Hike #396 1/25/9
Morris Canal's feeder canal to Lake Hopatcong
1/25/9 Morris Canal; Lake Hopatcong/Landing to Rockaway with Matt Davis, Jillane Becker, Shelly Janes, Eric Pace, Kyle Zalinsky, "DJ Ray" Cordts, and Jason-Michael "Jamal" Flintosh.
Former Morris Canal feeder site in Hopatcong State Park
Scotch Turbine from Ledgewood plane in Hopatcong State Park display
Frozen Lake Hopatcong where the Morris Canal once entered
This fence used to be under the bridge on Lakeside Blvd along the Musconetcong.
This was the former junction site between the Morris and Essex Division line and the Cutoff of the Lackawanna Railroad near Lake Hopatcong. The canal was to the right.
Former Morris and Essex line at Hopatcong
Former Morris Canal, now a roadway and parking lot at Landing Station
Landing Station
This berm was probably not part of the canal, but I can't figure out what it was. It's near Shippenport.
Former tail race tunnel from Inclined Plane #1 East at Shippenport
Outlet tunnel of Morris Canal Inclined Plane #1 East.
Former Morris Canal Inclined Plane #1 east, now Shippenport Road
This trench was not the canal near Shippenport Road. I don't know what it was, but it was interesting.
Former Morris Canal, now severed by Rt 80
Lots of ice near a former canal crossing site on Rt 46
Morris Canal north of Ledgewood
Morris Canal near Ledgewood
Along Morris Canal, Ledgewood
Turbine chamber for Morris Canal Inclined Plane #2 East
Tail race tunnel for Morris Canal Inclined Plane #2 East
Tail race at plane 2E
Morris Canal Inclined Plane #2 East
Morris Canal turn lagoon in Ledgewood Canal Park
Morris Canal turn lagoon, Ledgewood Canal Park
Former Morris Canal along Canal Street, Ledgewood
Former Morris Canal in Ledgewood
Former lock on the Morris Canal, Ledgewood
Former Morris Canal, Ledgewood area
Sadly, the original journal entry to this one was lost to the fire as well. If anyone has a copy please let me know!
This was an exciting hike for me because I was doing the next section of the Morris Canal I'd never walked all the way through. In addition, I was getting a lot of public attention from many different newspapers and organizations. I'd alreayd been in pretty much all of them across the Warren County area and the NYNJ Train Conference ran an article I wrote. On this occasion we were joined by a reporter for the first leg who would be photographing us for an article.
I was kind of upset that Jillane didn't join for the beginning of it because I wanted her to be a part of this big stuff we were doing.
We spotted cars at the end point in Rockaway, a parking lot on a weird hill near the Quick Check. Kyle and I went in and made asses of ourselves for a bit while everyone was getting together.
We started at the Path mark where we'd left off the last time and did the really nice section of the canal feeder into Lake Hopatcong, sort of a spur of the main canal to the north. It took us up and under Lakeside Blvd and into Hopatcong State Park. There was a metal gate under the bridge beneath Lakeside Blvd, probably put in to keep people from walking into the park instead of paying to use the beach there. It of course didn't stop us. We walked up to where the canal would have gone and checked out an old Scotch Turbine that was in a building along the lake. This one was left over from one of the inclined planes in Ledgewood.
From here we turned back south to the Path Mark. It was now time to search for remains of the former canal. We went into Path Mark for a bit and DJ Ray decided to use a lottery ticket machine to get change, but that didn't work. He ended up having to get like twenty dollars in lottery tickets as I recall.
Next, we went in back of the Path Mark where the canal probably would've been. There were ATV trails in there we followed to the railroad tracks which were parallel with the former canal. We walked the tracks to Landing Station. The Landing Station platform was built on the former canal. We kept walking along the tracks to the east of there, actually south at this point, and saw some water filled ponds, which if they were'nt part of the canal we figured must have been "borrow pits" for fill dirt. We soon reached an interesting berm which we thought might have been a narro gauge railroad right of way or something but we were'nt sure. We continued on it out to Shippenport Road where we found a partially filled in stone culvert that was really interesting. We didn't know it at the time, but this was the tail race tunnel for Inclined Plane #1 East. The plane itself is now Shippenport Road. Matt made that suggestion when we got up to the road and looked back at it. He was looking at the photographic history of the Morris Canal, and he was dead on, though the site looked nothing like it did.
We ended up crossing the road and walking through a wooded section, though we found later that was not the canal even though there was some sort of mill race or something in there. There was also a big pond in the area but I think it must have been too low to have been the canal.
I think we determined that we'd found the canal again when a prism was visible before Shippenport Road went under the railroad tracks. We saw a piece of it on the other side but then lost it when we approached a Rt 80 interchange near Landing Road. We cut across a couple of parking lots and along exits and such looking for remnants but didn't find anything. We picked up the next piece just across Rt 46 where there used to be a stone aqueduct. The canal on the other side was part of the Ledgewood Canal Park. We walked a beautiful clear section from here for a ways to the top of Inclined Plane #2 East. This was one of the nicest inclined planes along the entire canal, very well preserved with the turbine chamber intact. A roof had been erected over it to protect it more. I tried to get into the turbine chamber which was only closed off with a bolt, but it was too tight and none of us had an adjustable wrench.
We walked down on the plane and in the tail raceway to a nice turn lagoon, still watered at the bottom. Part of the canal below was now part of the parking lot for the park. Immediately below this was Inclined Plane #3 East, now the access road to the park. We crossed Emmans Road and then walked Canal Street which was either on or right next to the canal as we approached Rt 10.
