We only had time for a short hike today, so we headed over to the Manasquan Reservoir in Howell. It was chilly – only 20 degrees when we left the house – making us question our choice of a park near open water. It was very, very brisk and we needed our winter hats/gloves still. We keep trying to put them away for the season, but this winter just keeps hangin’ on.

It’s been quite some time since we’d been to this very pretty park, as it’s more of a stroll around the reservoir rather than a hike. But by adding in the Cove Trail we managed to get in about 5.9 miles. Read more…

NJ Hiking NJ General Easy Hike, Lake

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

This is a small county park located in Old Bridge, NJ with a very nice trail system tucked away behind a ball field that we had no idea existed until I stumbled on the Middlesex County Parks and Recreation website one day… and found they have map PDFs for all their parks. Nice!

We managed to put a 5.1 mile loop together, and it would be easy to do less if you like. It’s not worth driving from far away to, but if you are in the area it’s a nice close-by park to get an easy hike in. We often go to Cheesequake for quick hikes, and now we have another option.

5.1 miles. There are several well marked loops, with mileage marked on the park map. We made the longest route we could, without taking out-and-backtrack spurs. Trail surface is very easy: level and soft pine needles, with boardwalks to cross brooks and wet areas.

The trail became a little less traveled and more remote after crossing Pleasant Valley Road, with some wet areas to hop w/o boardwalks. In this section we also ran into snow on the trail in many areas… a surprise after the warm spell and rain we had. Read more…

NJ Hiking NJ General Central NJ, Easy Hike, Middlesex

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

While looking up trail info for Double Trouble State Park, I stumbled upon a park right down the road from it: Jakes Branch County Park. We decided to check it out and then head down the street to Double Trouble to hit two parks in one day… for a hiking double-header.

Jakes Branch seems like relatively new park, with a 4 mile trail in addition to the usual ball fields, tennis courts, and picnic areas that county parks usually have. The visitor/nature center is large with nice displays and looks brand spanking new.

Be sure to head up the center’s observation deck for a view of the park from 5 stories up (this is ADA accessible with an elevator and automatic door). The pines around the park are visible, as well as the hanger the Hindenburg was kept in is viewable in the distance. Read more…

NJ Hiking Pine Barrens Easy Hike