Backpack Trail Guide

Trails / New Jersey / Kittatinny Ridge

Appalachian Trail: Culvers Gap to High Point

Appalachian National Scenic Trail, Stokes State Forest and High Point State Park

North of Culvers Gap, the Appalachian Trail follows the crest of Kittatinny Ridge through Stokes State Forest and High Point State Park. Backpacker describes the walk as “along Kittatinny Ridge to the crest of Sunrise Mountain,” with views of the New Jersey Highlands to the east and the Poconos to the west.

It’s a short overnight with three shelters spaced along the way, and it ends at the High Point State Park office on Route 23, a few miles below the highest point in New Jersey.

The hike

From the Culvers Gap lot on US 206, the trail climbs onto the ridge and passes the Culver Fire Tower. New Jersey Monthly, which hiked this stretch southbound in 2016, says the on-duty state fire warden invited its group up for a 360-degree view. Its count puts Gren Anderson Shelter 2.4 miles south of the Sunrise Mountain Overlook; the article says it was built in 1934, with spring water about 200 feet away.

Sunrise Mountain comes about 5.1 miles from Culvers Gap in that article’s mileage. The state lists it at 1,653 feet, and Backpacker notes the Civilian Conservation Corps shelter on the summit, which New Jersey Monthly dates to the 1930s. There’s a parking area and privy at the overlook, and the article warns that the overlook gates close from dusk to dawn.

Farther north, in High Point State Park, Backpacker places Mashipacong Shelter near the Deckertown Turnpike crossing, and a 2013 hiker found it empty, about 0.2 mile from a road with parking. Along this stretch, New Jersey Monthly notes a rocky climb with stone walls, an overlook over the Wallkill Valley, and Dutch Shoe Rock, with views over Lake Rutherford. The side trail to Rutherford Shelter drops steeply for 0.4 mile, according to SectionHiker. New Jersey Monthly reports an overlook facing west toward the Poconos about 1.4 miles before the Route 23 lot.

The trail reaches Route 23 near the park office, which New Jersey Monthly recommends for restrooms, maps, and water. The state says the park holds New Jersey’s highest point, 1,803 feet, at the High Point Monument. South Jersey Trails counts 2.7 miles from the Route 23 hiker lot to High Point Shelter, including a side trip to the monument, so a second night there is possible if you continue north.

The ridge south of Culvers Gap is on the Delaware Water Gap to Culvers Gap page, and the route north past High Point Shelter continues on the High Point to Wawayanda page.

Tips

Camping

The ATC says camping on the New Jersey AT is restricted to designated sites and campfires are prohibited. The state’s AT sheet names the designated shelters on this stretch: Gren Anderson in Stokes State Forest, and Mashipacong and Rutherford in High Point State Park. Every one has a bear box, and Gren Anderson has a pit toilet. Groups are limited to 10 people per campsite or shelter, and the stay is one night per site. No fires are allowed on state property.

Backpacker (2013) lists Gren Anderson and Mashipacong as sleeping eight and Rutherford as sleeping six. Water, per the 2010 Trail Conference report, is a slow spring at Gren Anderson, a slow spring at Rutherford, and none at Mashipacong.

Inside Intel: On a 2009 southbound trip, William Menke pitched his tent near Gren Anderson Shelter and found its spring downhill; he describes Rutherford’s spring as along the descent to the shelter. New Jersey Monthly found shelter journals full of notes about bear sightings and food or water left for other hikers. No camper accounts were found that recommend one of these shelters over the others.

Trail facts

The Lowdown

Rocky ridge from Gren Anderson to Rutherford:

Shelters on this ridge sleep six to eight and fill first come, first served. If you're choosing a shell for the walk between them, see whether the Arc'teryx Beta SL earns its reputation.

See what testers found →

Where this comes from

This page draws on the sources below, along with other guides and trip reports. Links go to the original pages.

Before you go: This page is based on published trail guides, trip reports, and reviews, along with official park and agency information where we could find it. It’s meant to help backpackers discover new trails, not to replace current, official information. Conditions, closures, permits, campsites, and water sources change, and some details here may be out of date or wrong. Confirm everything with the managing agency and check current conditions before you head out, and don’t rely on this page alone for safety or navigation. Backcountry travel involves risk.