Hike #527 11/26/10
11/26/10 Sourlands/Hopewell Loop with Dr. Jenn Redmond
Along the Service Road Trail, Sourlands Mountain Nature Preserve
My next hike would be a loop in NJ's Sourlands Region again; originally intended as a point to point, only Dr. Jenn showed up, so I decided to amend it to make it easier. I hadn't hiked with Jenn now for years, since a Lehigh Gap hike way back, so it was great to see her again.
We met on the Ridge Road parking area of the Hunterdon County Sourlands Preserve, a bumpy little drive and a rocky parking lot.
Dr. Jenn brought her energetic little dog with her, and she handled the entire hike very well. We followed the blue blazed trail south through Huntedon and D&R Greenways land past the rock outcroppings to the service road trail and turned left.
We followed the service road to where it turned left away from the property, and we turned briefly onto the white blazed trail, then left onto the unofficial side trail that went into Highfields, formerly the estate of Charles Lindbergh. I had followed this trail one time at work, and discovered an abandoned zip line and ropes course. I wanted to get back to that site again.
Ropes course at Highfields, NJ Sourlands
The trail led us right to the place. It was a bit messed up, but totally easy to find. It was pretty close to the old Lindbergh house. There were a few climbing things hanging from the trees, and the one I hadn't noticed before was a giant spider web! Dr. Jenn took some time out to climb up onto it.
Zip line and ropes course at Highfields
Rope course at Highfields in the Sourlands
Dr. Jenn at the rope course at Highfields
We walked a bit further on the trail, but it just took us out to the driveway to Highfields. It looked like someone was there, we hurried back into the woods and made our way back along the trail to a fork. The trail to the left was the one we took, and it was difficult to follow. Blazes just seemed to go anywhere, clumsy looking paint ones that someone with no trail background put up.
We continued out to the abandoned power line through the Sourlands Mountain Nature Preserve, and then turned to reach the white blazed trail. This took us to the yellow trail, which we turned left on, then came back to another part of the service road. We turned left and followed this out to the main parking lot off of the park.
Map of Stony Brook North, Sourlands
We walked out the access drive to the park and across Rileyville Road into Northern Stony Brook Greenway, a D&R Greenways preserve. A map had been put where the trail came off of the road. We followed the trail out to an intersection, and turned left on a trail called Picnic Rock Loop. This took us to Mountain Church Road and we crossed onto what was called the Double Crossing Loop Trail. We headed south on this through some nice woods. We came to the intersection with the Sourlands Approach trail, or Sourlands Foothill Trail. I don't remember seeing the junction, we just passed it.
Giant fallen tree in Northern Stony Brook Preserve
This trail was named because it crossed the Northern Stony Brook twice. We turned from a southward direction back to the north and soon were near some homes.
Stream in Northern Stony Brook Preserve
The trail took us back to Mountain Church Road again, but instead of taking it across into the rest of the preserve, we turned left along the road.
We followed the road to the end and then turned left onto Stony Brook Road heading south. We crossed the brook again along the road, and continued south across Rt 518.
Northern Stony Brook
Northern Stony Brook
We walked along the road and soon came to a beautiful old truss bridge. We walked across it and back, then continued south on Stony Brook Road.
Old truss bridge on Mine Road near Hopewell
Old truss bridge on Mine Road
As we walked, we soon came to the former right of way of the Mercer and Somerset Railroad, the nearly forgotten line I had been trying to trace for a couple years. There were still abutments in place where it once crossed Stony Brook here.
Former Mercer and Somerset Railroad bridge site over Stony Brook near Hopewell
Former Mercer and Somerset Rail bed at Stony Brook Road
On the opposite side the rail line went along the edge of a field and then beyond onto a golf course so there was no way we were able to walk it. We continued ahead along the road and soon came to another piece of public land along the Stony Brook to the right. We didn't bother exploring this, as we didn't have enough time. We continued to the underpass below the railroad tracks that were responsible for the abandonment of the Mercer and Somerset and climbed to the top.
Railroad underpass on Stony Brook Road
We began following the tracks to the north, and I remember seeing another right of way off to the right I think. I remember thinking this could have been an earlier alignment of the railroad, but I'm not sure.
Walking the tracks just south of Hopewell
We continued walking the tracks north into Hopewell, and turned off of them when we reached Rt 518, Louellen Street.
Some sort of man made thing in the woods, maybe a former rail bed?
I found out later that Hopewell was once the site of a "Frog War". A "Frog" is the piece of track that allows for two railroads to cross at grade, it's the piece that fits together to allow them to pass. When the National Railroad Company build their line through, Mercer and Somerset, which was built solely to bar them from building, I believe parked their train on the track to keep traffic from moving on that line. Employees of either company would get into a fight which could often become bloody. This has happened at other places as well, and is known as a "Frog War".
We walked into town along the main street, and stopped by the little deli I'd stopped by on my previous trip, which was very good. I had a nice sandwich with tons of meat on it, and I can't remember what else. The guy running the place was really nice.
We continued from here out to North Greenwood Ave, which becomes Rileyville Road further north, and turned north onto it.
View from Highlands Cemetary, Hopewell
Highlands Cemetary, Hopewell
Along the road, we made a brief turn into Highland Cemetary on the right which had a nice view out over Hopewell and beyond.
Mirror shot
Walking up the road, it opened up a bit on the left where there was a good area slightly off the road for walking for a bit, then we continued north to Featherbed Lane. Since my last time here, a parking area had been established on the right side of the road. Directly across from it was where the Sourlands Foothill Trail enters. We followed this north through young woods, then across Rileyville Road and into Northern Stony Brook again.
In Northern Stony Brook Preserve
The trail took us through lots of woods and eventually connected with the Two Crossing Trail again.
Northern Stony Brook Preserve
We continued north across Mountain Church Road again, then onto the Picnic Rock loop back to the connector trail to cross Rileyville Road to the Hunterdon County Sourlands Preserve.
Rodents tend to eat most of the trail blazes in Sourlands, so I replaced them with paint.
More half eaten trail markers, but my paint is holding up good.
We followed the service road trail down hill and across a creek crossing, then turned right onto the yellow blazed trail. We stayed on this one to the left instead of following the white one further down. Along the way, we saw how the rodents in the area had continued to eat more of the plastic Hunterdon trail markers. I had replaced many of them with paint which was holding up very well.
Me in Sourlands
The trail took us past some wetlands and then back out to the service road trail where we turned right I think. I recall that we had made a wrong turn and then had to go back as well to get to the blue trail. We eventually came back to the blue trail and followed it north past the rock outcroppings.
Rock outcroppings in Sourlands Mt. Nature Preserve.
There was some weird mushroom and peace sign graffiti on the rocks at the top of the outcroppings, however someone made the peace sign look more like an Oldsmobile symbol. We passed by the "This Is Not A Trail" signs which I think Hunterdon should remove, because first thing I think when I see a sign like that is to go down there
It's not??? Sourlands Mountain Nature Preserve
We continued along the blue trail over the creek and returned to our cars with no problem before dark.
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