Hello all,
We have lots more great stuff coming up through the month of October!
Moving forward, we will cover plenty more local spots, develop new trails, and also branch out into areas farther away.
We recently made a very huge connection in the Catskills covering the new re route of the Long Path over Romer Mountain, Mount Pleasant, and Cross Mountain. We covered this in addition to the entire Burroughs Range as a day hike. Quite the undertaking!
We have plenty more interesting things coming up, and so many of them are part of a "series".
For those of your who are new to Metrotrails, let me explain a bit of what we do with our hikes (Of course, we build and maintain trails too, but it all started with the hikes).
Every hike is intended to connect to a previous hike we have done. These hikes all become part of an interconnected series. Just as many hikers traditionally will try to hike the entire Appalachian Trail, we are similar but on a much broader scope.
The Jersey Perimeter Series is a perfect example.
No
one has ever hiked the entire perimeter of NJ as closely as possible,
and that was not something that started as a firm "plan". Back in the
early 2000s, it was a goal to hike all the way to the open ocean. This
was reached through a rail line series; I had wanted to hike the entire
Lehigh Valley Railroad route from Pennsylvania to it's former eastern
terminus at Perth Amboy. We did this, then opted to continue hiking the
beach to the south. Similarly, we followed the coast as closely as
possible to the north. On the western part of the state, we hiked the
old Bel Del Railroad right of way and Delaware and Raritan Canal. By the
time I reached Seaside Heights, I knew I wanted to one day hike the
entire perimeter of the state. It did not become a serious endeavor,
where we would devote one Sunday per month to the effort until a couple
years ago.
Our last piece of oceanfront beach was part of LBI, which we recently finished up.
We were also featured in a very nice article in the local periodicle, the SandPaper out of LBI for this accomplishment! You can see the article here, it can be found on page 38:
http://thesandpaper.v...
Further, we had the good fortune of even more PR through the Rails to Trails Conservancy who have spotlighted NJ in the most recent publication! The article of theirs can be seen here:
http://community.rail...
So what is coming up and where does it fit? For this newsletter, I will go into a bit more detail about where we are going and why. It will shine some light on what might crop up as more future series'....
10/19: Governor Dick Hill and Mt. Gretna Area Loop
This hike will be a loop meeting in the village of Colebrook, Lebanon Valley Rail Trail lot. The hike will be mainly on the rail trail and the Horse-Shoe Trail.
The Horse-Shoe Trail is a very interesting trail that was intended to connect Philadelphia with the Appalachian Trail in St. Anthony's Wilderness, and I have been trying to complete the entire thing. Four more hikes will finish the trail for me.
10/25: Spruce Run Perimeter
This Saturday hike will be hosted by both Metrotrails and the NJ State Park Service through my job. It was decided that we should do the entire perimeter of the reservoir because the water is currently the lowest it has been in at least 12 years. As part of the hike, we will visit the new Solitude Heritage Museum at the historic Joseph Turner House. We celebrated our 500th hike years ago with the opening of their Taylor Steelworkers Historic Greenway which we helped to develop, and we've been wanting to bring the group to their newest museum, so this was the perfect opportunity.
10/26: Jersey Perimeter; Jakes Landing and East Point
We return to the Delaware Bay area where we left off last fall to continue north from Jake's Landing. The route will be back roads, woods roads, trails, and more. It is one of only twenty some hikes needed to complete our perimeter journey. This will also be one of our annual costume hikes. These routes are usually rather easy but are a completely different experience than some of the traditional trail hikes.
10/31: Gregg's Halloween Hike and Party
Long time Metrotrails member Gregg Hudis is hosting people at his house, and we'll do an area hike as part of it.
11/2: Fahnstock and Hudson Appalachian Trail
The Appalachian Trail has always been something we at Metrotrails avoid doing in full sections, because everyone seems to do that, but some sections are not always as easy to do as a circuit because of the lack of loop trails. With only a few in this section, it was decided we'd do some all-AT hikes with the purpose of connecting to the Connecticut line! We'll be doing a few AT hikes both north and southbound.
11/4: Jersey Perimeter; Forked River and Waretown
This Tuesday hike, beginning at 10 am for Election Day, is another in the perimeter series that we missed along the Barnegat Bay. The entire east side of the state is nearly finished, save for a couple of stray sections. This is the biggest chunk left of the few. We'll follow back streets, random woods, and some lesser known trails through the area in what is sure to be a pleasant walk.
