Hike #1123; Fiddler's Creek to Hopewell

Hike #1123; Fiddler’s Creek to Hopewell

4/28/18 Fiddler's Creek/Titusville to Hopewell with Jim “Uncle Soup” Campbell, Daniel Trump, Lyz Abeth, Ric Giantisco, Jason Itell, Megan Itell, Russell Lord Byron Rapp, Colin Webb, Stephen Argentina, Mike G, Natalia Gokhman, Monika Kwiecinska, John Pershouse, and ? (I forgot her name, I feel bad!)

This next hike would be one I’d been talking about putting together since I was working at Washington’s Crossing State Park. I’d talked to the guys that work there about doing a history video and maybe a little event, but never got around to it.

Washington Crossing the Delaware by Emanuel Leutze, MMA-NYC, 1851

The area is ripe with history, and the trails are really quite pleasant and very interesting. It’s easy to put a hike together that’s quite different and never boring.

Fiddler's Creek Preserve

I went over the maps and looked at a series of trails I’d really wanted to do, and figured on what I could put together that would include both Washington’s Crossing as well as the Hopewell Valley Winery.
I strung something together that would involve at least eight different park areas with very different characteristics.
I decided to make the end point of the hike Hopewell. I’d done many hike to and from, as well as through there, but there are tons of trails I’d not done or not see during light.

Fiddler's Creek Preserve

While I was working at Washington’s Crossing, I posted my night hikes to be in that area since it was closer to where I got out of work, and so I got to see a lot, but not fully. The new connection between the Mt. Rose section of Stony Brook-Millstone Watershed lands and their main reserve had long been planned, and I’d done it twice before, but never in the daylight. Even this time, I didn’t get to see quite everything that clearly, but at least I got to see so much other stuff during the course of the hike.

Fiddler's Creek

We met in the morning in Hopewell, near the mini mart and the liquor store, where there is side street parking I’d used on the night hikes, on Mercer Street. The neighbors of the area were probably wondering what was going on with all of these people around.

Fiddler's Creek

We used the stores to supply up, and then started piling into cars to get to the start point. We used my van and I forget who else’s cars, and shuttled to the trail head for Fiddler’s Creek Preserve on Fiddler’s Creek Road. Natalia and Monika parked cars at the winery to finish there, and shuttled on their own to the start.
We parked at a large open field area lot, where there are forty open acres of the full 121 acre preserve, which also connects with Baldpate Mountain property as well as Washington’s Crossing State Park.

The creek crossing

Nearby Titusville was a colonial village founded around grist and sawmill industries of Titus and Agnew families.
Much of what is now Fiddler’s Creek Preserve was the land holdings of Uriel Titus, son of Joseph Titus, who constructed a manor house known as Hollystone on the property. The home still exists in private hands, but the land is preserved outright or through conservation easements which allow the trails.

Fiddler's Creek crossing

Once everyone had arrived, we started our hike utilizing some of the open field sections.

Fiddler's Creek Trail

There was a deer exclosure fence around the outside of it we had to open to go in.
We followed what the maps showed as the red trail heading down hill, and we passed through another gate in the fence when we got to the woodlands beyond. The trail then went down close to the Fiddler’s Creek.
The map available online does not show a trail crossing the creek now, but I think I had a map that showed just that.

Fiddler's Creek

A lot of the trail construction looked like it was very new, so it might not have been added yet, and actually the trail didn’t seem to go on after a certain point ahead.
Where we crossed the stream, nice stepping stones were all well laid out so that we could easily get across without getting our feet wet. The trail then climbed on the other side to a nice hillside slope. Everything was starting to green up with Spring here.

Along Fiddler's Creek

There were some nice giant Beech trees along the way, and a path that even after trail work looked as though it stopped, seemed to continue as if it had for decades or more.
Uncle Soup commented that down in Virginia, where he’s living, he’d already experienced Spring, but being up here he was looking over it all again.
After a little bit, the trail didn’t seem to go on at all. We’d have to turn soon.

Big beech

I could see the other trail on the other side of the creek, but we were getting kind of close to houses on the south side. I could also see out to Route 29.
Just before there, there was a beautifully built old stone arch bridge spanning the creek. I figured that this was probably the predecessor to the current Rt 29 bridge. Maybe it was, but the guide to the preserve claims that this was the only remnant of the Titus and Agnew family mill works that used to be situated along the creek.

