Batona Trail / Batsto Lake Trail 9/23/10

[William and Marieann Bannan]

My original plan was to go to Fair Hill NRMA outside of Elkton MD for a full day of hiking (anyone been there?) , but considering it was suppose to be 85 and humid in Elkton, decided to stay closer to home and go to Batsto Village in Wharton State Park. I decided to do the Batona Trail/ White Trail Loop which is 4 miles. All trails leave from the back of the parking lot by the picnic area. This is the typical hike through the pine barrens in South Jersey, the trail is mostly hard packed sand with tree roots sticking out everywhere. The first half of the hike is along the Batona Trail, which is a 44 mile trail that leads through the pine barrens. At the 2-mile mark, the white trail heads off to the left, while the Batona Trail goes straight. The White Trail (also known as the Batsto Lake Trail) runs along the bluffs of Batsto Lake for the remaining 2 miles as it heads back towards Batsto Village. Wildlife was very scarce today, maybe because of the humidity, with the only exciting thing I saw was a great Blue Heron. The hike itself was very quiet and serene with just the sound of the occasional airplane overhead and the occasional squirrel rustling leaves while running from me.

looks like evidence of fire recently (probably controlled burn.)

the White Trail