Hike at Table Rock
At Table Rock, high above the Delaware Water Gap in northeastern Pennsylvania, hikers tend to search for something more hidden than the miles-long view: rock striations left by glaciers millions of years ago.
On Saturday, Dec. 14, Brodhead Watershed Association will host a guided hike with expert assistance in searching out prehistoric hints at Table Rock, a formation of red sandstone about 420 million years old.
Table Rock’s striations – the straight, parallel grooves caused by rock fragments lodged in the base of a glacier – have fascinated naturalists since the 1800s. At 70 feet long and 6 inches wide, the striations documented here are the longest in Pennsylvania.
There is a lot more to see at Table Rock — Caledonia Creek and its waterfalls, peaceful Lake Lenape, sturdy red cedars with their blue berries beloved by birds, craggy pitch pines and reindeer moss, evergreen Christmas fern and common polypody fern. And, of course, the views.
IF YOU GO: Table Rock
Join Carol Hillestad, hike leader for Brodhead Watershed Association, for a 2.25-mile loop hike to Table Rock. Moderate difficulty with some rocky, steep sections.
WHEN: 10 a.m. to noon Saturday, December 14, 2019
WHERE: Near Delaware Water Gap, Pa. Register for directions.
NOTE: Special thanks to the U.S. government, which monitors and protects this land for the public to use as part of Delaware National Recreation Area.
COST: Free, but registration is required. Event is limited to 20 hikers.
INFORMATION: Call 570-839-1120 or 570-629-2727; email info@brodheadwatershed.org. For information about this and other hikes in the free Get Outdoors Poconos series, go to brodheadwatershed.org/gopoconos. The hike series is administered by Brodhead Watershed Association and supported by a grant from the William Penn Foundation.