Fiddler's Creek

This spot was once the hub of the Hopewell Valley timber activity, and the mills were used for 150 years.

The old stone arch

Everyone kept walking down stream toward the arch, and I had to call them back.

Recrossing

I got everyone down the hill, and we had to find a good spot to cross back over the Fiddler’s Creek without the official trail. The shallow, blocky base of the creek made crossing in many places relatively easy, and we were able to get back on a trail at the other side.
Once on the trail again with everyone together, we turned to the left and right, heading gradually back up hill on the red blazed trail to the blue.

Blue trail

We soon reached another gate, at the other end of the forty acre field section. There was no one else around out there, and even when we started there was only one other guy out there walking his dog on the trails.
We continued heading to the west across the fields, with some nice views toward the Baldpate Mountain.
The trail continued to the field edges, and then entered a section of sparse forest.

Blue trail

As we walked through the woods, I noticed Garlic Mustard, or Alliaria petiolata, native to Europe and parts of Asia and Africa. It’s also known as Jack in the Hedge, Jack in the Bush, Poor Man’s Mustard, among others.
I usually eat this stuff every Spring when I find it growing along the trails or where I work.
We stopped and I let some of the others get a taste of it. The plant lessons continued on when I gave a dissertation on invasive species other than the Garlic Mustard.

The blue trail

The woods were full of Japanese Barberry, Multi Flora Rose, Ailanthus, and others I pointed out. We weaved around through the woods and made our way soon out to Fiddler’s Creek Road just west of the 1812 Hollystone estate.
We turned left to head down hill on the road, and we stopped to chat with a friendly neighbor across from the trailhead.
The entrance to the Baldpate Mountain Preserve was across from us, and I had considered using this section, but instead opted to go for a slightly different route below.

D&R Canal and Bel Del Railroad bed at Titusville Station site

We soon reached the edge of Roue 29, directly across from the Delware and Raritan Feeder Canal.

Titusville on the canal and railroad

The canal here was used for navigation, but the main reason for it was to provide water for the main canal between Bordentown at Crosswicks Creek and New Brunswick. The feeder stretched from the main canal in Trenton to Bull’s Island at Raven Rock NJ.

In the 1850s, the Belvidere Delaware Railroad was constructed following much fo the same route as the Delaware and Raritan Feeder.

Titusville Station

The railroad was in many cases built on the same site as the towpath, and the towpath was shifted to the opposite side. Navigation ended early on the feeder, however.

General store and post office in Titusville, 1912

The Bel Del remained in service beside the canal, but was gradually scaled back. It served many quarries on the NJ side of the river, which slowly closed down mostly.

1912 image of the Titusville Rubber Mill

Some of the quarries are still in service today, and would have benefited from rail service, but the Pennsylvania Railroad folded up into Penn Central and then Conrail.

Abandoned

A mass abandonment of the Bel Del took place between the seventies and eighties. Today, it’s gone from Trenton to Frenchtown and a little to the north, and is a state park trail.

Stained glass window

It continues to annoy me that state parks as well as localities put more attention on the canal with almost nothing for the railroad. It drives me crazy that people will be hiking the trail in Frenchtown or Raven Rock, and say they’re on the canal, when they really weren’t on the canal at all, and there never was a canal at the point.
When there is the rare historical marker about the Bel Del Railroad, the history on it is wrong, and no effort is being made at all to correct any of it.

Abandoned

We turned left along Route 29 for only a brief time, and then turned right onto River Drive. My original plan was to follow the Bel Del Railroad grade beside the canal, but it was bright, sunny, and hot out, and so I figured it’d be more enjoyable to follow the unpaved River Drive in the somewhat shadier section along the Delaware River.
We followed this, and passed some lovely giant trees, and then entered the village of Titusville. We continued into the middle of the settlement to Church Road.

