Kittatinny Mountain was born during a Carboniferous uplift around 350 million years ago, that began creating the Appalachian Mountain chain prior to the formation of Pangea! The majority of the rocks in the area are Paleozoic conglomerates, shales and other sedimentary rocks, however, some much older granites can be found in the area as well. The folding events which formed Kittatinny Mountain thrusted the older and deeper Precambrian granites over the younger Paleozoic rocks.

The road up to the summit of Kittatinny is usually plowed throughout the year, however, after a significant snowfall, access become slightly more difficult for a few days. Several cross-country ski trails traverse the landscape, and in fact, one of these generally follows the ridge from the 1,573' saddle up to the monument. With just a small section of insignificant bushwacking, it is possible to travel along the entire ridge "crest" up to the summit. Most people elect to drive up (note that the parking closest to the summit is reserved), however, the High Point on Kittatinny Mountain provides a nice, quick hike within the park. A section of the Appalachian Trail passes near the summit and allows for more of a wilderness experience if so desired.

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2004.01.30 - After leaving Ebright Hill in Delaware, I began driving through New Jersey toward High Point State Park. I was intending to camp somewhere in the area, however, when I arrived, there were signs posted all over that warned against camping or overnight parking. Slightly discouraged, I continued on Route 23 to Port Jervis, NY, where I was able to get a hotel room at the Comfort Inn for the night.

2004.01.31 - The next morning, I awoke at a leisurly 7:00 AM so as to be at the State Park gate just after it opened at 8:00. After entering and discovering that there is no entrance fee during winter, I travelled a short distance along the western portion of the park loop, turning off into a parking area for the interpretive center. I got out of my rental 4x4 and noticed that except for the brisk wind and a few cross-country skiers on the opposite side of the lake, I had the park almost completely to myself! I donned my snowshoes and headed up past a few plaques to a 1,650' ante-summit which afforded wonderful views of Kittatinny's summit to the northeast and Steeny Kill Lake toward the west. Eager to achieve double-digits in my winter highpointing agenda, I headed off after a few pictures.

Along the west edge of the roadway, I made my way toward the saddle separating my ante-summit from the true summit of New Jersey. The snow conditions were ideal for snowshoeing, and by this point the wind had died down to a much more comfortable level. After reaching the saddle, my route followed the Southwest "Ridge" along its entire crest, consisting of a ski trail and a slight bushwack through leafless shrubs and some fallen branches. Just before topping out on the summit area, the slope actually got somewhat steep with unconsolidated snow; it made for a fun finish to a very short, easy hike.

Upon reaching the summit, the wind caught me somewhat off-guard. It wasn't quite as strong as the previous morning on Mt. Davis, but it was probably a consistent 20-25 mph. I circled the base of the tower looking for the highest point, but finally decided that a slight rise north of the tower platform was the highest natural point. I set up my tripod and took my obligatory hero photos, with Jacko the Frog present as always. The views were better than I imagined, with a snow-covered marshy landscape stretching all around the base of Kittatinny Mountain. After about 30 minutes exploring the area, I decided to head back down to my car, this time via the roadway.

As I reached the standard parking area for the summit, two hikers climbed over the ridge top after hiking a portion of the AT and then bushwacking up the side of the mountain. I stopped to chat with them for a while, primarily about snowshoes (one of them was wearing the MSR Denali Ascents), but also about route choice. They both highly recommended the AT hike up from Sussex County 519, and I feel pretty well convinced that I will try this route when I return! After the conversation, we wished each other a good day, and started hiking back to our respective trailheads.

In just a few minutes, I was back at the 4x4, making for a total out time of just under an hour. Loading my gear and removing the layers of clothes, I hurriedly got in the car and moving as fast as I could; my next destination was my Aunt & Uncle's house in Kings Contrivance, MD (read Baltimore), which was a good several hours away. As I was pulling away from Lake Marcia, I saw the memorial tower looking absolutely beautiful with a white skirt of snow encircling its base; the day was a good one!

Note: The pictures on this page were taken on a subsequent visit to Kittatinny Mountain, which took place on 16 September 2004. The original winter ascent pictures were lost due to a computer crash in March of 2004.