<<<Best Hikes in NJ

Black River Trail -
Cooper Mill Park, Chester Township

•Trail Map
•Cooper Mill Park info

 

Parking: Route 206 to 513 West (old Rt 24). 1.5 miles on 513, Mill parking lot is on the left. There are bathrooms open when the Mill is, but also two porta-johns in the parking lot. Kiosk usually has trail maps.

 

Trail Summary: 3.8 miles roundtrip. This is a great easy starter hike through a very pretty area along the Black River.

 

Hike Directions: From the parking lot, walk toward the Mill and down some steps. Cross a small footbridge and follow the BLUE markers. The trail follows the river, then past Kay's pond, and past a fenced-in area of the old Hacklebarney mine. The trail will split - bear left and follow BLUE as it climbs up a hill. At a clearing there will be a trail sign for RED, continue following BLUE to the left. They trail opens up into a field and Kay Environmental Center.

 

You can retrace your route to return to the lot.

 

Longer Options: You can also continue further on BLUE (from Kay BLUE is called the Bamboo Brook trail). A 6.7 mile loop is in our trail blog.

 

If you are looking to do a really long trail, you can check our trail blog for a challenging 14.8 loop from Cooper Mill to Willowbrook Arboretum and back)