Abandoned

We turned left, and passed by the old post office building, now apparently a private residence. Someone went up and tried to open the front of it as I recall.
Just past this building, we came across the canal and the old Bel Del line again. I pointed out remnants of the railroad as best I could remember, because my friend Shane, who’s expert on this, wasn’t available for this hike. I showed everyone where the lovely former Titusville Station used to stand, where there is now a little parking area along the grade.

Abandoned equipment

From there, we crossed over Rt 29 again. The Titusville United Methodist Church was across the way, and we walked through it’s yard heading to the southeast.

Washington's Crossing SP

There was a blue blazed trail that comes out to 29 just past here, and we turned to start walking that up hill.
We only went a little ways on it, until we got to where what I believe was a former quarry area appeared on the right. We then turned off to the right, and headed out to an old house I found out about when working down there. There is one I think that’s still occupied back there, but two abandoned ones.

Trail in spring

I figure these old houses are probably going to end up getting demolished, and I’d never gotten any photos of them yet. One of them even had some stained glass windows, which was cool.
We walked out around and had a look, but I could see the first house had a car parked in the driveway, so I didn’t want to hang around for long.
We walked from the house back through the back, heading east, and then came to an old red out building. We walked through succession woods from here north on a former farm lane.

Bridge over North Branch of Steele Run

It got to be pretty messy following these former fields. It was far wetter than I’d have anticipated someplace like this would get. It was pretty tough walking without getting wet through the mucky grassy fields.
Fortunately, we soon came to the blue dot trail again, which we had turned off of before, and started following it more to the main park area. Along this, we came across an old piece of farm equipment with plants going through.

Steele Run

The blue trail entered more woods after leaving the field sections. There were a few fallen trees down over the trail, but they’re too shorthanded to take care of them there.
We made a left turn when we got to some of the Nature Center trail system. I don’t really understand that part. They have trails marked with carsonite posts where you’re supposed to follow them only one direction. It’s a confusing mess because they refuse to mark the trails to the standard that just about everyone else does.

The Nature Center

I have a pretty good sense of direction, and I know the trails pretty well at Washington’s Crossing, but even I got us turned the wrong way, which is really saying something about how important it is to blaze trails correctly.
We continued along and did a section of some unofficial trail, but soon made our way to the correct one. We crossed a little wooden bridge over the North Branch of Steele Run.

Nature Center

Once there, we started heading gradually up hill, and the trail terminates at the Nature Center.
I was hoping to greet Wayne, the guy who runs the Nature Center, who is a really nice and knowledgeable guy. I forgot to call him ahead of time and let him know we were coming through, so I thought we would surprise him. Unfortunately, we were in there on his day off, and the two employees who were working there didn’t really acknowledge us.

Nature Center

We didn’t hang out too long, but we took long enough to look around and see just how cool the Nature Center is for kids. It’s actually a very well done little facility. Lyz was doing something with the bug ID area with buttons and I think she got most of them right.
We took a break out front, since there’s a restroom there, and then moved on along the trail heading to the south. We made our way out to an open area near Knox Grove, where I’d cut down a lot of infected Ash trees, and continued south.

Open Air Theatre

We next came to the Open Air Theatre, which has live shows in the Summer months. We walked down through this to get to the Yellow Dot Trail to the south.
While waiting for everyone to catch up, I performed a bit of a one man rendition of “The Man of La Mancha” up front.
We continued onto the yellow trail and turned right parallel with the South Branch of the Steele Run, which was quite lovely. There were more leaves here.

South Branch of Steele Run

We continued down along this, below Greene Grove, and past some old stone fixtures.

Non working fixtures

These old fixtures are all over the place in the parks, sitting unused, and probably never will.

Trail along Steele Run

We continued along Steele Run just for a bit, then turned to the left to climb away from it and up to an open field adjacent to the loop road to the front of the park. I’d have loved to visit the Johnson Ferry House and the old stone barn below, but we just couldn’t fit it all into one trip the way I had it planned.
The red dot trail took us up to an open field, we cut across toward the Continental Lane, which is the route Washington and the Continental Army marched on Christmas Day 1776 at the time of the crossing.

Reaching Continental Lane

From there, it’s only a short distance to the visitor’s center, where Mark and Clay who work there were waiting for us to show us the movie they had about the crossing. I paid for the couple bucks for everyone out of Metrotrails money.
Everyone had the chance to walk around the museum and have a look, and to use the restrooms before Clay came in and put the film on in the audotorium.

