Hike #103
In Clinton Wildlife Management Area overlooking Spruce Run Resevoir
Hike 103
8/13/3
For this hike, I had been wanting to cover a new section of the Highlands Trail from
Califon to Tower Hill NJ, through Hunterdon County. Only Tea Biscuit came on this one,
and this was the first hike he was able to drive for! We left the camaro at the Tower Hill
Reserve on Jugtown Mountain, Bethlehem Township, and drove to the Califon A&P.
Truss bridge in Califon NJ
Old stone ruins in front of John Palmer's house, Califon
Ken Lockwood Gorge
Ken Lockwood Gorge
Ken Lockwood Gorge
We went inside first, having some of the free sample cookies from the bakery, before
beginning down the street and across the South Branch of the Rariton on an old truss
bridge (I am told this is a new bridge, with the old trusses placed on it for aesthetic
purposes). We have an uncle who drowned as a child in the South Branch nearby. We
continued on, passing an old stone building in ruins, in front of John Palmer’s junkyard
property. John Palmer, a longtime resident, owned the local junkyard and made his living
selling scrap metal. He is sort of a local legend, about 90 years old at the time of this hike!
The stone building was a barn, but was someone’s residence until it burned years ago.
Ken Lockwood Gorge
Ken Lockwood Gorge Trestle before the fences were installed
Ken Lockwood Gorge trestle
Cross Park Trail at power lines, also Highlands Trail, Voorhees State Park
Tea Biscuit and I continued into Ken Lockwood Gorge on a road that became dirt
partway through. Old Highlands Trail blazes had been painted out along the roadside, as
the trail had been re routed uphill to the High Bridge Branch of the CNJ, now Colombia
Trail. The gorge was beautiful, and we walked around on giant logs we used to play on as
children with our grandfather. They had recently been washed downstream a bit.
We jumped in for a dip, then walked to the Gorge Trestle, which had recently been
redecked and new guard rails added. The Colombia Trail was officially closed for
regrading refurbishing of the bridge, which seemed to take forever. No one was allowed
on the Gorge Trestle while work was going on, and signs warned of prosecution for
trespassers. Still, we crossed the trestle and checked out the new decking, which I was’nt
fond of, being boring concrete. We continued across, looking over the new guard rails that
replaced the older caging that went over the top of the trestle completely. When we
reached the other side, the Highlands Trail ascends on an angle up the hill to the right, but
we soon spotted workers on the trail just ahead, between us and the trail breakoff. We
sprinted uphill directly to one of the HT switchbacks and continued up until we were out
of sight.
Highlands Trail on Buffalo Hollow Road
Spruce Run Recreation Area Highlands Trail
Highlands Trail in Spruce Run Recreation Area
Highlands Trail in Spruce Run Recreation Area
Showers at Spruce Run
Showers at Spruce Run
Spruce Run Recreation Area
View near Charlestown
This section of trail was nice, switchbacking further than I had anticipated it would,
continueing through varied undergrowth to a gravel driveway, which took us out to Rt
513. The blazes then took us along the road’s westbound side to Voorhees State Park,
where it turned in to the park office. We stopped in and said hello, then continued along
the co aligned Highlands Trail and park road to where it broke off to the left. Actually, I
believe we ran the parcourse circuit as well, which is an exercise loop loop trail. We first
headed down to a little playground area to have a look around.
The Highlands Trail continued along the Cross Park Trail, taking us across varied land
and out to the road to the Observatory, where we headed downhill to Buffalo Hollow
Road, turning west across a little bridge, and then ascending high above Willoughby
Brook. This is a particularly nice section of road walking, as it descends passing a strange
looking octagonal house, and has a view of Spruce Run Resevoir with a little bridge over
the old CNJ tracks.
When Buffalo Hollow Road took us out to Rt 31, we stopped in a sporting supply store
to get more water, as well as some change so I could call Cathy from a payphone and let
her know I was alright, and where I was.
After a brief conversation, we turned along Rt 31 south briefly to Van Syckles Road on
the HT. This took us to a fishing access site of Spruce Run Resevoir, then across the
street into Hunterdon County’s Union Furnace Nature Preserve. Now under the waters of
Spruce Run Resevoir (constructed as part of the Water Bond Act of 1958), the Union
Forge was an ironworks from the Revolutionary period.
