Hike #204; Stephens State Park to Long Valley

 Hike #204 1/29/6

On the Highlands Trail, Mt Olive on water authority land

1/29/5

 

 For this next trip, I did expect to have many participants due to bad weather forecasts. Iwas joined only by Fred Hafale and Dave Finton. The planned route was over Schooley’sMountain and Mt. Olive on the Highlands Trail and Patriot’s Path. We met in Long Valley, and shuttled to Stephens State Park. We began by walking a loopusing a few trails, the longest one being the yellow trail which went up over a knoll, thenfollowed old Stephens Park Road, down to the park office. Next, after stopping by the park office as I recall, we headed north on the Highlands Trailup and over to Mine Hill Road, then across in the closed section. We were able to crossthe creek crossing alright this time, and soon made our way to Rt 46. We stopped in at the Mt Olive A&P where we split up to find food. Dave was in linepretty quick, while I headed over to the bakery and ate a lot of cookies. Next, we walked behind the A&P, and I stayed atop a berm for a retention pond to see ifI could find any signs of new trail work, as there is proposed to be a new section ofPatriot’s Path crossing here. I did’nt see anything. We continued, soon turning left on Naughright Road. We walked the road mostly on ourway toward the next section of Patriot’s Path. There was a lot of new construction goingon to the east side of Naughright Road, which appeared to be a new school going in. We soon turned right onto a cul de sac and walked a sewer line right of way out to thenext section of Patriot’s Path, then south across Springtown Road and into Schooley’sMountain Park. By now it was raining quite heavily, so we hurriedly walked the GrandLoop, Bee Line, and Uplands Meadow Trails heading back into Long Valley. We werequite cold and wet when we got done walking!

Dave on the Highlands Trail in Mt. Olive

Photos! Here's the link to them...there's only three though!

 

1.) Fred took this one of Dave Finton on I believe the Yellow Trail at Stephens State Park2.) Dave and Fred on the Highlands Trail in the closed section between Mine Road and Rt 46in Mt Olive3.) Fred took this one of Dave and I on the Patriot's Path in the north section of Schooley's Mountain County Park north of Springtown Road

On the HT in the rain, Mt Olive