Mahlon Dickerson Individual Trail Distances

[Linda Frank]

Planning on doing Mahlon Dickerson either Sat. or Sun.  I was able to find lots of combination hikes others have taken there w/mileages,  but no mention of actual mileage for each individual major trail.

We'd like to put together our own combo of either loops and/or out & backs and knowing individual trail distances would really help us design our own hike & gauge time needed.  Park maps don't list individual trail distances.  I wish all of them would.

Anyone know individual (or as near as possible) mileage for any of the trails there?  

BTW: I know there's a detour around Saffin Pond for dam repairs that's ongoing for possibly another year.  From the looks of an updated NY/NJ Trail Conference map noting the detour, it doesn't seem to have affected mileage there. But if anyone has traveled it since the temporary trails were put in, I'd appreciate any first-hand observations. Thanks much.  

Linda

[njHiking.com]

Do you have the New Jersey Walk Book? Individual trail distances for most trails in Jersey are in that (though the book is getting on the old side and needs an update... so the trail info can be outdated at times). We haven't been to Mahlon since the dam repairs, so not sure on that.

This is what the Walk Book has listed under Mahlon, perhaps it will help some:

Beaver Brook: 4.9

Highlands: Saffin Pond to picnic pkg area: 3.2

Pine Swamp Loop: 3.8

 

Dawn

 

 

 

 

[Linda Frank]

Thanks Dawn.  After seeing your post, I managed to ferret out our copy of the book which was hidden under a stack of hiking books/literature we have in the living room and copied the pages that mentioned the distances and trail descriptions. 

Also found out through Daniela's blog the distance for another trail, Ogden Mine Railroad woods road, is 2.7.

I'm still searching for distance on the Yellow Trail and the Blue Trail.  Interesting, though, that the Blue Trail isn't designated as such (just a dotted line) on the new edition of NY/NJ Jersey Highlands Map.  Yet on the Park's map, it clearly has that trail in blue and marked with a "B".  http://www.morrisparks.net/maps/HiRes/MahlonDickerson.jpg

Also, if I'm understanding this info on Morris County Park's page, the whole of the Saffin Pond area is closed due to Hurricane Irene damage, which may exclude any trail travels around there regardless of the dam-work detour.  Does NJHiking have any info on that hurricane damage-related closure? I plan on calling the number provided on that page tomorrow for further details.  Maybe I can find out the distances of the other trails I'm interested in, too.

Thanks for helping to tweak my memory that I had that book afterall.  Makes me wonder what other hiking info is hiding in that mountain of material. :)

Linda 

[njHiking.com]

Don't have any info on Saffin Pond area, unfortunately.

 

And the Walk Book is fantastic to find distances... but it can be outdated so keep that in mind.

 

That's interesting about the maps, as it's quite different.  It must be because the online one is newer (dated 6/11) than the NYNJTC map that came out early this year. It's also showing an Orange and a Purple trail that is just a dotted on the TC map. Amazing how info gets outdated so quickly.

 

Dawn

[njHiking.com]

1/1/12 - Saffin Pond update.... parking area is barricaded, there is room to park along the road which was filled by the time we left.  The porta-john is gone from this lot as well,  but there is one if you park at the picnic area lot instead.

The dam area is closed which means the short route circling the pond isn't an option. The rest of the trails are open.

Saffin Pond's water level was very very low and it wasn't it's normal picturesque self. Mahlon is a really nice park, but for anyone coming to just to see a pretty pond and do a short hike... might want to wait until the dam work is done.

-Dawn

Construction at the dam

These rocks are usually covered in water