At the visitor center

Apart from just putting the video on for us, Clay gave us a really nice historic dissertation about how the American Revolution effected people in other parts of the world, something that is not often delved into when it comes to American history interpretation.
The video was very well done, and gave a great synopsis of exactly what had happened prior to and after the crossing, and why this piece of history was so important for the morale of the nation. At the time, America was in fact losing the war to the well fed and healthy British.

Continental Lane

We headed out and got back on the Continental Lane heading to the east. It was nice and clear for a bit. We entered a swath of woods between the two entrance roads, which were apparently put in to preserve the historic road route. There used to be a deer exclosure through this section that had long been collapsed. I was charged with the task of removing all of it while I worked there, which I did all of but the gates. The gates were still standing when we went through.

Continental Lane

We then went by a little section Steele Run where I'd been cutting down punky old dead trees. On one day, I was cutting one of them with a chain saw, it actually ignited a little bit of the wood in this section. When I told the guys we should put some water on the tree, which was just barely sparking, they said no, and that it was time for lunch. When we came back, the woods and all of the leaf litter in the area was on fire! They forbade me from calling forest fire service, and we had to run down into the creek and get buckets of water to put it out! Quite a funny situation in retrospect!

Continental Lane

We followed the trail out to the brick yard road, and just before reaching it I was shocked to see that it was still terribly washed out.
It was many years ago I was through this area when the old Continental Lane washed out, and still it hadn't been repaired. It passes beneath one of the roads by way of a stone bridge underpass. On the other side, the trail has gotten so badly overgrown, even in Spring, that it's barely even passable. We took a break under the bridge while I figured out the alternate route.

Continental Lane: washed out

We climbed to the top of the bridge, and then started following the unmarked road heading to the north. I made a couple of wrong turns trying to figure out where to go.

Under the bridge

We made our way along some of the perimeter of the park, up into a section known as Philips Farm. Form that point we turned to the right and exited Washington's Crossing State Park.
We turned onto Bear Tavern Road, and crossed almost directly onto Pennington-Titusville Road and headed to the east. There is preserved land adjacent to this I thought to use, but I didn't want to take too much time. Some were getting antsy.

The bridge at Washington's Crossing

The road passes another bit of Washington's Crossing State Park land on the left, which has two abandoned houses on it. We went through that bit the last time we walked through this area, but my plan this time was to explore the entirity of the Jacob's Creek Trail.
The road started leading down hill, and soon we got to where it crossed over Jacob’s Creek.
I had hiked bits of the creek before, the first time when I was tracing the Mercer and Somerset Railroad bed. Jacob’s Creek Road was built over part of it.

Jacob's Creek Trail

I had also done a section of it during the NJ Perimeter series, when I was doing a little bit of side stuff to make it more interesting. I had also explored a little with Jillane. Still, I had never followed all of it through.
At the road, to the right the trail goes to a dead end with a nice little deep spot. My plan was to take everyone over there and have a break. We followed it to the right, and it was quite nice, but I soon realized that Natalia, Monika, and Lord Byron were all missing. They had gone the other way.

Jacob's Creek

I called up Natalia, and they said they were going to head directly to the winery. I laid down in the creek for a few moments, and then we all headed the other way as well.

Jacob's Creek

I figured we would catch up with them, but we ended up not being able to.
There was a really weird tree where the trail ended, I think a Sycamore, that had fallen down, and one of the branches grew into a sort of a crutch. Never seen a tree like it.
Eventually, it is planned that the Jacob's Creek Trail will continue through to the south, but the public land doesn't go through yet.

Weird tree

We headed back and crossed back over Pennington-Titusville Road, then continued on the trail to the north.

Big tree

After a little bit, we came to a former dam site on the brook. I'd been to this spot before. The trail crosses a little tributary and goes to higher elevation, past some lovely giant trees.

Jacob's Creek

We continued on, and at some point the trail crossed over the creek to he east side.

Jacob's Creek

Somewhere in there, the trail became indistinct, and I started just walking up the middle of the brook. A few followed along with me and did that.

