287 to Exit 45. About 45 minutes from Central NJ. Bathrooms in visitor center; clean porta in lot w/TP. Usually park map at kiosk.

Turkey mountain trails are across the street from the lot. Pyramid Mtn trails leave from lot.

YELLOW – RED – BLUE. 5.25 miles.

Crossed street directly across from visitor center (other end of lot leads to 100 steps trailhead) Took yellow. At intersection with green, a nice small waterfall and stream. Yellow then loops around and follows a quiet road for awhile before crossing the stream on the road and heading back in the woods. Yellow ends at intersection with red, took right red spur. Near intersection with the 100 steps, took blue back to lot.

*check this

Heavy flurries for the first hour coated the trail and made for a scenic – but cold (windy, under 30 degrees) – morning out.

NJ Hiking Morris County Parks

Grand Loop/Blue. 6.5 miles. $4 fee, honor system payable at visitor center. Nat’l Park pass accepted.

Parked by restrooms in the center of the park, and picked up Blue Trail to Stark’s Brigade encampment area, then onto Grand Loop. Followed south past visitor center, across road and looped back up past Girl Scouts building. Could pick up NJ Brigade trail here into southern portion of Morristown Nat’l Park for a longer loop.

Mostly easy and level, but with several steep hill sections. Followed Grand Loop up the west side of the park then back to the parking lot.

NJ Hiking Jockey Hollow

Rt. 287 to 78 to 22, follow park signs. About 40 minutes. Maps at Ranger Station. Year round restrooms at East Picnic Area past ranger station (heated building, clean). Outhouses along Lower Cushetank/Campground trail, open as well (usable, even had TP). Cushetunk Trail (Red) to Picnic area and back via Lower Cushetunk. 10.2 miles in 3 hrs, 45 minutes. Parked by Ranger but actual trail parking is at South Lot. 15 minute parking by ranger in season.

First 2.5 is boring, open, near the road at parts, no Resevoir views really. Then becomes wooded. Quite hilly, loose rock. Multiuse trail. Several mountain bikers, horse droppings. Popular bike trail and as there aren’t many good ones in NJ, I imagine this is very popular in nice weather – prob want to avoid hiking then. Several nice hills for them to zip down and they’d come around corners fast and there you were.

Just OK overall as 5 miles of the trip was dull. The woods was nice but not spectacular. Several houses nearby. The trail didn’t run right along the resevoir, so there were only glimpses of it through the trees. Trail is ok as a hilly workout but not real scenic.

*Note: Red trail is 8.3 miles one way and does NOT loop back, the last bit is restricted. There is another parking lot on that end, intend to see if it’s any more interesting that way.

Park Info

NJ Hiking Round Valley

Exit 30b off 287, follow signs. 45 minutes to get to park. Fee is $4 or Nat’l Park Pass (on honor system). Restrooms at visitor center, and in center of park (closed for season, porta available. Decent, with TP and hand sanitizer)

Rolling wooded hills, wide woods road. Decent network of easy trails; long loops possible, some moderate hills. No packs/poles. Used by locals for jogging/dog walking. Several unleashed dogs. Many Revolutionary War buildings here; did not check out.

Did about 4.8 miles. Started at Trailhead Parking, blue to Grand Loop (white). Knee conked out, decided to cut short via yellow back to car. Then hiked a ways up to bathrooms (road is one way at bathrooms before trail parking) Started to rain so it worked out.

Morris County Parks

NJ Hiking Jockey Hollow

Trailhead requires parking on a street in a neighborhood in front of a house, and walking behind houses on a utility road. Unmarked dirt roads used by ATVs criss cross all over. Old cranbury bog. Trash and dumping everywhere: NOT SCENIC.

Deer stands all over. Did a few miles and left; not sure worth returning to even though it is nearby.

NJ Hiking NJ General