11/9: Lackawanna and Moosic Mountain Loop
This hike is part of the Lackawanna Heritage Trail series, but works out as a loop to further explore Moosic Mountain, a very interesting area steeped in coal history. This is also one of four planned hikes to connect to Hancock, NY where the east and west branches of the Delaware come together. We have one unconnected hike up there. All connecting hikes should be very interesting routes along the O&W Rail Trail and the D&H Rail Trail, both of which we'll explore more in the future.
11/11: Veterans Day Appalachian Trail Cross Susquehanna Hike
Another AT hike, this one too has very few loop opportunities, and therefore is posted as a linear trip. It will lead from where we last left off on the AT at Ebberson Conservation Area and head west across the Susquehanna to Duncannon. It is one of two hikes necessary to connect with another hundred miles I've done at Cumberland Ridge and Valley. This one will have great views of the Susquehanna.
11/15 or 11/16: NY/NJ Ramapo Hike
This hike is not yet posted, but it will likely be a very diverse route between NY and NJ following several trails in the Ramapos. There are so many we've yet to cover, and the area is simply wonderful to hike this time of year. We will likely cover some of the Ramapo-Dunderberg Trail and many others with great views and historic sites in Mahwah.
11/23: Jersey Perimeter; Thompson Beach and Port Norris
This point to point trip is the next one up from East Point, but it will overlap the previous one just slightly. The hike is almost entirely different but reaches a different point on the bay. It will otherwise be very similar to the previous one, but unpredictable as these hikes tend to be. This one too features some lovely dirt roads.
11/30: Bluestone Wild Forest to Kingston
This is interesting hike is part of the series to hike the entire Ulster and Delaware Railroad, as well as the final connection to all of the trips we've done in the Catskills, which encompasses 150 miles of stuff that has not been connected to the rest of our hikes. We have been working on connecting this for quite some time.
After this, we will have covered the entire Ulster and Delaware right of way from it's eastern terminus at Kingston Point to Mt. Tremper, then from Fox Hollow to Bloomville. The short section in the Phoenicia area and the remainder of the line to it's former terminus in Oneanta NY may one day be the subject of other hikes, though probably not for a while because of the long distance.
Also, note that this year's holiday NY City hike will be 12/21!
Now, with a greater understanding of these series', I would like to offer something a little more with these news letters, in the form of more rich trail guides and history.
Many of the routes we have followed are formal trails, many are not. In some cases, portions are now trail but other sections are not. We present some of these sections on our official website, www.metrotrails.org as sort of "conceptual trails".
This time, I'd like to showcase the Bel Del Rail Trail...you can see our guide to it here:
http://www.metrotrail...
The trail has fit in a great deal with the perimeter of NJ series.
In Trenton, the trail is separate from the Delaware and Raritan Canal. The two come together on the north side of town. It is a shame that the rail trail loses it's identity to the more famous and popular D&R Canal. Of course, the canal came first, but the trail on the Delaware River side more closely follows the railroad bed than the canal.
The trail merges with the D&R Canal along the feeder north of town, from which point the trail crosses the canal on a former rail bridge and remains on the rail bed most of the way. Most trail uses do not even know that this section was the railroad as well as canal towpath.
There are only occasional clues that this was part of the old Belvidere and Delaware Railroad.
"The Bel Del" was completed to Lambertville in 1851, then extended to Belvidere by 1855 via Phillipsburg. It was later extended in 1864 to reach the Delaware, Lackawanna, and Western at Manunka Chunk.
Only the occasional spur bridge to quarries across the feeder canal show the former history as a railroad line.
The section of trail heading into Lambertville is quite scenic with many views to the Delaware River.
In Lambertville, the trail route changes. Tracks appear once again along the old Bel Del, and the state park's trail crosses to the other side of the canal. In more recent years, excursion trails ran to Lambertville from as far as Flemington, but have not been used in many years.
The tracks are mostly overgrown, and they diverge from the canal for a time.
The tracks have a path along them which is used as a loop within the town of Lambertville, although the section with trackage is not signed with any trail signage. This section also has an abandoned car on it.
