Hike #206 2/26/6
The group in Weirtown area, Allamuchy Mt. State Park
2/26/6
This hike led us through Allamuchy Mountain State Park to Jenny Jump State Forest. Wemet at the end point, the parking lot at Ghost Lake on Shades of Death Road. I had calledthe Jenny Jump park office and got special permission to park should we return late. Joining me for this hike were Fred Hafale, Dave Finton, Sue Bickford-Martin, JohnSpiridon, and newcomers Lidya ? and Jean Fletcher. We headed out to Saxton Falls, where we began our walk.
Allamuchy Mt. abandoned road
Abandoned road up Allamuchy Mountain
The Switchback junk yard on Allamuchy Mountain
Allamuchy Mt. junk yard
Allamuchy Mt. junk yard
Allamuchy Mt. junk yard
Allamuchy Mt. junk yard
Allamuchy Mt. state park
Along the old road to Deer Park Pond in Allamuchy Mt. State Park
Old mine, Allamuchy Mt.
Old mine, Allamuchy Mt.
Old mine, Allamuchy Mt.
Old mine on Allamuchy Mountain
Fields on Allamuchy Mountain
Deer Park Pond, Allamuchy Mountain
View from Allamuchy Mt.
View from Allamuchy Mt.
View from Allamuchy Mt.
View from Allamuchy Mt.
Old farm road in Allamuchy Mt. SP
Old farm in Weirtown
Old farm in Weirtown
Old farm house
Old farm house
Old farm in Weirtown
Old Allamuchy Station
Old Allamuchy Station
Former LHR rail bed at Long Bridge
Donkey?
Allamuchy Twp.
Allamuchy Twp.
Weird tree at the beginning of Shades of Death Road
Along Shades of Death Road
Bales along Shades of Death Road
Abandoned bridge on the old alignment of Shades of Death Road
Skateboarding down Shades of Death Road
Boarding down Shades of Death Road
Skateboarding Shades of Death Road. I gave that shirt to Delotto...
Former route of Shades of Death Road before Rt 80
Former route of Shades of Death Road before Rt 80
Ghost Lake
Sunset over Ghost Lake
We walked up Waterloo Roadlooking for a good place to cut up to Allamuchy Mountain. We passed a woods roadshown on the old state park map, continueing to a power line where we were able toascend via an unmarked trail. We climbed a bit, losing and finding the trail a couple times.We eventually made our way westward to the woods road we had passed earlier. I hadscouted this section alone once years ago. The road is what I call “The SwitchbackJunkyard”. As the old road switchbacks up the mountain, there are junk cars parked alongit’s sides, covering almost the entire lenghth of the road! For the most part, the further upyou go, the older the cars! We walked up past the cars, squeezing tightly between them attimes. I climbed up and over some. The number of cars there was phenominal! As wemade our way up hill, I was startled when I saw a shack with smoke coming from achimney or something. Surprised that someone could live there at this junkyard, Ihurriedly motioned everyone to make their way up hill through weeds away from the cars.We soon reached a power line, which we were able to walk along for a time, thenbranched off it along a small pond through heavy weeds. We were able to bushwhack outto Deer Park Road, a nice dirt road in the west part of Allamuchy Mountain State Park. We walked the road in a generally north direction, passing by what appeared to have beena mine, then getting on a piece of a white blazed trail. We followed it a bit before turningback, as we thought we were going the wrong way. We walked to a muddy dirt parking lot, then turned right making our way on a woodsroad trail to Deer Park Pond, a beautiful lake, walking the shore line across the outletdam. This is the route of the Lakeview Trail at this point. We turned right onto Deer PathTrail, taking us along the perimeter of the western part of the park. A couple side trails ledto the right toward Waterloo Road. Most of the trails had been recently reblazed, makingit much easier to place our location. When we reached the unblazed side trail to the scenic overlook on Rt 80 I was the onlyone to walk down. The wind was strong and brutal out here in the open, but I felt it waswell worth it for the view. We continued along Deer Path Trail, passing through woods, and then along the sides offields, back into more woods beginning to descend. I soon realized I had gone too far,having planned on walking down an old woods road to Weirtown and Panther Valley area.We had to turn back, reaching the woods road and descending. Jean and Sue I believe hadbroken away from the group at some point, and came to the woods road from a differentangle. We were never out of voice range. The woods road took us through a gully, and past what may have been farm ponds at onetime, with ruins of a dam, then into some overgrown fields. The road became moreobvious, turned from north to