4/28 Gunks Hike! see our meetup site for more!

Sunday Newark Delaware Hike!

This hike will be a loop around Newark, DE! A bit further south than where we usually go, but we've had some good experiences with the Mason Dixon Trail and sorrounding system. I think this will be the best one yet!!
We will be meeting at 9 am at the Newark Shopping Center, 311 Newark Shopping Ctr, Newark, DE. There is a Goodwill Store there. Look for that, and park close by as to be within sight but not to take up the parking for patrons there. Maybe we'll check it out too if it's open. Once we're all together, a loop hike will commence utilizing both the Mason Dixon Trail, the Pomeroy Rail Trail, known locally as the "Pumpsie Doodle", and a couple other local trails forming a loop.
The full hike, as usual will be just about fifteen miles.

The theme for this hike will be ridicules leisure suits. We can always find those sorts of things at thrift stores, so maybe we'll find more at the beginning!
The Pomeroy Rail Trail leads us from the business district of Newark to more area trails. If it's warm enough to swim, there may be opportunities. We will check the temperature leading up to this which will dictate the direction of the loop hike (swimming would be near to the end).
The Pomeroy Trail connects with another trail near to the active rail line. Our connection between this and the Mason Dixon Trail at Iron Hill Park will be college campus sorts of stuff. Newark is actually a very pedestrian friendly city.
The Mason Dixon Trail makes it's way from White Clay Creek south on a very diverse route through both woods and developed parks, and follows a good stretch of the Christina River. It looks quite lovely.
If anyone needs further information or needs to get in touch with me, call or text my cell at 908 343 8374.
Carpools may be available from northwestern NJ.

This Week: Marble Hill Events and Hikes!

We have a lot of stuff coming up this week!!! Very exciting!
Please join us in this momentous occasion, celebrating the grand opening of the all new Marble Hill trail system at Lopatcong Park!
As Chairman of the Warren County Board of Recreation Commission and President of Metrotrails, I am proud to announce the completion of the all new Marble Hill Trail System, which includes mines, overlooks, and more!
The opening at noon is an open public event, so all are welcome to attend regardless of RSVP numbers here. Maps will be given to all in attendance!
Aside from just the hike, there will be a Highlands Trail presentation earlier in the week given by VP Matt Davis and myself at Hunterdon Arboretum for the Hunterdon Hiking Club (1020 Highway 31
Lebanon, NJ 08833 in Clinton Township, 7pm). Matt and I will be talking about the Highlands Trail system, and share photos of it's scenic route from Storm King Mountain in NY to Rieglesville PA. We'll then go on to describe our work on the Warren Highlands Trail, an alternative route to the main trail across Warren County, and the focus of this week's Sunday hike (4/14). There is also a Board of Recreation Meeting on Tuesday at 5 where we'll be going over some of the plans on official county level, in Oxford, Dept Land Pres office on Mt Pisgah Ave. Read on to the official press release below for more.

On the hike, participants will have the option of joining in one, two, three, or four parts of the event.

There will be a less than 4 mile hike in the morning, then we might stop to eat. There will be the grand opening, then another hike to follow.
THOSE WHO WISH TO JOIN ME FOR THE ENTIRE DAY, PLEASE MEET ME AT CRIVELLARO'S RESTAURANT at 8:30 am:  The address is 1690 Morgan Hill Rd, Easton, PA 18042. 
The plan is now to do the morning and afternoon event, then we'll hike on to Crivellaro's where we can have dinner and drinks.
Lopatcong Township Park is located at 9 Wildew Ave, Phillipsburg NJ. This is the park where the pool is located. Enter the park and keep to the right. At the far right parking lot, near the ball fields is a kiosk at the paved pathway, pictured here. This is where we will begin the hikes, and where the celebration will occur.
The first part hike (shown as a separate event here) will be a short loop with a bit of out and back, starting at 9 am. We'll follow the new Lopatcong Connector Trail, constructed by Jillane and I with mowing help from the township, on up to the Warren Highlands Trail. We'll turn right and follow it out to the newest section, rerouted from the previous year to the fields. It'll be an out and back to the former site of the Harmony School House. There is a nice panoramic view not to miss!
We'll make our way back from here probably backtracking a bit, but also on a utility line with another view.
At noon there will be the celebration. In attendance will be at least two Freeholders, Director of Warren County Land Preservation Mr. Corey Tierney, Director of Planning Mr. David Dech, and Assistant Director of State Parks Mr. John Trontis, all outstanding and passionate individuals, as well as others. Directly following the celebration, I will be leading the group, which may be larger at this point. We'll again follow the Lopatcong Connector Trail to Warren Highlands Trail, then the new yellow trail down to a new parking lot and kiosk. We'll continue on the yellow trail which loops back to Warren Highlands Trail a little further on. We'll then follow Warren Highlands to a lovely seasonal vista of "Little Water Gap" and St. Anthony's Nose in PA. After that, we follow the Iron Mine Trail to the Fulmer Mine, another great little spot.