To the north of here, the rail line crosses over the Alexauken Creek on a bridge, while the adjacent canal crosses by way of an aqueduct. Just beyond this point, the towpath trail once again crosses and follows the railroad bed to the north.
The spur line, originally the Flemington Branch of the Bel Del, breaks off to the right, crossing the canal. Maps will show this as the Pennsylvania Railroad, which absorbed the entire Bel Del system later.
Another quarry spur is the lone remnant of the rail line in the section ahead. The canal weaves around, while the trail remains on the level, flat path of the railroad line. After not long, the canal departs to the left, with it's own trail along the side, though less developed. From here to Frenchtown, the trail almost solely follows the rail bed.
At Stockton, the trail passes the old station, with the canal further to the west, closer to the river. The canal trail ends, while the rail trail continues to the north, to Prallsville. A little section of track and an historic marker thankfully offers a glimpse of the railroad's history. The rail trail crosses the Wickecheoke Creek at Prallsville Mill, pictured, and below the D&R Feeder Canal nearly disappears into the river. A narrow berm of trees in the river is all that remains of the towpath, and the current flows through the former canal.
The trail passes below Devil's Tea Table to the north, sadly off limits to public these days for one reason or another. The view from this vista is absolutely outstanding, just above the rail trail.
The rail trail continues past Bull's Island. This was the northern terminus of the D&R Feeder Canal. Although there was no canal north of this spot, I have gotten into many arguments with people claiming their was. This is of course due to inadequate education on the railroad.
The rail trail continues to the north, to Frenchtown. 12th Street is the northernmost access to this trail. The trail continues a bit further to the north, but then abruptly dead ends at the edge of a farmer's field with no access. An informal path follows the right of way until overgrown tracks start up, and it enters the former Milford Paper Mill area.
The tracks beyond remain overgrown in many places, but quite beautiful. It is hoped the trail will be extended to Rieglesville.
The
route makes it's way through the narrows below the Milford Bluffs, all
preserved land with trail access from the east, and is adjacent to the
walkable River Road. From the road and railroad are some beautiful
seasonal waterfalls.
North of this point, the railroad diverges from the road and will one day make an excellent trail, but for now remains overgrown. It passes by some historic passenger cars along the way, which are difficult to access.
At Rieglesville, the Highlands Trail crosses the Delaware River. A connection here would be a valuable connection to the regional trail system.
To the north of Rieglesville, the line passes through Carpentersville in Warren County, with one of the most impressive collections of kilns in the state.
The line north of Carpentersville remains clear and in good repair. It is used by excursion trains out of Phillipsburg, which are well attended. The former Carpentersville Station site is a lovely tunnel of foliage.
Many ruins throughout this area between the railroad and the river are very interesting and merit further investigation. A trail along the rail line would be fantastic, but difficult in the narrower areas.
In Phillipsburg, the line crosses the former Morris Canal Inclined Plane #11 West, and beneath the former Lehigh Valley RR and Central RR of NJ.
Several historic sites are a short distance from the line in Phillipsburg including the Union Station, Interlocking Tower, Pump House, and more. The Warrren Highlands Trail, which we developed, is also there.
The line continued north through Warren County with connecting branches from Brainards to Martins Creek, as well as the Roxburg Branch to the PP&L Plant across from Belvidere.
In Belvidere, the line dead ends where it is currently used as a spur to Hoffman-LaRoche vitamin facility. It is inaccessible.
North of Hoffman LaRoche, the line is used informally as a trail to access the old Lackawanna Main Line, the Warren Railroad, at the north side of Manunka Chunk Tunnel. It remains somewhat clear from where it once crossed over Rt 46. Some of the old highway route can be seen deviating from it's current path at this point, where the smaller culvert once stood.
The old Warren Railroad at Manunka Chunk Tunnel is state park land, administered by Jenny Jump State Park. This old rail line is now an unofficial trail, on public land all the way to Rt 519 in Bridgeville.
The Bel Del has been one of the most important pieces of the NJ Perimeter series for the western part of the state. Hopefully one day a trail will be developed on the right of way further. It would be amazing to be able to hike or bike all the way from the Delaware Water Gap to Trenton. It's not too far fetched.
For any further info on upcoming hikes e mail me at sneezehorse@hotmail.com or call or text 908 343 8374
Hope to see you all on the trail sooN!
