We hike on New Years Day every year – it’s a great way to kick off the new year. Weather was cloudy when we started out but not windy. The sun came out around noon and it got up in the mid-40s and was very comfortable.

Located in Ocean County, super easy access – right off the Parkway at exit 69, left onto 532 W, entrance is about 2.5 miles down, on the left. This is a no-hunting park. Get the trail map here.

This was our first time here and we wished we’d check out this park sooner, it’s just really nice with well maintained facilities and trails. It’s also a great intro to the terrain of the Pine Barrens. Right at the start of the hike you walk through an Atlantic white cedar swamp which was just really neat – and pretty.

The terrain switches to just pine barren with areas of cedar swamp sprinkled throughout. There are many narrow boardwalks over wet areas or streams which can get slippery when wet or icy…

There are bathrooms near the parking lot, a map kiosk, a playground and a nice visitor center which was closed. The bathrooms are seasonal, and I don’t recall passing anything on 532 so the best bet is a reststop on the parkway (traveling south there was one around 74).

We did the WHITE blazed 8.4 mile Penns Hill Trail, in roughly 4 hrs. There are other trails that allow you to make shorter loops. The hike starts behind the visitor center and is very well marked, there wasn’t one instance where we questioned which way to go. There are also some mileage signs along the way so you know how far you’ve gone – a nice touch. Some minor road noise wasn’t too bad. The park has a secluded feel but the trail is within earshot of the road which would remind you that you weren’t really in the middle of nowhere.

The trail surface is rock-free, pine needles and sand. There are some minor rolling hills… which is unusual in the pine barrens. (really minor – the elevation of Laurel Hill is only 130′!!!)

We had snow the day before which was mostly melted, leaving some slush and several inches of water in spots. The trail seemed to get sandier as you went, and in warmer weather that may prove to be more tiring… it was frozen and easy to walk on today.

*Tick warning… even tho it was January we ended up with 1 tick on a pant leg. We don’t use bug spray in January but I guess it got warm enough for them. So if you can get a tick in January, imagine what you’d end up with in the summer – be prepared!

Located in Union County. Parkway to 78W, exit 43… directions here. The Trailside Museum at the main parking lot is open 12-5 and is very nice. Other restrooms were open earlier in a nearby building, follow the signs from the lot.

Did the Sierra Trail, an 11-mile loop around the perimeter. We have mixed feelings about this park. In fact, we’ve been here only once before, about 5 yrs ago, and it’s taken us this long to give it another go. With rain forecasted for Sunday and recent snows in northern Jersey, we were looking for a park that was no-hunting and not snow covered…

On the plus side… it is no-hunting (except for some days in March), has plenty of trails including the long Sierra Trail, with mostly pleasant hiking surface that wasn’t too hilly or rocky in case of snow or ice. There are also some interesting areas of the park such as the deserted village of Feltville, a small cemetery, and a few old building remains. Ice hanging from the overhanging cliffs and a dam added interest to the hike.

On the minus side… you won’t feel like you’ve gotten away from it all. This is an urban park with constant traffic noise in varying degrees, some houses butt right up against the park, so while the trail is nice, the ambiance is lacking is many places.

At the far end of the park, it heads downhill and there was the stench of factory fumes, then the trail jackknifes back and goes along a very nice stream that is smack next to a very busy and noisy road. A couple times the trail requires crossing a well trafficked road. One section of the trail near the stables had been recently flattened by an earth mover.

But this park was good to get a long hike in during hunting season, and it was less than an hour from our house. I would imagine it is very crowded during the summer, as the park is more suited for the casual hiker, dog walker, picnicker, and trail jogger.

Headed to our favorite go-to park when we don’t have a lot of time to drive to something longer: Cheesequake State Park. Did a quick 4.3 miler that combined the YELLOW, BLUE and GREEN trails. It was a nice day, but you could certainly tell that winter is coming – was glad I grabbed my fleece at the last moment.

A lot of the park is marshy with boardwalks and the trail surface is easy. One of our favorite parks for getting a quick 4 or 5 miles in.

Trail conditions were really slippery so we chose a mostly level trail and did a 7.2 mile loop around Pine Meadow Lake. RED to WHITE to Unmarked Trail to Woods Road to RED to WHITE/BLUE-WHITE to WHITE/YEL to YEL to RED…

This is a really pretty (and popular) area, as the trail follows a lovely brook to the lake and back. The leaves were past peak, but nearer the water there were still vibrant colors.

It was damp, dark, drizzly and foggy all day so it really felt like Halloween. Half-way thru the hike I realized I was wearing an orange tee with my black backpack, and Tom had a black tee with his orange backpack… we were dressed for Halloween totally by accident.