Introduction
Mount Minsi is a moderate day hike located on the PA side of the Delaware Water Gap.
Alltrails link to Mount Minsi hike
Basic Information
Date of trip: December 4, 2021
Difficulty level: moderate
Distance: 5.0 miles round trip
Elevation gain: 1,049 feet
Location: PA side of the Delaware Water Gap
History
The Delaware Water Gap borders NJ and PA. It is the place where the Delaware River cuts through the Appalachian Mountains. The first town was founded in 1793 by Antoine Dutot. It was one of the largest US resorts, visited by the upper classes of Philadelphia and NY, until it was destroyed by a fire. Sadly, it was never restored. Today, it serves as a favorite destination for hikers, bikers, boaters, swimmers, and picnickers.
Mount Minsi is on the PA side of the Delaware Water Gap. it was named after the Minsi tribe of the Leni-Lenape Native Americans who were the original inhabitants of the area.
Our Impressions
This was day two of our Delaware Water Gap overnight hiking adventure. The first day, we hiked Mount Tammany, which is on the NJ side of the Delaware Water Gap. The views are pretty similar but from a different angle, so definitely worth seeing from both sides.
This was our second time hiking Mount Minsi. Contrary to our first not so positive experience on the mountain, which you can read about here, we really enjoyed this hike the second time around. I think the main reasons the experience was so much more positive this time are:
- cooler weather
- no leaves on trees to obstruct beautiful views
- it was not a summer season holiday weekend so no crowds
- it was no longer COVID lockdown so people have other places to go except for hiking
Lesson learned – pick the time of your hike wisely.
At the summit, we met another hiker couple and the lady happened to be from the same little town in Jamaica as Sheldon. The mountains are a great place to make new friends!
