Worthington State Forest
Worthington State Forest is a state forest located in Warren County, New Jersey within the Delaware [Water Gap National Recreation Area], just north of the Delaware [Water Gap|water gap] in the Skylands Region of the state. It covers an area of and stretches for more than along the Kittatinny Ridge near Columbia.
The park offers hiking, camping and canoeing and kayaking on the Delaware River. There are nearly of hiking trails within the park, including of the Appalachian Trail, which passes through the park. The park is operated and maintained by the New Jersey Division of Parks and Forestry.
History
The forest is named after Charles Campbell Worthington, who, throughout the late 1800s, purchased of land of both sides of the river, including parts of Mount Tammany. His intent was to create one of the premier deer hunting preserves in the county. He would name this estate Buckwood Park.He built Buckwood Lodge, a small mansion on the side of Kittatinny Ridge, between the river and Sunfish Pond, a small lake higher up the ridge covering. Worthington gave Sunfish Pond the name of Buckwood Lake, and used it as a water supply for his lodge.
The Old Mine Road, one of the earliest roads in the area, runs along the Delaware; it was used for transporting copper and slate from nearby mines and quarries, and is believed to have originally been a Native American trail that saw use by fur traders and Dutch settlers.