 AGAIN, FOR THOSE DOING THE ENTIRE HIKE, we will continue out of the park. We will follow the Warren Highlands Trail out to the Northampton Street Free Bridge. I will split the group where some can stay on the trail, and some can go through my favorite giant pipe. We'll reconvene along the route along the road.
From there, we continue through the riverside park at the forks of the Delaware and Lehigh, and head across to the Lehigh Canal. This is the proposed terminus of the Warren Highlands Trail, where it makes connection with the main Highlands Trail route. We'll then follow the route, along the D&L Trail on the Lehigh Canal towpath to Glendon. We'll leave the canal at Glendon and walk a couple of very pleasant back roads up Morgan Hill, and I'll point out the remains of the old Glendon Branch rail line. We'll finish then at Crivellaro's where we can have some excellent dinner and drinks to celebrate the momentous occasion!
I can be reached at (908) 343-8374. Feel free to call or text.

The following is the official press release:
The County of Warren is pleased to announce that various improvements to the Marble Hill Natural Area Preserve have been completed and that a “Grand Re-Opening” will be held at the Lopatcong Municipal Park (off Belvidere Road) on Sunday April 14th at 12:00pm. The 270+ acre preserve is owned by the County and adjoins over 100 acres of state open space and over 100 acres of municipal parkland. Visitors are invited to attend the ceremony and explore the property. Michael Helbing, the Warren County Board of Recreation Chairman and volunteer who helped construct most of the trail system, will also lead a guided tour of the preserve.

With the help of the state, township and volunteers, Warren County has cleared and blazed nearly 4 miles of new trails, installed multiple informational kiosks and interpretive signs, and created additional parking areas along River Road and Marble Hill Road. “The Martins Jacoby Watershed Association and the National Parks Service deserve special thanks for their generous grant which made all this possible,” noted Dave Dech, Warren County Planning Director. “Although this property had been preserved for quite some time, not too many people knew about it. This is a terrific resource for the public to enjoy and we hope they will come visit.”

Situated along Delaware River just north of Phillipsburg, the preserve's contiguous forestland provides coverage for neo-tropical song birds and other migratory song birds that use the river as a flyway during migration. Visitors are invited to follow newly established trails through dense thickets of rhododendron which are particularly colorful in late spring and early summer.

Excavated in the late 1800s for iron ore, they may notice various rock walls and other interesting artifacts - including the Fulmer Mine (or "Ice Cave"). One of the more interesting features on this site, the floor of this cave is often covered with icy stalagmite during the winter months.

Atop Marble Hill and along the main trail, visitors are encouraged to stop and enjoy the Delaware River Vista which overlooks the narrows north of Phillipsburg and Easton (known to loggers who worked the Delaware River as the "Little Water Gap"). Across the gap is Gollub Park, home to a rock outcrop known as St. Anthony's Nose.

“The main trail through Marble Hill is a western section the Warren Highlands Trail. A cooperative effort between the NYNJ Trail Conference, Metrotrails, the Highlands Project, and other conservation organizations, as well as the state and local governments, this trail will extend over 150 miles from Storm King Mountain on the Hudson River. From Marble Hill to Allamuchy Township, Warren County will contain 32 miles of the trail,” explains Helbing.

“Many people don’t realize this, but thanks to continuing Freeholder support, Warren County owns and maintains nearly 1,800 acres of open space,” adds Corey Tierney, Warren County Land Preservation Director. “The improvements to Marble Hill are part of a broader county-wide effort to make our nature preserves more accessible to the public. With the support of organizations like Martins Jacoby and a committed group of volunteers, we can make these areas more enjoyable without straining the budget. I encourage anyone who is interested in building and maintaining trails to contact my office. With your help, we can really make a little go a long way.” The Land Preservation Department can be reached at (908) 453-2650.

Next Hike: March on Atlantic City

 Plenty more good stuff coming up. I may do a trail work or night hike thing this week, but the hike this Sunday, 4/7, will be the March on Atlantic City~!

