<<<Hikes in NJ - Trails Less Taken

Washington Valley Park

Somerset County

 

Summary: Hike along Washington Valley Reservoir, East Branch Reservoir, Buttermilk Falls and a Hawk Watch in this Central New Jersey Park.

 

6.8 miles - RED - ORANGE - YELLOW loop, 2.0 miles – BLUE loop.

Easy to moderate trail surface. Hard-packed and rocky, but with loose, smaller rocks… easy to slide on. Minimal elevation changes.

• Shorter - do just the RED loop, or the WHITE loop (unknown mileage)

• Longer - we combined both loops for a 8.8 mile hike.

Map: print it out from the Washington Valley Park site; Paper maps: Look for a hard to spot wooden mailbox labeled "maps" that is actually on the fence between the trail and the parking lot. It's near the kiosk, to the right if you are in the parking lot. (updated 9/9/10; thanks to Holly for info)

 

Books: None of our books mentioned this park, not sure why. Perhaps the trails are newer, or that it is a biking park... not sure.

 

Parking: 287N to exit for Thompson Ave (think it was 13b). Took that north till it ends, and turn right onto Chimney Rock road. Left on Washington Valley Road. Left on Newman’s Lane. Parking is a large paved lot on the left, after you pass a bridge. The park site has directions from Rt. 22.

 

There is another lot at the hawk watch, and a small lot on Gilbride Rd that is not marked on the map.

 

Restrooms: porta-john in the Newman’s Lane Lot. The lot by the hawk watch had nothing.

 

Hike Directions: Overview: BLUE loop then back to lot - RED to ORANGE to YELLOW back to ORANGE to RED

 

The park is split in sections but connectible by crossing roads. We first did the BLUE trail from the parking lot on Newman’s Lane (2 miles), then from the lot again, we took the RED trail along the Reservoir, crossed Chimney Rock Rd. to the ORANGE trail to Gilbride Road to the YELLOW trail.

 

The trails are somewhat confusing: there are ‘inner’ and ‘perimeter’ loops for each trail color, denoted by square signs (perimeter) and circle (inner). There are also “connector” trails blazed by a black C on white, but shown as a solid color of the main trail on the map. There are also unmarked trails not on the map.

 

Because of how the trails are on the map,with all the connector trails, it’s hard to describe our route… We've highlighted the trail map to show the route and noted the key points below.

 

BLUE loop:

Cross the road to the trail, follow the SQUARES for the perimeter trail. Return to lot.

 

RED - ORANGE - YELLOW loop:

0.0 Pick up RED perimeter (RED SQUARE) from the lot. It will follow the reservoir, and there are some rocks to sit on overlooking the water.

 

0.7 - connector to a woods road that takes you to Chimney Rock Road. This area was unclear, it seemed like you were supposed to continue on the trail at this point. Facing the woods road from the trail, you need to make a left.

 

Follow this woods road downhill a bit, it then turns right and you will see a bridge out to a building on the reservoir.

 

1.1 - Cross busy Chimney Rock Road. The trail marker is not obvious: cross the road and walk left to where the guardrail ends. The ORANGE trail starts here, but is not marked right away.

 

1.7 - Trail hits Gilbride Road - turn right and walk over the bridge, then right after the bridge turn right again onto the trail... it's not clear. There is actually another path a few steps down, and both take you to the same spot.

 

You are now on the YELLOW perimeter trail (YEL SQUARE) Follow this, paying attention to the markers to skip over the inner (CIRCLE) and connector trails as you go.

 

At the end of the yellow, all the way on the east side, there is a connector loop. We took this to see how it was... and it was very overgrown and grassy. In fact, I almost stepped on a 4 foot black snake hidden in the grass. The loop wasn't that interesting, and it was a little confusing with extra trails not on the map, so we recommend you just keep on the perimeter trail here.

 

3.4 - The trail ends up on a road... it seems like you want to make a left... but you want to turn RIGHT here, then LEFT at the road in a few steps. This is the parking lot for the hawk watch. Walk past the gate on a paved path.

 

The view is of a rock quarry... so while interesting, it's not that scenic. Hawks like it though, and a hawk count is kept from August-November, more info here.

 

Continue on the YELLOW trail. We went down to look at the dam and Buttermilk Falls (just OK, the falls is just the water coming over the dam), then followed the trail along the East Branch Reservoir. This isn't technically the YELLOW trail, but you meet back up with it.

 

Continue on YELLOW to end up back at the same spot on Gilbride Road... turn left,over the bridge, then left again on to the trail.

 

Meet up with ORANGE again, it splits in a Y... we went left and took the portion of the ORANGE perimeter trail we hadn't before.

 

5.5 - Back at Chimney Rock Rd again, cross the road, retracing your steps to the RED perimeter trail.

 

5.8 - took the other section of RED perimeter back to the lot.