M'ke
We have lots more great stuff coming up through the month of October!
Moving forward, we will cover plenty more local spots, develop new trails, and also branch out into areas farther away.
We recently made a very huge connection in the Catskills covering the new re route of the Long Path over Romer Mountain, Mount Pleasant, and Cross Mountain. We covered this in addition to the entire Burroughs Range as a day hike. Quite the undertaking!
We have plenty more interesting things coming up, and so many of them are part of a "series".
For those of your who are new to Metrotrails, let me explain a bit of what we do with our hikes (Of course, we build and maintain trails too, but it all started with the hikes).
Every hike is intended to connect to a previous hike we have done. These hikes all become part of an interconnected series. Just as many hikers traditionally will try to hike the entire Appalachian Trail, we are similar but on a much broader scope.
The Jersey Perimeter Series is a perfect example.
No
one has ever hiked the entire perimeter of NJ as closely as possible,
and that was not something that started as a firm "plan". Back in the
early 2000s, it was a goal to hike all the way to the open ocean. This
was reached through a rail line series; I had wanted to hike the entire
Lehigh Valley Railroad route from Pennsylvania to it's former eastern
terminus at Perth Amboy. We did this, then opted to continue hiking the
beach to the south. Similarly, we followed the coast as closely as
possible to the north. On the western part of the state, we hiked the
old Bel Del Railroad right of way and Delaware and Raritan Canal. By the
time I reached Seaside Heights, I knew I wanted to one day hike the
entire perimeter of the state. It did not become a serious endeavor,
where we would devote one Sunday per month to the effort until a couple
years ago.Our last piece of oceanfront beach was part of LBI, which we recently finished up.
We were also featured in a very nice article in the local periodicle, the SandPaper out of LBI for this accomplishment! You can see the article here, it can be found on page 38:
http://thesandpaper.v...
Further, we had the good fortune of even more PR through the Rails to Trails Conservancy who have spotlighted NJ in the most recent publication! The article of theirs can be seen here:
http://community.rail...
So what is coming up and where does it fit? For this newsletter, I will go into a bit more detail about where we are going and why. It will shine some light on what might crop up as more future series'....
10/19: Governor Dick Hill and Mt. Gretna Area Loop
This hike will be a loop meeting in the village of Colebrook, Lebanon Valley Rail Trail lot. The hike will be mainly on the rail trail and the Horse-Shoe Trail.
The Horse-Shoe Trail is a very interesting trail that was intended to connect Philadelphia with the Appalachian Trail in St. Anthony's Wilderness, and I have been trying to complete the entire thing. Four more hikes will finish the trail for me.
10/25: Spruce Run Perimeter
This Saturday hike will be hosted by both Metrotrails and the NJ State Park Service through my job. It was decided that we should do the entire perimeter of the reservoir because the water is currently the lowest it has been in at least 12 years. As part of the hike, we will visit the new Solitude Heritage Museum at the historic Joseph Turner House. We celebrated our 500th hike years ago with the opening of their Taylor Steelworkers Historic Greenway which we helped to develop, and we've been wanting to bring the group to their newest museum, so this was the perfect opportunity.
10/26: Jersey Perimeter; Jakes Landing and East Point
We return to the Delaware Bay area where we left off last fall to continue north from Jake's Landing. The route will be back roads, woods roads, trails, and more. It is one of only twenty some hikes needed to complete our perimeter journey. This will also be one of our annual costume hikes. These routes are usually rather easy but are a completely different experience than some of the traditional trail hikes.
10/31: Gregg's Halloween Hike and Party
Long time Metrotrails member Gregg Hudis is hosting people at his house, and we'll do an area hike as part of it.
11/2: Fahnstock and Hudson Appalachian Trail
The Appalachian Trail has always been something we at Metrotrails avoid doing in full sections, because everyone seems to do that, but some sections are not always as easy to do as a circuit because of the lack of loop trails. With only a few in this section, it was decided we'd do some all-AT hikes with the purpose of connecting to the Connecticut line! We'll be doing a few AT hikes both north and southbound.
11/4: Jersey Perimeter; Forked River and Waretown
This Tuesday hike, beginning at 10 am for Election Day, is another in the perimeter series that we missed along the Barnegat Bay. The entire east side of the state is nearly finished, save for a couple of stray sections. This is the biggest chunk left of the few. We'll follow back streets, random woods, and some lesser known trails through the area in what is sure to be a pleasant walk.