We ran directly across 10 into the parking lot of a small building, then cut in back of it onto another section of the canal. The prism was in pretty good shape, and there was even an old lock site I was amazed was still rather good. I was totally surprised this long stretch of the canal wasn't developed over, since there were so many retail businesses along Rt 46 just to our parallel left.
We turned from the canal briefly to Rt 46 and met up with Eric Pace, and I believe we had some White Castle during the break, directly across the street. Had I known this section of canal was so good I would have walked it on previous hikes here.
We continued along the former canal to Commerce Blvd where there was a giant pond where the canal was. Whether there was a pond here originally I'm not sure, but I doupt it. Still, we continued on the north shore of it tracing the canal route. It became impossible to see the former route and we made our way onto Rt 46. We stopped by Cupid's Adult boutique at this point and went in for a laugh. One of the most memorable parts of the day was Kyle and Jamal sword fighting with pleasure devices. I don't know how we didn't get kicked out.
I don't know that this photo needs a caption.
This pond was not the canal. But we walked across it to get to the canal!
On a frozen pond in Kenvil
Morris Canal north of Kenvil
Morris Canal along Berkshire Valley Road
Morris Canal north of Kenvil
Former Central Rialroad of NJ near Lake Junction
Former CNJ railroad near Lake Junction
When we got to where the canal and railroad crossed, I got a crazy uncontrollable nose bleed. Ick!
Morris Canal near Lake Junction
Former lock tender's house in Hugh Force Park. This was once held together by a bent rail. Must not have worked.
Morris Canal in Hugh Force Park
Morris Canal in Hugh Force Park
Morris Canal in Wharton
Morris Canal in Wharton (Port Oram)
Jillane met up with us here and we continued to the north along the former CNJ High Bridge Branch railroad tracks for a bit I think, then we walked across a frozen pond to the left and briefly up hill to get on the former canal. We walked it on the towpath for a bit, which was at first doable, but then we made our way over to Berkshire Valley Road which was directly parallel with it.
The road went under the former Lackawanna Chester Branch railroad tracks via a culvert, which I've been told was originally just a canal underpass converted for the road.
Back in 2001 it must have been, I went for a long hike by myself on these lines, and I was passed by a 1954 diesel going south on those tracks. On it's way back, the two guys riding it told me they were going my way and invited me into the train with them! I got to go for a great ride in this old diesel which was absolutely incredible. It rocked back and forth on the old tracks which they told me had ties that hadn't been replaced since the 1880s! It was they who told me the culvert was formerly a canal culvert converted for road use.
Berkshire Valley Road became Dewey Ave and the canal turned away from it, though we couldn't see at all where that was. We had to walk up to Lake Junction where the CNJ made it's connection with the Morris and Essex/Lackawanna line, then turned right on that abandonment to get to the next piece of the canal. A junk yard had been built over much of it just to the west so we had to get around it.
When we got to the former canal underpass, we descended and walked a great section of preserved towpath. I held back and got a horrible nose bleed. I was waiting for quite a while behind everyone while blood poured uncontrollably out of my nose. If it kept up I probably would have had to see a doctor. I held behind because I didn't want to freak everyone out or worry Jillane much. I already had enough baggage for her to deal with and didn't need to make myself look any more unattractive.
Just ahead, we came to the ruins of an old locktender's house followed by one of the best preserved sections of the canal, still watered ahead. This was part of Wharton's Hugh Force Park.
I continued on the canal alone to catch up with the rest of the group goofing off on the ice. The snow was still deep enough that it made for tough walking.
The park ended at Central Ave in Wharton, but we opted to continue straight across from the parking lot on a section of the canal behind people's houses, which didn't seem to be a problem. No one came out so we were okay. I don't remember if we continued on it across Burns Street, but from there it was only a block to the center of Wharton where we stopped for a little lunch break.
In the canal days this area was known as Port Oram. We had to walk Fern Ave ahead which paralleled the old canal for a ways, and then we turned off into a ball field to the left, still parallel with the canal. I didn't know it at the time, but we could have gotten on another nice clear piece of it alongside the Rockaway River I think it was ahead, but instead we walked parallel Princeton Ave to Rt 46. DJ Ray was so drunk by the time we left the ball fields that he had to call Katie Smith to come pick him up. I was a little concerned leaving him there in the cold, but he ended up alright.
When we reached Rt 46 the rest of the group got way ahead of Jillane and I.
We didn't know where exactly the canal went through the Town of Dover where we'd just arrived. Even if we had, we didn't know what we'd find of it. This ended up being the worst section to walk, at least for me, of the entire canal across the state due to the uncertainty and everyone ahead being in such a hurry to get it done.
Jillane and I walked a couple of side streets looking around for remants or signs, but then just got on Rt 46. We passed a big park in town it was said to go through but we probably only saw maybe one brown canal sign. East of Dover it went around an oxbow bend and then headed north but we didn't know how to get to it so we followed parallel roads. We turned off of Rt 46 at West Main Street. The canal was now parallel with us below. It soon crossed the road as we ended up below it. It was on a shelf to our left, then turned away a bit through a park in Rockaway. We finished the hike at the Quick Check in Rockaway. Even though the last leg of the hike was pretty crappy, Jillane and I needed to have time alone to talk, and I was glad for that either way.
Hiking Morris Canal in Dover area
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