DELAWARE WATER GAP, Pa. — From Raymondskill Falls, Kittatinny Point, and the Appalachian Trail, there's no shortage of beautiful sites inside the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area.
With thousands of visitors expected to visit this holiday weekend, park officials and the Monroe County Transit Authority are bringing back the free river and hiker shuttles.
"The River Runner, which goes from Delaware Water Gap all the way up to Milford, provides portage for kayaks, canoes, bikes, children, pets, and other things like that so. You can take your boat, go from Smithfield Beach up to Dingmans, and float back to your car," said Rich Schlameuss, the MCTA assistant director.
Officials say the shuttles help reduce congestion in busy areas while helping people get their gear around.
"We get millions of visitors every year and trying to fit those folks in a small location like this can be a challenge. So having these buses that can move or shuttle up and down the river to prime locations is very critical to our operation," said Zachary Piotrowski, the outdoor recreation planner for the park.
Raymondskill Falls is one of the most popular destinations in the park and because of that, this year, the only way to visit that part of the park on holidays and weekends will be by a shuttle. You will not be able to park in the parking lot.
"That is going to start from the Milford Knob trailhead, in the north end of the park, and then goes to Raymondskill Falls. Very small parking lot up there so it's critical that we have the shuttle buses operating to get folks back and forth to that location," said Piotrowski.
A hiker shuttle will also run from Kittatinny Point to Delaware Water Gap, including the northernmost part of the park in Milford.
"Because we're going all the way back up to Milford, which we didn't do last year because of the road and certain conditions, we're going to see a lot more people moving up the river, to go to Milford and Dingmans to float back and forth," said Schlameuss.
The free shuttle service begins this Saturday and runs on weekends and holidays through Labor Day.
Click here for a list of shuttle routes and schedules.
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