Jacob's Creek Trail

I didn't really expect everyone to try to follow me through that. I guess I sort of went rogue there. The trail just wasn't obvious, but I'm sure there was an easier way than the way I went.
When I came out to Pennington-Habourton Road, I waited for everyone else to emerge. They all mostly came out a ways off to the west from where I did. When I could see everyone, we turned right and followed the road to the east.

Jacob's Creek Trail

We were on the road for quite a while, and finally turned to the left when we came to the intersection with Burd Road, which had more pedestrian crossing signs than one might think is necessary.
There was a wider swath of land along the left side, so walking this was alright, and we had some pretty farm land views.
While walking, Natalia and Monika drove up, having already picked up the car from the winery, and they took Lord Byron with them.

I had told Natalia earlier in the week via text that if she and Monika left early, someone would want to go with them! I'm surprised not more went!

Jacob's Creek Trail

We continud north and turned to the right when we got to Yard Road. It wasn't too far down this way before we reached the entrance to the Hopewell Valley Vineyards.
We walked down the driveway and reached the entrance, where there were a lot of people around. This one looked somewhat more upscale than many we've visited, not because of the workers or ambiance, but because of the other people who were around. They had an air of "upper class".

This was also like a ten dollar tasting, while other ones are typically a bit cheaper. I guess it goes with the area.

Jacob's Creek

Not everyone did the tasting, or did the full tasting. We got a table, and rather than have our own server, which somehow costs more, those of us who wanted the tasting went up.
I was hungry, so I got the cheese and cracker platter as well as the tasting.
I got a bottle of something, I don't remember what it was exactly. Dan also bought something even before I picked mine up and shared it with me while eat at cheese and lounged at the place. We eventually decided to head on out.

Lots of pedestrian signs

Before going, Dan and I checked out historic pictures that were inside.
We went back out the entrance and got back on Yard Road heading to the east. It was a pleasant enough road, which took us pretty straight on out to Route 31. At the corner, we came to the Cream King stand, where they sell ice cream and food.
I was pretty hungry, not satisfied with just the cheese that I'd had, so I had something else, and I now forget what it was. But whatever it was it was delicious and I was ecstatic.

At the winery

While we were there, we got to talking about cameras and all of the punishment we put them through when hiking with them. I pulled out my waterproof, drop proof one that I'd gotten from Lerch, and showed everyone the crack I'd managed to get in the screen from dropping it on the previous hike.
Ironically, I had the same problem this time as I had had on that one. It must have fallen out of the pack when I went to put it on because the elastic in the holder was worn out on the pack.

At the winery

We turned to go on Rt 31 south, and we could see where the earlier Knowles Street used to break off to the left. There was an old bridge back in the woods here.
We turned left when we got to North Main Street, and started heading toward the railroad overpass. As we reached the first parking lot on the left, I realized my camera was missing. I wasn't that far from Cream King yet, and so I decided to run back to see if I could grab it up.

At the winery

I turned back on 31 and hurried over, thinking for sure it was going to be right there. When I got there, it was nowhere to be found. I searched the ground and found nothing. I asked the girls behind the counter, and no one had turned anything in.
When I was obviously looking around for it, another guy sitting there, who had been there while I was there, said that "One of the other guys picked it up as you were leaving". The man thought the guy who had picked it up was with us, but he wasn't. The guy described the one who picked it up as having turned it around, examined it pretty well, and hung onto it. I thought at that moment that I'd never see it again. Someone saw me lose it and just decided to keep it. I was pretty discouraged.

At Cream King

I figured the thing was gone for good, so I'd just have to use my phone for a camera the rest of the time. I also thought the rest of the group would wait up for me, but they didn't.
I walked the same way as before, and turned left on North Main. Soon, I crossed the railroad tracks, and immediately on the other side there is a trail going into the woods to the left, into Baldwin Lake Wildlife Management Area. I turned here, and immediately saw signs saying both that it was Green Acres, and “posted private property”.

At Cream King...mystery photo

This is just another example of people trying to take over state land and scaring off regular patrons. Everywhere I go I am seeing private land owners bullying patrons trying to say that the public land is theirs, and it's really getting my angry, because no one will do anything about it.
I moved on through the field with the two disagreeing signs, and soon entered woods. Just to the north of me was the pretty Baldwin Lake. I talked to someone on the phone, I forget who at this point, and they were still moving ahead.

