For our annual New Years Day hike we ended up at Mahlon Dickerson Reservation. Many people had the same idea, whether it was to take advantage of the unusually mild (low-50s) winter day or maybe getting an early start on a New Years resolution to exercise more.

We chose Mahlon because we wanted a moderate loop that we’d mostly done before so we didn’t have to think too hard after having our annual ‘wine-n-cheesies’ the night before. Mahlon’s trails are very scenic, plus there is Headley overlook and another viewpoint. (Both viewpoints are a little drab this time of year however)

We planned on parking at the Saffin Dam lot. While I knew that there was a Highlands Trail re-route on the one side of the dam, I didn’t know the entire Saffin Pond parking lot was roped-off and closed (and porta-john removed). There were several cars parked along the road but we decided to head further down the road to another parking lot and start our route from there.

Saffin Pond is really pretty, but if you are heading just to the park just to see it – hold off. It’s not-so-scenic while they are working on the dam. The water is very low, and there is construction equipment at the dam. The trails in the park are fine and worth hiking though!

>>>For more info, trail maps, and other hikes in Mahlon, check out Headley Overlook or the Beaver Brook Trail. Read more…

NJ Hiking Morris County Parks Lake, Morris, Viewpoint

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

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

Complete hike details found on the Green Lane Park page.

Decided on Green Lane Park in southeastern Pennsylvania in an attempt to find some fall foliage, and it ended up being a good choice. While open areas like the highways on the way or around the water were past peak or had mostly leaf drop, in the forest on the trails themselves the leaves were gorgeous.

We’d never been to this park before, so we decided to follow a book (AMC’s Best Day Hikes Near Philadelphia) instead of trying to whip up our own route. Read more…

NJ Hiking Other Lake, Moderate

Complete hike details on our State Line page.

The fall foliage maps pointed to the Bearfort Mountain region being at peak color. They were right. The last time we hiked to Surprise Lake there weren’t many leaves on the trees, so we wanted to come back to get photos during autumn.

This hike has tons of views of Greenwood Lake and the surrounding NJ/NY area, a nice lake, and multiple rock scrambles. Most people probably just do the 4.1 mile loop around the lake, but we added on two viewpoints along the Appalachian Trail in NY. This section was much nicer than when we went south last time. Another option is to make a larger loop by using the Bearfort Ridge and Quail Trails, and of course you can go for a very long way on the AT.

There were a lot of hikers and hiking groups there, and they all were going around the loop opposite than what we do. We like to hit the view over Greenwood Lake and arrive at Surprise Lake early and have them to ourselves, which also allow us to tack on the AT out and back at the end… but you can do the loop the other way. Some scrambles on Ernest Walker may be easier that direction.

Note: There is a ladder to the a viewpoint on the AT north. It’s more like climbing up skinny steps than a ladder… but if you hike with a dog that doesn’t do well with scrambling, check out the photo of it in the gallery.

Parking: N41 11.146 W74 19.918 – 287N to exit 55, Rt 511 towards Wanaque. Follow 511 as it makes a right (Lakeside Rd) and hugs the west side of Greenwood Lake. Take it all the way to just before the NY border (if you hit the border, you went too far). The parking is tough to spot, it’s on the left across from a marina. Go straight back on a rutted dirt road (we managed in a car) to the trail sign. Very limited parking.

Restrooms: None. There was a gas station as you turned onto Lakeside Rd., and before that there are ones on 511.

Miles: 7.2 – Rocky trail, steep right in the beginning, multiple elevation changes. Even though it’s not a long hike, we’d rate it challenging due to the rock scrambles. Read more…

NJ Hiking Bearfort Ridge Appalachian Trail, Challenging, Lake, Passaic, Rhododendron, Scrambling, Viewpoint