11/9: Lackawanna and Moosic Mountain Loop
This hike is part of the Lackawanna Heritage Trail series, but works out as a loop to further explore Moosic Mountain, a very interesting area steeped in coal history. This is also one of four planned hikes to connect to Hancock, NY where the east and west branches of the Delaware come together. We have one unconnected hike up there. All connecting hikes should be very interesting routes along the O&W Rail Trail and the D&H Rail Trail, both of which we'll explore more in the future.
11/11: Veterans Day Appalachian Trail Cross Susquehanna Hike
Another AT hike, this one too has very few loop opportunities, and therefore is posted as a linear trip. It will lead from where we last left off on the AT at Ebberson Conservation Area and head west across the Susquehanna to Duncannon. It is one of two hikes necessary to connect with another hundred miles I've done at Cumberland Ridge and Valley. This one will have great views of the Susquehanna.
11/15 or 11/16: NY/NJ Ramapo Hike
This hike is not yet posted, but it will likely be a very diverse route between NY and NJ following several trails in the Ramapos. There are so many we've yet to cover, and the area is simply wonderful to hike this time of year. We will likely cover some of the Ramapo-Dunderberg Trail and many others with great views and historic sites in Mahwah.
11/23: Jersey Perimeter; Thompson Beach and Port Norris
This point to point trip is the next one up from East Point, but it will overlap the previous one just slightly. The hike is almost entirely different but reaches a different point on the bay. It will otherwise be very similar to the previous one, but unpredictable as these hikes tend to be. This one too features some lovely dirt roads.
11/30: Bluestone Wild Forest to Kingston
This is interesting hike is part of the series to hike the entire Ulster and Delaware Railroad, as well as the final connection to all of the trips we've done in the Catskills, which encompasses 150 miles of stuff that has not been connected to the rest of our hikes. We have been working on connecting this for quite some time.
After this, we will have covered the entire Ulster and Delaware right of way from it's eastern terminus at Kingston Point to Mt. Tremper, then from Fox Hollow to Bloomville. The short section in the Phoenicia area and the remainder of the line to it's former terminus in Oneanta NY may one day be the subject of other hikes, though probably not for a while because of the long distance.
Also, note that this year's holiday NY City hike will be 12/21!
Now, with a greater understanding of these series', I would like to offer something a little more with these news letters, in the form of more rich trail guides and history.
Many of the routes we have followed are formal trails, many are not. In some cases, portions are now trail but other sections are not. We present some of these sections on our official website, www.metrotrails.org as sort of "conceptual trails".
This time, I'd like to showcase the Bel Del Rail Trail...you can see our guide to it here:
http://www.metrotrail...
The trail has fit in a great deal with the perimeter of NJ series.
In Trenton, the trail is separate from the Delaware and Raritan Canal. The two come together on the north side of town. It is a shame that the rail trail loses it's identity to the more famous and popular D&R Canal. Of course, the canal came first, but the trail on the Delaware River side more closely follows the railroad bed than the canal.
The trail merges with the D&R Canal along the feeder north of town, from which point the trail crosses the canal on a former rail bridge and remains on the rail bed most of the way. Most trail uses do not even know that this section was the railroad as well as canal towpath.
There are only occasional clues that this was part of the old Belvidere and Delaware Railroad.
"The Bel Del" was completed to Lambertville in 1851, then extended to Belvidere by 1855 via Phillipsburg. It was later extended in 1864 to reach the Delaware, Lackawanna, and Western at Manunka Chunk.
Only the occasional spur bridge to quarries across the feeder canal show the former history as a railroad line.
The section of trail heading into Lambertville is quite scenic with many views to the Delaware River.
In Lambertville, the trail route changes. Tracks appear once again along the old Bel Del, and the state park's trail crosses to the other side of the canal. In more recent years, excursion trails ran to Lambertville from as far as Flemington, but have not been used in many years.
The tracks are mostly overgrown, and they diverge from the canal for a time.
The tracks have a path along them which is used as a loop within the town of Lambertville, although the section with trackage is not signed with any trail signage. This section also has an abandoned car on it.