west, and led through an abandoned farmstead.I checkedout the old barns a bit, but when we got to the abandoned farmhouse I had to go in. Ithink John may have had a look inside with me. The curtains in the living room blew eerilythrough the glassless windows. Everyone waited for me just ahead where the old roadreached county Rt 517. We turned northeast, reaching the Quick Check where Sue, Jean, and John left the groupearly. Sue and Jean were planning on getting pizza in Allamuchy. I got some junk food,and Fred, Dave, Lidya, and I continued along Rt 517 north. We walked high aboveAllamuchy Pond, over Rt 80, then turned left into the village of Allamuchy onJohnsonburg Road. We sat on the porch of a liquor store while we waited for Fred to usethe restroom at a gas station. I don’t remember if I had a drink or not. I ran across thestreet to the pizza place and said hi to Sue and Jean who were eating there. We then walked Johsnonburg Road to the abandoned Lehigh and Hudson River Railroadbed at the Allamuchy Freight Station. I was very happy to see the old freight station hadbeen recently restored, painted yellow and green! We followed the L&HR southwest for about a mile to Long Bridge and turned right onthe road. We continued on to Shades of Death Road, where an eerie tree stood thatlooked like a piece of sagebrush. There were also Burros in a fence there. I was eating anapple, and gave one of them the core. We turned onto Shades of Death, passing by pretty marshlands and fields, as well as sharp90 degree angle turns. I found a skateboard on the side of the road, and tried skating alongthe way, which took some effort! Before we reached Rt 80, I could see the formeralignment of the road was to the north, so I walked it rather than the current alignment. Imust have been moved for the construction of Rt 80. It was not far to the parking area at Ghost Lake, and we were finished well before dark.
Photos by Mike Helbing and Fred Hafale (FH) and here's a link to all of the pictures from the hike followed by descriptions of what they
are!
http://s132.photobucket.com/albums/q13/sneezehorse/hike206%202-26-6/
1.) In Allamuchy Mountain State Park on the way up an old road from Waterloo Road (FH)
2.) On the way up the road to what I call the "Switchback Junkyard" where the junk cars arelined up the way, Allamuchy Mountain
3.) At the Switchback Junkyard (FH)
4.) View down at the Switchback Junkyard
5.) Me on a car in the junk yard (FH)
6.) Me on the car still
7.) Making our way away from the junk yard after seeing the house with steam coming from it.John Spiridon is making his way toward me.
8.) Allamuchy Mountain State Park's west section, parking area
9.) Walking Deer Park Road in Allamuchy Mt State Park (FH)
10.) Probably a former mine in the state park (FH)
11.) Another similar shot of a mine area in the state park. (FH)
12.) Still at the spot that I believe was a mine (FH)
13.) A closeup of what I believe was the mine
14.) Meadow views on Allamuchy Mountain
15.) Deer Park Pond
16.) View from the scenic overlook on Rt 80 accessable from the state park
17.) View over Allamuchy Twp with Delaware Water Gap in the distance
18.) Delaware Water Gap view from Allamuchy Mountain
19.) View of Rt 517 and the Allamuchy exit on Rt 80 from Allamuchy Mountain
20.) Allamuchy Mountain State Park along an old road connecting the main park trails on thewest end to an abandoned farm at Weirtown near Panther Valley. From left, John Spiridon,Lidya ?, Fred Hafale, Jean Fletcher, Dave Finton, and Sue Bickford-Martin
21.) Abandoned farm at Weirtown
22.) Abandoned barns at Weirtown
23.) The abandoned farm house, Weirtown
24.) Inside the old farm house
25.) The living room of the old house
26.) The abandoned farm, Weirtown
27.) The recently restored Allamuchy Frieght Station
28.) At the frieght station (FH)
29.) The former Lehigh and Hudson River Railroad right of way
30.) Donkeys in Allamuchy Township
31-32.) More of the donkeys (FH)
33.) The beginning, or east end of Shades of Death Road with an eerie looking tree
34.) Wet farm lands along Shades of Death Road
35.) Strange looking bails of hay along Shades of Death Road
36.) Old road bridge over the Bear Creek on Shades of Death Road
37.) Me skateboarding down Shades of Death Road beside Dave (FH)
38.) And more of me skateboarding (FH)
39.) Me, still skateboarding down Shades of Death Road (FH)
40.) Former route of Shades of Death Road before construction of Rt 80.
41.) Another view of the former road route
42.) Ghost Lake on Shades of Death Road
43.) The Sun Setting over Jenny Jump Mountain and Ghost Lake
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