Once a family estate, Worthington State Forest comprises almost 6,000 acres extending about seven miles along the Kittatinny Ridge . It lies within the Recreation Area, originally condemned in the 1960s to be a gigantic reservoir, and which extends another 70,000 acres into Sussex County and the Pennsylvania Pocono region. The area proximate to the Gap contains somewhere close to 70 miles of trails which lead hikers to breathtaking overlooks, sublime glens and ravines, rugged outcroppings, a glacial lake, ancient copper mines and endless hours of serenity. The Red Dot is the 1.5 mile rim trail leading to the peak and then to a fire road along the eastern edge of the Kittatinny ridge. When you reach the top of the Indian Head formation you are about 1200 feet above the river and can look across to the continuing ridge in PA and Southwest along the valley to Scotts Mountain near Phillipsburg, down to Washington and sometimes about 40 miles all the way to Glen Gardner in Hunterdon County.
Hikers can go up one way and down another for an exhilarating loop.
Trail Map Top Hikers of all ages travel on the Appalachian Trail. Photo by Kent Johnson A section of the 2,000 mile, Maine to Georgia, Appalachian Trail runs right over the top of the ridge, acting kind of like Main Street in this prime Kittatinny neighborhood. Beyond the pond the AT provides more spectacular views along the seven mile stretch to Millbrook Road. The trail crosses an area called Raccoon Ridge near the Upper Yards Creek Reservoir facility above Blairstown. A narrow razor-back where a ridge ends, Raccoon Ridge is one of the few spots that affords views down to the river to the west and broad vistas to the east.