To the north of here, the rail line crosses over the Alexauken Creek on a bridge, while the adjacent canal crosses by way of an aqueduct. Just beyond this point, the towpath trail once again crosses and follows the railroad bed to the north.
The spur line, originally the Flemington Branch of the Bel Del, breaks off to the right, crossing the canal. Maps will show this as the Pennsylvania Railroad, which absorbed the entire Bel Del system later.
Another quarry spur is the lone remnant of the rail line in the section ahead. The canal weaves around, while the trail remains on the level, flat path of the railroad line. After not long, the canal departs to the left, with it's own trail along the side, though less developed. From here to Frenchtown, the trail almost solely follows the rail bed.
At Stockton, the trail passes the old station, with the canal further to the west, closer to the river. The canal trail ends, while the rail trail continues to the north, to Prallsville. A little section of track and an historic marker thankfully offers a glimpse of the railroad's history. The rail trail crosses the Wickecheoke Creek at Prallsville Mill, pictured, and below the D&R Feeder Canal nearly disappears into the river. A narrow berm of trees in the river is all that remains of the towpath, and the current flows through the former canal.
The trail passes below Devil's Tea Table to the north, sadly off limits to public these days for one reason or another. The view from this vista is absolutely outstanding, just above the rail trail.
The rail trail continues past Bull's Island. This was the northern terminus of the D&R Feeder Canal. Although there was no canal north of this spot, I have gotten into many arguments with people claiming their was. This is of course due to inadequate education on the railroad.
The rail trail continues to the north, to Frenchtown. 12th Street is the northernmost access to this trail. The trail continues a bit further to the north, but then abruptly dead ends at the edge of a farmer's field with no access. An informal path follows the right of way until overgrown tracks start up, and it enters the former Milford Paper Mill area.
The tracks beyond remain overgrown in many places, but quite beautiful. It is hoped the trail will be extended to Rieglesville.
The
route makes it's way through the narrows below the Milford Bluffs, all
preserved land with trail access from the east, and is adjacent to the
walkable River Road. From the road and railroad are some beautiful
seasonal waterfalls.North of this point, the railroad diverges from the road and will one day make an excellent trail, but for now remains overgrown. It passes by some historic passenger cars along the way, which are difficult to access.
At Rieglesville, the Highlands Trail crosses the Delaware River. A connection here would be a valuable connection to the regional trail system.
To the north of Rieglesville, the line passes through Carpentersville in Warren County, with one of the most impressive collections of kilns in the state.
The line north of Carpentersville remains clear and in good repair. It is used by excursion trains out of Phillipsburg, which are well attended. The former Carpentersville Station site is a lovely tunnel of foliage.
Many ruins throughout this area between the railroad and the river are very interesting and merit further investigation. A trail along the rail line would be fantastic, but difficult in the narrower areas.
In Phillipsburg, the line crosses the former Morris Canal Inclined Plane #11 West, and beneath the former Lehigh Valley RR and Central RR of NJ.
Several historic sites are a short distance from the line in Phillipsburg including the Union Station, Interlocking Tower, Pump House, and more. The Warrren Highlands Trail, which we developed, is also there.
The line continued north through Warren County with connecting branches from Brainards to Martins Creek, as well as the Roxburg Branch to the PP&L Plant across from Belvidere.
In Belvidere, the line dead ends where it is currently used as a spur to Hoffman-LaRoche vitamin facility. It is inaccessible.
North of Hoffman LaRoche, the line is used informally as a trail to access the old Lackawanna Main Line, the Warren Railroad, at the north side of Manunka Chunk Tunnel. It remains somewhat clear from where it once crossed over Rt 46. Some of the old highway route can be seen deviating from it's current path at this point, where the smaller culvert once stood.
The old Warren Railroad at Manunka Chunk Tunnel is state park land, administered by Jenny Jump State Park. This old rail line is now an unofficial trail, on public land all the way to Rt 519 in Bridgeville.
The Bel Del has been one of the most important pieces of the NJ Perimeter series for the western part of the state. Hopefully one day a trail will be developed on the right of way further. It would be amazing to be able to hike or bike all the way from the Delaware Water Gap to Trenton. It's not too far fetched.
For any further info on upcoming hikes e mail me at sneezehorse@hotmail.com or call or text 908 343 8374
Hope to see you all on the trail sooN!
M'ke
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