Disagreeing signs

I turned to the right to follow the trail along the south side of Baldwin Lake, but the group wasn't there when I got to the outlet dam of it. I talked to them on the phone again, and they had opted to go north, out through the development and toward the Stony Brook-Millstone Watershed Association lands that way. That wasn't the way I was planning on going, and I'd already made the right turn, onto the Pennington Nature Trail lands, actually a prettier route.
They were going to continue that way, and it wasn't looking likely that I'd be able to catch up with them. The Pennington Nature Trails, which have a couple of routes, follow the Stony Brook down stream a little bit to Kunkel Park on King George Road.

I turned left on the road here, and then left again on the continuation of King George Road after the intersection with Park Avenue. I followed closely along the Stony Brook, and soon reached Pennington-Rocky Hill Road. I turned left and crossed the Stony Brook, and then reached the extension of the Lawrence-Hopewell Trail, a long distance multi use trail connecting Pennington, Lawrenceville, Hopewell, and surroundings. I'd done quite a lot of night hiking on this during my Washington's Crossing stay.

Along Lawrence-Hopewell Trail

The trail was wide and easy here, rather closely parallel with teh road heading to the northeast.
The clouds were starting to look a bit nasty. There was rain in the forecast for later. My phone was getting close to dead. I hurriedly walked north on the trail parallel with the road, and the main branch of Lawrence-Hopewell Trail came in from the right soon. The trail turned to the left, parallel with Titus Mill Road after a bit, and continued to the west. This came to the intersection with Wargo Road, and it turned north to follow the side of that. That section abruptly ended, and the trail route is actually on the road ahead.
When the road turned almost ninety degrees to the right, I turned to the left into the Stony Brook-Millstone Watershed Association land, and followed the blue trail to the north.

Lawrence-Hopewell Trail

I continued ahead, and passed the pond on the right. This long section is quite muddy in places. The first couple of times hiking through here, the trail didn't go through yet. We had to go out to Wargo Road and go north. I'd done it for the first time in the dark somewhat recently, and then did it a second time.
This time, it wasn't quite dark, but it started raining a bit. It was also far muddier than it had been the previous visits. There is a long series of puncheons to help from getting wet feet, which hug the edge of the trail clearing to the north. I kept on that, and eventually came out to Moores Mill-Mt. Rose Road. This is where we'd get on the trail on past hikes.

Somber face

I continued walking from here, on a bit of a more direct route. There were some fallen trees, but it wasn't too bad. The entire group had gone on the same route as me from north of the pond, but I wasn't catching up.
I continued out to cross Crusher Road, and the trail continued straight over. It became more like a foot path at this point, as it climbed to the small promontory known as Mt. Rose.
Once at the top, the trail descended over somewhat rocky terrain to the north, and then to the edges of fields. It skirts an edge, and then follows through a tree line before terminating on Broad Street in Hopewell, just up the road from where we were parked.
I wandered through the rain, still feeling kind of down, until I got back to my car at Hopewell. Dan was still waiting there, as well as a couple others I recall. Dan gave me a ride back to my car at the start point, from which point I decided to give Cream King one more shot.

Mystery shot...

When I arrived, I was shocked to find that someone had turned my camera in! After hearing that someone had taken it, and that everyone thought it was a member of my group, I thought for sure I'd never see it again, and that I'd lost all of the photos for the day.
I was so happy that I had to immediately purchase an ice cream to celebrate.
The camera did have a few odd photographs of the area round Cream King, so they were taking photos with it. There was nothing bad on it, but it makes me wonder what happened.

Luck

I suppose my luck is holding up pretty well. We had a really interestiing hike, which went over mileage by a bit, but people didn't seem to care too terribly. I got to see a lot of people I hadn't seen in a while, some in a long while, and got to experience many new places.
I still haven't done all of the trails in Fiddlers Creek Preserve, Baldpate Mountain, and Stony Brook-Millstone Watershed Association, and I believe there are still a couple more I've never done in Washington's Crossing. With no shortage of things to do, I'll look forward to more exploring in this area and beyond when time allows.