Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area straddles the border of
Pennsylvania and New Jersey. But those are toll booths, not border check points,
at the at the river crossings on N.J. Route 206 and Interstate 80.
So why is there a passport cancellation station at park headquarters
on River Road?
It is a money maker for Eastern National, a non-profit organization
that promotes public appreciation for national parks and donates money back to the parks. Eastern National has gift
shops in many national parks.
The ink stamp at park headquarters is part of the “Passport To Your National Parks” program.
Tourists buy a passport book that lists all national parks in the United States and provides space for cancellation stamps
which can be found in 398 national parks across the United States. The program was launched in 1986. More than 1.3 million passport books have been sold since then.
