Trail Conditions - Winter 2013/2014

[njHiking.com]

Post trail/park conditions for New Jersey (as well as PA/NY) here.

Include the date, park, conditions (how much snow/ice, is it slushy, melted away...) and a trail photo if you have one.

Sharing this info helps other hikers decide if they should make the sometimes long drive to a trailhead, as winter conditions can vary greatly between different areas.

Winter hiking tips and snowfall depth resources can be found on our Winter Hiking page.

Check NJ Hiking Trail Conditions and Closures for year-round conditions.

[Daniela Wagstaff]

Van Campens Glen, Delaware Water Gap NJ -  1/12/14

The Pioneer Trail/Van Campens Glen Trail loop can be hiked at this time with one minor detour due to the power line construction.  The NPS site says the trail is closed from Watergate to Millbrook Village but I found this to be open.  Snow was 99% gone, trails were very wet in some areas, mostly the section from where the Pioneer Trail becomes a gravel road to where the abandoned homes used to stand.

There was one part on the Van Campens Glen Trail that was a sheet of ice slanting into the water so microspikes were needed but just for this part.

Other than that just very wet and slippery, especially on exposed tree roots.  Some ice in the falls, ice jams in the Delaware River.  Water in Van Campens Brook was raging full force from the recent snow melt and thunderstorms.  Full details and more pictures HERE including at the very end pictures from the Millbrook Village kiosk showing the Appalachian Trail reroute in the area due to power line construction.

[Brom Vermeulen]

Point Mountain South, Lebanon Township NJ   1/12/14

Not much to talk about, snow and ice all gone, trails muddy in places.

[TJ Karakowski]

Email from Trail Conference Today (1/17/14)  regarding Harriman Rt 106 Access over this Winter

Attention, Harriman Park Users, Especially Those Who Rely on Route 106 Owing to poor road conditions caused by ongoing water and ice problems, Rt. 106 between Rt. 17 and Kanawauke Circle on Seven Lakes Drive is closed for the winter. Access to the Kanawauke parking area from the circle will be kept open, and hikers can hike from there along the road to trail heads on Rt. 106.  Following Trail Conference inquiries, a road barrier at the circle on Seven Lakes Drive is being changed from "Road Closed" to "Road Closed Ahead" to permit legal access to the parking area. A full "Road Closed" barrier is in place just beyond the parking area.      Trail heads along the closed section of Rt. 106 can be accessed by walking along the road from the parking area. While many hoped that the road could be kept open during the winter, snow and rain in the weeks immediately after the park accepted the road from Orange County revealed that long-standing hazardous drainage issues on the road continue to exist. Discussions prompted by this road closure have included reports by hikers of additional restrictions on trail access elsewhere in the park. The Trail Conference is looking into these reports. We will post information as we learn it on our website at  nynjtc.org/news/news (select "Harriman Bear Mtn" content type and click "Apply".)   Please share this information with others who may need to be aware of it.

[njHiking.com]

Six Mile Run - Blue Trail from Canal Rd - 1/26/14

Still 4 to 5 inches of snow but well traveled with tracks from skis and snowshoes. MICROspikes were helpful but not entirely needed. Further along, snowshoes would have been better as the trail got less traffic and eventually petered out to unbroken snow.

[njHiking.com]

Merrill Creek Reservoir - Perimeter Trail - 2/1/14

Several inches of compacted snow in most areas, with some deeper and less traveled snow from near the footbridge to NW 2 Dike. We used MICROspikes because the packed snow had gotten a little slippery. Snowshoes would be overkill, but would still work.

[Brom Vermeulen]

Jenny Jump, Ghost Lake Trail, 2/2/2014

These were from yesterday, worthless today!

[Daniela Wagstaff]

Wharton State Forest, Batona Trail, Carranza Memorial to Apple Pie Hill - 02/09/2014

With another 1-3 inches of snow coming in tonight, this update will no longer be valid but at least you will know it started off with a clean slate.  NO SNOW in Wharton State Forest!  I had initially planned on hiking the Batona Trail from Ong's Hat in Brendan Byrne State Forest but there was still too much snow and ice so I kept heading south.  It was so nice to have solid ground to hike on with just a little patch of snow or ice here and there but the ground was at least 98% clear.  The green of the pine trees in the dead of winter was a nice bonus.

[njHiking.com]

Six Mile Run - Red Trail from Rt 27 lot - 2/16/14

We pulled into the lot to this surprise - totally unbroken snow. That's the trail sign way in the back, beyond the plow mountain and snowy lot.

We didn't chuck our snowshoes in the car like usual because we keep avoiding them, they're just too basic and are irritating/tiring to use for anything more than a short jaunt. But this was the first time this season we really needed them. And they weren't in the car. Of course.

Since we didn't feel like post-holing fresh snow we tried from the Jacques Lane lot.

Six Mile Run - Red Trail from Jacques Lane - 2/16/14

Deep snow that appeared to range from 18 - 24" and was not as broken and packed down as much as expected.  Red at first was fine, snowshoes had packed the trail into a walkable condition with the occasional punch through. Later, the snowshoe tracks disappeared and we were post-holing for a bit before picking up boot prints. Quite a bit of a workout but beautiful nonetheless.

We took advantage of winter clearance sales this weekend and ordered new snowshoes - so we've now guaranteed there will be no more significant snowfall in Jersey this season. Or for like the next 3 years...

[Daniela Wagstaff]

Very much appreciated, Dawn, securing minimal snowfall for us into the future.  I must confess, all of this snow has been my fault.  I sold my snowshoes after last winter because I hated them so much and never used them.  I am truly sorry for having set into motion storm after storm after storm... 

[njHiking.com]

ahh-ha! now we know the source of all this snow.

We figure now we're covered if it snows, and if we've prevented snow – well we'll just go hiking...

[njHiking.com]

Helyar Woods at Rutgers Gardens, New Brunswick - 2/23/14

Surprising amount of snow/ice cover even after several "warm" days, at what we thought would be a well used park.

Overall, the trail was a mix of slush, icy snow, frozen boot impressions, a few ski tracks, areas of 5"+ unbroken snow, and a decent dose of slick ice. There were a few short steep areas that we would have hated to do without our trusty MICROspikes.

[Daniela Wagstaff]

Bass River State Forest NJ - 2/23/14

People are jokingly accusing me of trying to pass off pictures from last May as pictures of this past Sunday's hike but honestly, these pictures are from last Sunday.  Headed south again for some blissfully clear trails and a day that felt like spring. 

http://gonehikin.blogspot.com/2014/02/bass-river-state-forest-nj-pl...

http://gonehikin.blogspot.com/2014/02/bass-river-state-forest-nj-jo...