Detailed hike info on our Hartshorne Woods page.

We took a little time off around the holidays so of course we needed to get some hikes in. Since it was a weekday we wanted a park that was no-hunting (though it is closed a few days in December) plus we didn’t feel like driving far so we decided to hit up Hartshorne Woods Park in Middletown.

It was also forecast to be very cold (like in the mid-30s brr) so we wanted a park we could bail on if we had enough. Of course, the forecast for the next day changed from rain to the 50s as we were heading out the door. Ah, well.

We knew it was a long time since we’d been to this park, but until I couldn’t find an entry in our Trail Blog (which goes back to 2006) I didn’t realize how long. I had to root through our photos to discover we’d last been in 2003. Yikes.

It’s a very nice park but we had found the multi-use trails a nuisance – not that the bike riders were anything but polite – we just prefer to hike without the possibility of a bike whizzing ’round the corner, so we had put the park on a back burner. Even on a chilly Thursday we saw a handful of bike riders, so imagine on a warm weekend. Read more…

NJ Hiking NJ General Central NJ, Historical, Moderate, Viewpoint

Hike details found on the Thompson Park page.

We were looking for a hike that was relatively nearby and not too long, as we were going to be out late the night before. Thompson Park (not to be confused with Thompson Park in Middlesex County) was on our list of ‘short hikes to check out’.

I’d always thought this park was just a take-a-stroll, play-some-soccer kind of park until I stumbled upon it’s trail map online. The longest trail on the park map listed was the Reservoir Loop, described as a 4.8 mile loop around the reservoir and lake, so we opted for that.

Overall, this hike was the right choice for a nearby park we could still get some miles in… but it traveled a lot more through fields and on grass than we care for. It was also very sparsely marked, BLUE marker posts were only at some junctions. We could mostly tell where we were by looking at the map, but it required many stops to double check. Read more…

NJ Hiking Other Central NJ, Easy Hike, Lake, Monmouth

Hike details found on the Jockey Hollow page. 

We ended up at Morristown National Park for Veteran’s Day Weekend, hiking Jockey Hollow and a bit into the adjacent Lewis Morris Park. It had been over two years since we’d done the Grand Loop and Mt Kemble Loop trails.

As soon as we drove into the park, it was apparent that Snowtober had taken it’s toll with many toppled trees, trees snapped in half, and many downed branches. Of course it was more of the same on the trails themselves.

Even though all the trails had been cleared, we passed so many blowdowns… many still with full fall foliage on them. Foliage was well past it’s prime at the park and the trail was covered with a thick carpet of leaves, but there still was the occasional tree in full on yellow or golds.

We had decided to just go for a hike and not lug around the SLR or the video camera for a change, figuring that the park would be on the brown side… and it was. This is a beautiful park regardless, but there aren’t many overlooks and w/o green or fall foliage, there wasn’t enough for us to warrant hauling the gear. Sometimes you just want to hike. Read more…

NJ Hiking Jockey Hollow, Morris County Parks Central NJ, Historical, Moderate

We tried this loop in early February but the slushy snow caused us to cut things short. This time the snow was all gone, and we were able to hike the entire park. There is a nice mix of pine trees and deciduous forest, the Manasquan river, and a lake and swamp area.

8.1 miles. Trail surface is easy and level; this hike is moderate only due to length. Lots of opportunities for short hikes in this park (distances noted on the park map). We had to piece together all the trails to put together a long loop.

Started at the trailhead parking on Nomoco Road (at a maintenance building). There is a trail kiosk which had printed maps. Walk behind the building to spot the BLUE trail marker. Read more…

NJ Hiking NJ General Central NJ, Moderate, Monmouth

This is a small trail system located in Monroe Township. The wooded trails are easy, with a bit of rolling hills and a meandering stream.

It’s part of Thompson Park, which we’d checked out probably some ten years ago and determined there weren’t any trails there, just the usual park stuff, dirt park trails around playgrounds, a zoo… nice, but not what we were looking for. It’s possible we missed the trails because they are south of the main park, or that trail info online was so much harder to find in the olden days… or maybe they are just newer.

At any rate, this another addition to our list of close-by parks for a quick hike. At even less mileage than a park we did last week (John A. Philips Park) this is not a park to check out if you have to drive far to it.

2.6 Miles. We pieced together the longest route we could, without taking the spur trails and having the walk back along the park road. The trailhead is next to the dog run area (Perrineville Road to Fir Drive). No maps were at the kiosk. There is a restroom building near the parking lot. Read more…

NJ Hiking NJ General Central NJ, Easy Hike, Middlesex