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Washington Valley State Park - 7/4/10

We were looking to do less driving during the holiday weekend. I didn’t have a lot of info on the park, it’s not in any of our books, no trail mileages to really gauge the park by… but it was only 30 minutes away so we didn’t have much to lose. Boy was it HOT though …. 95-ish and sunny HHHHOT. The weather has been brutal for hiking lately.



The park was just OK for trail interest and scenery. Other than walking by the reservoir on the RED trail… not too much to see. The hawk watch looks… Continue

Added by njHiking.com on July 13, 2010 at 7:30pm — 2 Comments

Lemon Squeezer – Harriman State Park, NY - 6/27/10

The Lemon Squeezer is a rock formation on the Appalachian Trail in Harriman State Park, NY. It's a really interesting and fun section of the trail: The AT goes through an opening created by rocks, then you need to squeeze through a narrow section about 8-10' long. After the Squeezer, you can scramble up a rock face, or you skirt off to the left and follow the "easy way" sign.…



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Added by njHiking.com on June 30, 2010 at 9:00pm — No Comments

Norvin Green - Torne Mountain and Osio Rock

The views just didn't stop on this hike... Hewitt-Butler trail follows along the ridge so there are views almost the whole way. Gorgeous.



There are 360 degree views from Osio Rock (too hot-n-hazy to see NYC today), and we assume most people turn around here. We had intended to as well, and go back to Otter Hole to add in a loop from the main part of Norvin, but changed our mind and decided that since the trail goes off the map edge with the notation "To Camp Vacamas, 1 Mile"....…

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Added by njHiking.com on June 22, 2010 at 12:30pm — No Comments

Turkey Mountain

Only had time for a short hike this weekend, so we headed to Turkey Mountain. This is located across the road from Pyramid Mountain in Boonton, NJ. Turkey Mountain has some nice hiking, but most people tend to head over to Pyramid for Tripod Rock and Bear Rock etc. Pyramid and Turkey offer easy access to decent hiking, and is also a great place for beginners.



5.4 miles, moderate, minimal elevation gain. 4… Continue

Added by njHiking.com on June 16, 2010 at 12:30pm — No Comments

Mahlon Dickerson - Headley Overlook

It was Memorial Day so we wanted to head away from the traffic and the beach. We thought we were taking a gamble going to Mahlon, as there are campgrounds there, but we only saw a handful of people.

The first part of this route has a view point at Headley Overlook of Lake Hopatacong and lots of greenery towards the east. The view is nice but somewhat limited and not as grand as some viewpoints in the state - but worth checking out anyway. The Pine Swamp loop has no views but is nice, easy… Continue

Added by njHiking.com on June 2, 2010 at 2:30pm — No Comments

Stokes State Forest - Sunrise Mountain 5/22/10

Been wanting to do this hike for awhile, but Stokes is a bit of a drive for us at about 1.75+ hrs, so it makes for a long day... but it was worth it for a great view from Sunrise Mountain and just some nice thick, secluded forest hiking.



The first viewpoint on the Cartwright trail - as the trail starts to head steeply up - is fantastic. Sit on a rock and look out over nothing but thick green... you can't see or hear a road... a rare treat in NJ. Look north (your right if you are… Continue

Added by njHiking.com on May 24, 2010 at 2:30pm — No Comments

Ringwood - Skylands Manor/Ilgenstein Rock/Erskine Lookout - 4/10/10

Multiple views on this hike, plus you can wander around Skylands Manor and the NJ State Botanical Gardens. We did a 9.5 mile loop starting from Parking Lot A of the Manor:



Crossover (WHITE) to Halifax (RED) to Pierson Ridge (BLUE) to Crossover - past Ilgenstein Rock - Hoerferlin Memorial (YELLOW) - past Erskine Lookout - Old Guard (GREEN LEAF) to right on Ringwood/Ramapo (RED) to Crossover (WHITE)



...make sure you have map #115 of the NYNJTC North Jersey map set so you can… Continue

Added by njHiking.com on April 16, 2010 at 7:30pm — 1 Comment

Bearfort Mtn - State Line Trail/Ernest Walker/AT - 4/3/10

What an enjoyable hike - fantastic views as Ernest Walker follows a ridge overlooking Greenwood Lake, then head to Surprise Lake, then some more views. The trail is nice and interesting... rugged with a few decent scrambling sections. It was gorgeous and the trees hadn't even gotten green yet... we're planning to come back again when its green or the fall.



Our route ended up being 7.6 miles as we cut the… Continue

Added by njHiking.com on April 12, 2010 at 8:00pm — No Comments

Ramapo Mtn S.F. - Wanaque Ridge Trail - 3/28/10

Headed over to Ramapo Mountain State Forest to check out a newer trail, Wanaque Ridge, in the western part of the park. We slapped together a route as we went along and ended up only with 7.2 miles, but there was a decent amount of up and down along a pretty rugged trail surface. It was a brrrrisk and dreary day, so we plan to come back to take photos when it's more colorful.…

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Added by njHiking.com on March 28, 2010 at 8:00pm — No Comments

Norvin Green - Lake Sonoma and Overlook Trails

8.1 challenging miles and 70 degrees, sunny and perfect... such a nice change after this crazy winter. We hiked in the northern section of Norvin Green State Forest, located to the southwest of Monksville Reservoir in West Milford. There are two newer (2008-ish I believe) trails there we wanted to check out, Lake Sonoma and Overlook.



