small continent collided with proto-North America. The heat from the pressure melted the quartzite, which allowed it to bend the quartz pebbles. This layer was then uplifted and cracked over thousands of years. During this period, the Delaware River slowly cut its path down through the shattered and cracked quartzite. If the quartzite had not been cracked, the river would not have been able to cut its path through the mountain to form the gap.<\/span>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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Delaware Gap NRA
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HIGHLIGHTS: Hiking,
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Kayaking, Camping,
Dirt roads
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The Delaware River
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HIGHLIGHTS: Paddling,
Camping<\/span>\u00a0
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Pahaquarry Mine Trailhead
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HIGHLIGHTS: Hiking
trail, Mine site,
Waterfalls<\/span>
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Worthington State Forest
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HIGHLIGHTS: Hiking,
Scenic <\/span>driving, Camping,
Kayaking
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Old Mine Road
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HIGHLIGHTS: Historic
Structures, Ruins, Dirt
Road, Hiking Trail
Access, River access<\/span>
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Delaware Gap NRA<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
Delaware River<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
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