Easy loop through pine and deciduous forest, briefly following along the Manasquan River.
The forecast was calling for a windy and super cold day plus we only had time to get a quick hike in. Somehow we always end up at Turkey Swamp when its freezing or the ground is snow covered.
The forecast was spot on – with the wind chill it felt like 8-10 degrees out.
With the right gear however, it’s not really an issue. For help with cold weather hiking, pop on over to our Winter Hiking Tips page.
Miles: 3.7 – very easy trail surface, basically no elevation change.
Route: Old Lenape – Manasquan – Alder
Full a detailed hike guide visit our main Turkey Swamp County Park page.
We started from the main parking lot, Oak Point.
The trail head for Old Lenape isn’t obvious: with your back to the building it’s off to the right side of the parking lot and across the park road.
We took that section of the Old Lenape loop until it hit the Manasquan Trail and turned right onto that.
After crossing the park road, Manasquan approaches the lake.
Just before arriving at the lake, the Alder Trail turns right. Follow that back to the parking lot. (There is a bench by the lake you can stop at before turning onto Alder.)
Hunting: Allowed on the Manasquan Trail area, and also bow hunting on Sundays as well… be sure to be rockin’ the blaze orange.