Detailed hike info and directions on our Estelle Manor Park page.

The weekend after New Years we found ourselves in southern Jersey for post-holiday gatherings two nights in a row, and took advantage of hotel stays to check out some smaller parks we wouldn’t normally drive down to: Estelle Manor Park and then Wenonah Woods the next day. We even lucked out with a gorgeous upper-50s day.

We hit Estelle Manor Park on our way out of Atlantic City. Trails here are super easy – flat, level, packed sand typical of Jersey’s Pine Barrens. This park is more of a ‘hey let’s go for a walk or have a picnic” kinda park and not a remote hiking destination but it’s worth a visit. A big highlight of this park is the long section of boardwalk called the Pine Swamp Trail. Read more…

NJ Hiking Pine Barrens Easy Hike, Historical

Hike details found on the Belleplain State Forest page.

After a few weekend obligations and my nagging cold kept us from getting in any hikes other than a couple jaunts at Cheesequake, we were happy to get back out this weekend.

Since we were dog-sitting in south Jersey we took advantage of having lodging only about a half hour from Belleplain (normally would be about 2 hrs from central NJ). Bela is an avid hiker, but at age 15 with cranky joints is now retired from long hikes, so we couldn’t take her along (although she’d still try and hike all day if you let her!)

Belleplain State Forest is in the New Jersey Pine Barrens… so it’s all endless pine and Atlantic white cedar – quite different from the north part of NJ. South Jersey is also flat as a pancake so the hiking is easy. Read more…

NJ Hiking Pine Barrens Lake, Moderate, South NJ

This may be our favorite hike in the Pine Barrens. It’s the typical pine trees and packed sandy trails, but adds in views along the Mullica River and just seems to be the most scenic and pleasant route in the area.

We decided we couldn’t bear to trudge through even one little bit of slushy snow today, so we opted to head down south again. The weather did not disappoint – 50 sunny degrees that felt more like the end of March than February.

9.6 miles. Trail surface is level, soft sand and pine needles, barely any elevation change. We’d rate it between moderate and challenging only due to length, the trail itself is very easy.

All trails are well marked with mileage signs along the way and at intersections. As with any hike in the pine barrens, keep an eye on the blazes to make sure you don’t wander off onto one of the many unmarked sand roads. Read more…

NJ Hiking Pine Barrens Moderate, South NJ

We tried this hike nearly one year ago to the day but had to cut it short due to snow (see “Brendan Bryne – Pakim Pond/Mt. Misery Trail“). So this time we waited for the snow to be finally gone from South Jersey before we headed down.

This trail is a great sample of New Jersey’s pine barrens: endless pine, sandy trails covered in pine needles, and cranberry bogs. It’s also a hike that is more about the journey than the destination: Mt. Misery is the end point but there is not much to see… just the back of some old, uninteresting buildings. And it’s not even a hill, let alone a mount!

9.9 miles. While long in length, we’d rate this hike somewhere between moderate and challenging. Moderate, since the trail surface is level, and covered with soft pine needles or sand roads. Challenging, because it still is almost 10 miles plus we feel it can be easy to get lost here. If you’ve never hiked 10 miles but regularly do 7 or 8 (or even 6) mile hikes on the hills and rocks of Northern Jersey, this could still be doable for you. Read more…

NJ Hiking Pine Barrens Lake, Moderate, South NJ

With a name like “Double Trouble“, how can you not check out this park?

But, somehow, we never had in all our years of hiking. Mainly because the New
Jersey Walk Book listed it as having only a 1.5 mile trail, and driving an hour for 1.5 miles just isn’t our thing. I decided to look into it again recently and found that there are trails in addition to the 1.5 marked nature trail. I also found Jakes Branch County Park right down the street so we decided to do both in the same day.

The trails are actually sand roads to service the cranberry bogs. It’s interesting walking around and between the bogs… but it’s not really what we consider hiking. It’s better for a little stroll or taking the dog for a walk, but fine for a cold weather hike too. Some of the sand roads were still covered in packed snow or ice, even though there wasn’t much snow elsewhere.

The sand roads are unmarked, so have the map with you – though it’s pretty easy to figure where you are at any time. Read more…

NJ Hiking Pine Barrens Easy Hike, Historical