Hiking the Coppermine Trail: Waterfalls and Mines

The Coppermine Trail is one of the most overlooked and underrated routes in the popular Delaware Water Gap. This moderately difficult trail takes visitors past two fascinating, abandoned copper mine entrances and multiple scenic yet virtually unknown waterfalls. Continue reading to learn more about this hidden trail, including information on the difficult parking situation and on the trail itself.

Parking

Parking is, unfortunately, a struggle to find here. At one point, there was a large parking area at the trailhead. located at 41.038028, -75.027417, but this has been barricaded off in recent years. There are still a few pull-off parking spaces available next to the barricades, but this is only enough for about 5-6 cars. Additional parking can be found at the Poxono Boat Launch, a few hundred feet up Old Mine Road at 41.040019, -75.022658, but this is also small. A third, much larger, parking lot is located almost 3/4 of a mile down Old Mine Road at Turtle Beach, but it charges a fee in the summer.

My best advice is to visit on an off-peak weekday in the spring for the easiest parking.

The Hike

The hike to the copper mines and waterfalls on Coppermine Brook is about 2.5 miles and is moderately difficult. The trail surface itself is fairly easy, featuring limited rocks, easy water crossings, and a simple dirt trail. The moderate difficulty comes in as the trail gains about 800 feet within a mile and a half. While this is not the steepest trail in the state, or even in the park, it is not flat. Note that part of the trail to the first mine entrance is unmarked and is slightly rockier.

This hike only reaches the waterfalls easily visible from the trail itself. There are many more that can only be reached by bushwhacking. As of May 2026, I have documented four additional off-trail waterfalls, which are listed on the main waterfall page. There are likely 5-6 additional waterfalls along the stream that I have not yet been to.

Reaching the Copper Mine

From the parking area, locate the Red Coppermine Trail. The trail starts out overgrown, but fortunately, it clears out after the initial hundred or so feet and remains clear after that.

Very soon, you will reach a fork in the trail. The red blazes direct you to turn right, but you will actually want to follow the unmarked trail to the left to reach the mine.

To the right, you will see some large old stone ruins. Unfortunately, these are very overgrown and difficult to get close to.

After about a quarter mile, the unmarked trail ends at the entrance to the old mine.

For visitor safety and to protect local bat populations, the mine is gated off. However, you can still see inside.

At the end of the trail, you can also see a small cascade. If you feel comfortable bushwhacking, there are numerous waterfalls upstream, but these are increasingly difficult to reach.

Coppermine Trail and Second Mine

From the mine, return the way you came to the initial fork. From here, turn left to continue on the main Coppermine Trail. The trail begins the modest climb up Kittatinny Mountain. While it is never steep, the incline is a consistent moderate grade. At one point, you pass the Blue and Red Kaiser Connector Trail to the right. You will return from this trail.

Unfortunately, there are limited views of Coppermine Brook itself. You can hear it from most of the trail, but there are rarely any views, and the few there are, are mostly obstructed.

Along the way, you will reach a small side trail to the right. This short trail takes you to the second mine opening of the hike. Like the first, this mine is also gated off and closed.

The Waterfalls

From the second mine entrance, continue uphill on the Red Coppermine Trail until you reach a bridge over Coppermine Brook. This long wooden bridge offers one of the few water views on the trail and even features a small waterfall.

In all honesty, the waterfall itself is fairly unimpressive, with a small drop just before the bridge. Fortunately, the surrounding ravine is scenic and makes up for the lackluster waterfall.

After this bridge, the trail once again leaves the brook. Through the trees, you have faint views of a few off-trail waterfalls, but no easy trail leads to them, and they require a serious bushwhack. After about a quarter mile, you will reach a handful of waterfalls that are easy to reach.

This waterfall is located just before the much later Coppermine Falls (keep reading). In fact, you may overlook this waterfall as it is so close to the larger one.

To reach it, locate where the marked trail makes a left turn away from the brook. Straight ahead, you will see an obvious trail. This leads to Coppermine Falls. To the right, you will see another clear, but less obvious, trail. Follow this trail a short distance to where it ends at the top of the unnamed waterfall.

If you return to the main trail you will be able to visit Coppermine Falls.

Coppermine Falls can be accessed from the aforementioned obvious side-trail.

There is one more easy-to-reach waterfall. To reach it, return to the Red Coppermine Trail and continue hiking uphill for a few hundred feet until you reach a wide clearing with the start of the Kaiser Connector. Just before the clearing there is a short trail down to the base of a small waterfall.

This waterfall is by far the smallest volume waterfall on the trail. As you will soon realize, the previous waterfalls are the combined flow of three smaller streams. As such, the waterfall has much less water than any of the previous ones visited. When there is enough water, it is a nice waterfall and is surrounded by much greenery, but it is frequently a trickle.

The Return

From the waterfall, return to the Red Coppermine Trail and its intersection with the Red and Blue Kaiser Connector Trail. Turn right on this connector trail. Immediately, you will cross the first of three easy to cross, but bridgeless streams: the three streams that combine into the larger Coppermine Brook. If you look just downstream, you can see the drop of the previous waterfall.

Take this trail for 0.2 miles until it connects to the Kaiser Trail.

At the Kaiser Trail, turn right and begin a 0.6-mile gradual descent until you reach the Coppermine Trail Connector on the right. Turn onto this trail, which brings you back to the Coppermine Trail in 0.4 miles. As with the initial climb, this connector does feature a sustained hill, this time down. It is never steep, but it is a moderate grade.

Once you reach the Coppermine Trail again, take it downhill back to the parking area.

GPS Route

Review

The Coppermine Trail is a good trail that goes to some interesting sites, but it could be better. The highlights are easily the mine entrances, especially the first one and the waterfalls.

Unfortunately, there are multiple things holding this hike back from being great. The first is that the parking is frankly terrible. While there was once a large parking area, this has been inexplicably barricaded, leaving room for only a few vehicles. This is especially annoying as most of the vehicles parked at this pull-off are by fishermen who are not even on the trail.

Second, the trail follows Coppermine Brook but is rarely in sight of it. Having hiked up most of the brook itself, it’s clear that building and maintaining a trail along it would be difficult due to erosion, but there are many excellent waterfalls that are missed on the current route. While a trail reroute is likely unfeasible, it would be great if the park reopened the parking area.