Baldpate Mountain and Washingtons Crossing SP

[William and Marieann Bannan]

Finally, a decent day off with no rain in the forecast... I really wanted to get out hiking since I have not been able to do much this summer. Now, living in South Jersey, there is no where to go with any kind of decent views, so I figured I would have to drive a little bit. I had decided to go to Baldpate Mountain outside of Trenton, with a side trip to Washingtons Crossing SP in NJ/PA. The ride took about 1 1/2 hours , which really wasn't bad and faster than I thought. There are very few signs for Baldpate Mountain park, but thanks to the trusty GPS, I found Fiddlers Creek Road pretty easily.  I parked at the 2nd lot (the first is handicap parking ) which is where the trailhead is for the Summit Trail. The trail was a nice surprise as it was very rocky and a bit of a challenge (the parts that weren't rocky were a bit muddy, due to the ridiculous amount of rain this year). The trail itself follows blue blazes to the top of the hill (really not a mountain) and comes out by the old buildings of Kuser farm. After coming out by the buildings (which offers limited views of the Delaware River into PA) the blue trail turns right and continues to the summit. The views aren't bad, especially on a crystal clear day. The blue trail ends at the Red trail, which follows the crest of the hill. I followed the Red trail for a bit , then did a 180 and headed back because I really wanted to get to Washingtons Crossing. So I followed the red trail back to the blue trail and headed back... over all, I probably did about 4 miles at Baldpate, and was happy I made the trip... I will not elaborate on Washingtons Crossing SP, as I was there more for sight seeing and the history then I was for hiking. I can tell by looking at the trail map, that the SP has quite a few trails, although some areas of the park were closed. I did enjoy walking across the bridge into PA though, first time I ever walked from NJ to PA.

the "summit" looking into PA

 

Baldpate Mountain from bridge crossing Delaware into PA (Washingtons Crossing SP)

the Summit Trail (blue) at Baldpate Mountain

[Linda Frank]

Baldpate (Ted Stiles) is one of our favorites in the fall.  Like you both, we're in an area of Jersey that requires a good hour to hour and a half of drive time to hike anywhere w/appreciable elevation.  Do go back again to Wash. Crossing.  We've done the network of trails there at least three times that I can remember.  As the leaves change, it gets even better much like most hikes.  

Linda