Heading into the preserve, we began on a footpath along Spruce Run Creek, then onto
the berm of an old Mill Race. The trail continued for a short distance, then ascended
steeply up the hillside where countless mushrooms grew. After reaching the crest of the
hillside, the trail began to descend passing obscured views of Spruce Run Resevoir,
making it’s way near a couple of yards. The trail came out in the end of a Cul De Sac on
Serpantine Drive, then followed the road downhill, with no blazes as there were no phone
poles to put them on.
At the end of Serpantine Drive, we turned left on Van Syckles Road briefly and into
another fishing access parking area, and the next HT section. We entered the woods and
walked sometimes very closely to the water’s edge through all sorts of mixed woodlands.
There were large stands of pines which turned into some heavier undergrowth, and into
some woods right along the edge of the water, which looked very strange with trees
growing through the water. The woods soon gave way to extremely thick growths of
Autumn Olives, an invasive species. The trail through this section must have been
extremely difficult to cut! The silvery leaves of the Autumn Olives made for a surreal walk
on a very narrow trail. We crossed on Resevoir access road and made out way out to the
main access road. We decided to try to find our way out to the beach to swim for free, as
we bypassed the entrance area. We made our way through many picnic areas, and finally
found our way to the beach. We had a good swim, then headed in to the shower rooms.
This was our first time getting to shower on a full length hike, which we made a big deal
of, making all sorts of noise and singing.
On our way out, we chatted a bit with a lovely young lifeguard girl about the Resevoir
and her job.
We continued back out of the recreation area, stopping by the park office and refilling our
water before heading out and across Van Syckles Road once again into Clinton Wildlife
Management Area. We headed uphill through mowed off fields, then following the north
side of two fields, passing by lots of rotting deer carcasses probably left by hunters. At the
end of the two fields, the trail led us uphill on an old woods road. The trail eventually took
us off the woods road to the west, and through the forest heading downhill to another old
woods road, where we found a triple blaze and sign saying “End of Trail...For Now”.
There were orange tapes heading downhill to the left, which we followed to the
confluence of two equal sized brooks, but the tapes did not continue. We continued north
along the woods road which took us out to Polktown Road. Polktown was apparently a
forgotten little community, and Polktown Road once continued through to the north, but
was abandoned.
As we headed to the road, we followed a fence to the left. Durning this stretch, I must
have disturbed a nest of Yellow Jackets, which came out and stung me. We ran all the way
to Polktown Road, and turned right. I soon realized we must be going the wrong way, and
a mail woman going by gave us the correct directions.
Cross Park Trail at power lines, also Highlands Trail, Voorhees State Park
Charlestown Reserve
Tower Hill Reserve
Since the road was abandoned, we decided to cut across the private property to find the
old road route uphill. We thought we had found it, though it was in terrible shape, and
followed it up to the power line we had crossed earlier in Voorhees. I could not find any
sign of the road on the north side of the power line, so we headed downhill on the power
line to the west, to Henderson Road next to a Bog Preserve.
We continued north to where it became Black Brook Road, through woodlands, famlands
and new developed land. We made a left turn off of Black Brook Rd taking us across the
street from the Charlestown Reserve, where the Highlands Trail was proposed to lead.
There were already two loop trails in Charlestown Reserve, but none of them were blazed
with HT teal diamonds. We followed the trial through the woods, and out to an evergreen
grove, on a section of mowed trails. We followed them out through another section of
woods, then to another field, looping around. When we were almost heading back the way
we came, we headed into the woods on an unblazed trail. We continued walking, until we
found where a trail appeared to go down to the CNJ tracks. We then decided to to head
sort of southward, into an area full of marshed and springs. The undergrowth was so thick
we needed to walk through the streams in order to get out. We finally had had enough,
and decided to enter private land and make our way across someone’s private garden, and
then into a yard to a long driveway. We tried to be discreet, but were spotted. We heard a
voice yell “Hey, who the hell are you?”. We stopped and explained our entire situation,
and he was totally understanding. He even gave us refills of water. He was not aware of
the parkland near his home, so I gave him my trailmap.
After leaving there, we headed out to the road, turning west to Iron Bridge Road. I found
a narrow piece of Hunterdon Park land crossing the road, which I assumed was a future
trail easement. We continued to Mine Road, which eventually gave us access to Tower
Hill Reserve. We entered, and began following the mowed trail, future proposed route of
the HT, around the beautiful rolling fields. We twice again crossed the power line we had
crossed two times earlier as well. On our way out, we passed a beautiful old house, and I
found a turtle shell which I left under a sign at the parking area where I left the Camaro.
When I returned Tea Biscuit to his car, he realized he had left his headlights on, and the
battery was dead. We went to have dinner with our grandfather, and came to retrieve it
afterwards.
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