This isn't a really long hike but with a decent amount of rugged up/down, several stream crossings, we'd rate it… Continue

Added by njHiking.com on March 23, 2010 at 9:00pm — 1 Comment

Penn State Forest - Oswego Lake and the Pine Plains

We went in search of the Pygmy Pines in a section of the pine barrens called the "Pine Plains" where the trees average 5 feet tall and you can see over tree tops for acres.



We've never hiked Penn State Forest before and didn't know much about it, other than seeing a few pics of the pines, and they are mentioned in both an older (1998) "50 Hikes in NJ" book as well as a 2009 "Hiking in NJ" book and sounded… Continue

Added by njHiking.com on March 7, 2010 at 9:19pm — 1 Comment

Brendan Bryne - Pakim Pond/Mt. Misery Trail - 2/21/10

Park site here. There were maps in a kiosk at the main park office. Note on the building said the office is closed weekends until April 1st. We drove to the Pakim Pond parking lot a few miles down the park road. The composting toilet was unlocked (yay!). There is also a larger bathroom building there, which is seasonal. Another composting toilet was along the Orange trail later in the hike.



Decided to try our… Continue

Added by njHiking.com on February 21, 2010 at 9:22pm — No Comments

Proposed Power Lines to affect the Delaware Water Gap, Appalachian Trail, more

In case you haven't heard about the proposed plan, "The Susquehanna Roseland Project", here are a few articles about it, including 2 from the public meeting on Feb. 17th.



The plan would increase tower height and clear trees through the Delaware Water Gap NRA near Walpack Bend, and cross the Appalachian Trail before heading east across NJ.



"A big concern is the viewshed that will be negatively impacted by the new, taller towers. “While there is a powerline there today, the… Continue

Added by njHiking.com on February 18, 2010 at 11:00am — No Comments

Six Mile Run Reservation - 1/10/10

Located in Somerset County, off of Rt 27, hike info at:http://www.njhiking.com/nj-hikes-six-mile-run-reservoir.php.



It was supposed to be bitter cold so we wanted to do a short hike, nearby. We hadn't been to Six Mile Run in quite awhile, after doing the short BLUE there trail years ago and didn't think that much of it, as it skirted a lot of fields and such.



I just read that JORBA (jersey off road… Continue

Added by njHiking.com on January 12, 2010 at 9:00pm — No Comments

Wells Mills County Park 1/1/10

We hike on New Years Day every year - it's a great way to kick off the new year. Weather was cloudy when we started out but not windy. The sun came out around noon and it got up in the mid-40s and was very comfortable.



We did the WHITE blazed 8.4 mile Penns Hill Trail, in roughly 4 hrs. There are other trails that allow you to make shorter loops. The hike starts behind the visitor center and is very well marked, there wasn't one instance where we questioned which way to go. Get the… Continue

Added by njHiking.com on January 2, 2010 at 1:39pm — 1 Comment

Helyar Woods at Rutgers Gardens - 12/19/09

With a ton of snow predicted and it already flurrying with a dusting by 8am, we scrapped plans to try and squeeze in a longer hike before the snow hit. We headed for a short hike at Helyar Woods, a small parcel of woods adjacent to Rutgers Gardens, in New Brunswick. Of course the snow stopped as we arrived and didn't really kick back in until 3pm or so. Oh well.



Map of the Gardens with the woods indicated, but… Continue

Added by njHiking.com on December 20, 2009 at 5:30pm — No Comments

Cheesequake State Park, Blue Trail - hike info is up

Cheesequake State Park contains a diverse mix of hardwood forest, Atlantic white cedar swamp, and pineland. This short route passes near Hooks Creek Lake, onto the Blue Trail to Perrine Pond before picking up the Green trail.

4.3 miles. Easy, with some rolling hills, a few minor steep sections.

Added by njHiking.com on December 20, 2009 at 3:59pm — 3 Comments

Parvin State Park - hike info is up

Parvin State Park in Salem County, South Jersey - A short, easy loop around Parvin Lake through South Jersey's pinelands and Atlantic white cedar swamps.

Added by njHiking.com on December 15, 2009 at 11:40am — No Comments

Watchung Reservation - 12/12/09

Located in Union County. Parkway to 78W, exit 43... directions here. Park map here. The Trailside Museum at the main parking lot is open 12-5 and is very nice. Other restrooms were open earlier in a nearby building, follow the signs from the lot.



Did the Sierra Trail, an 11-mile loop around the perimeter. We have mixed feelings… Continue

Added by njHiking.com on December 13, 2009 at 5:18pm — 1 Comment

Maurice River Bluffs info, photos, video is up

Maurice River Bluffs, Cumberland County in South Jersey. - A short, pleasant loop through pinelands along the bluffs by the Maurice River. This park is in NJ's Coastal Plain. If you are used to hiking in northern NJ, this is quite a change in scenery.

Added by njHiking.com on December 7, 2009 at 11:17am — No Comments

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