This will be the next in the series to hike the entire perimeter of NJ, and the last of the sections that will require as much road walking, though this one should be really interesting going out across the causeways ending in Atlantic City!!!
Meet at 8:45 at the Absecon Train Station and park somewhere visible near where we'll get off the train later on. The website shows the following as the station's GPS coordinates:
(39.42333,-74.50053)
And the address is 1 White Horse Pike, Absecon NJ
As usual, we will shoot for doing about 15 miles.
We will shuttle from the meeting point a very short distance north to where we left off in Oceanville where we can get some breakfast sandwiches. We'll then head into part of Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge. We'll make our way south from here following some woods and along back roads. We'll be forced to walk Rt 9 in some areas because there is no public land, but there are a couple of shore front parks that should afford us views of Barnegat Bay. Despite the amount of road walking involved, these have turned out to be very good social hikes. We'll likely stop in stores and such along the way, and see whatever else there is of interest. If typical, these hikes finish earlier than others as well.
One of the nicer spots along the back roads will be Faunce Landing, with some nice views, pictured above. We'll be near to Absecon Creek, and once we reach the town of Absecon we will have to follow along a road section, Rt 30, before getting to AC. We should be able to get on one parallel sand road for a bit, or use the wide grassy edge in some spots. The views from the causeway the road uses should be pretty interesting. This is the final stretch of the road walk sections needed to get us to AC and more beach hikes! We'll turn off the road in AC and take the first available train back to Absecon, which costs only $2.
Contact me if you need any further info (908) 343 8374 call or text
Also, on 4/14,  be ready for the grand opening of the Marble Hill trail system which I developed myself with the help of a few volunteers! It's sure to be a nice little event, and I'll have hikes leading to and from the opening, which will occur at noon. Contact me for more details on that as well.

M'ke

16th Annual Warren Railroad Hike and Hikers' Hootenanny!!!

Join us for the sixteen year anniversery hike of what started it all!
On March 23, 1997, Michael Helbing gathered a group of his closest high school buddies to hike the route of the former Warren Railroad.
What began as an informal group of friends evolved to become Metrotrails; a New Jersey Non Profit Corporation dedicated to promoting the trails of the NY/Philly metropolitan area.
We will be meeting at 9 am at the Port Colden Mall in Washington NJ, located at 404 East Washington Avenue near the Motor Vehicle, Jersey Pizza, and Hunon Wok. Park in the front of the lot closest to the highway.
We will shuttle in as few cars as possible to the north. Unfortunately, the route we followed on that first hike has become difficult for large groups, so we have amended the hike and shaved off a few miles to keep it at about 15, but added a few things to the route as well.
This is a great hike for convenience, because we will be passing food and drink pit stops at several points, so little needs to be carried. Additionally, at the end of the hike we will begin the 16th Annual Hikers' Hootenanny in Port Colden. More details on that to follow.
The route includes historic rail era towns with many century plus year old structures, abandoned bridges and two railroad tunnels. Those who do not wish to walk through tunnels have the option of joining a co-leader to pass over the top, an insignificant distance detour.
Those who do wish to take the more difficult route, please be prepared for water just over the knees.
Due to a high participation level always encountered on this terrific hike, I am asking everyone to please be patient as we organize the car shuttle to the north. Everyone will have to wait a bit before we get under way until everyone is at the start of the hike.
Upon arriving at Port Colden Mall, enter the lot and proceed to the left, almost back out to Rt 57. Please use the outside line of parking spaces along and facing Rt 57 so we do not use up all of the space for the local businesses. I will park in a spot a bit closer in the Metrotrails car (Red Stratus with Metrotrails on the side) so to be seen. I may have a card table for registration, but either way, make your way to my car to sign in. After that, we will fill cars and send them on their way to the beginning point. Michele, one of my co leaders will be heading to that point first to help get  everyone parked. Let's try to be as prompt as possible to get to the trail head.
This is Michele:

FOR THOSE WHO WOULD RATHER DO THE TEN MILE VERSION OF THE HIKE:
Please DO NOT report to Port Colden Mall. Instead, meet Eric Pace at Oxford Central School. From Washington, follow Rt 31 north into Oxford. Just before the traffic light, there is a mini mart called the Busy Bee on the southbound side. Behind the Busy Bee and gas station is Oxford Central School, which has a parking lot across from the main school building. Meet there at 9 am instead. The same deal here; Eric knows the beginning point, and everyone should pile into as few cars as possible to head north. Eric will leave his car in Oxford to work out shuttles later unless he decides otherwise. Eric can be reached at 908 763 3916. He has done this hike at least once a year since 2001 and is very familiar. This is Eric:

At the main meeting point, we'll continue to fill cars up and send them to the beginning as people arrive. Everyone will get in a circle at the beginning to go over the route and make introductions. We will have copies of the Mile By Mile Guide to hiking the Warren Railroad for sale at the beginning (5$ each, which just helps us to host the website, run the Meetup group, etc, rather than charging a fee), written by myself and Metrotrails Vice President Matthew Davis. Matt will also be there to help guide everyone through difficult or questionable spots. Matt is a wealth of knowledge on the old line. Matt has hosted hikes himself, and is a skilled Mountaineer and photographer. This is Matt:

In addition, Jason Kumpas is shown here as a co-leader. He has done this hike multiple times as well and is also familiar with the route. He can assist in leading those over the tunnel who wish to keep their feet dry. He's trained in Outdoor Leadership and active with groups such as NEPA Trail Mix and AMC.
Other friends who are very familiar with the route may be attending including my brother "Tea Biscuit", who has done the hike more times than anyone other than me, and maybe Fred who has joined it many times as well. If he's there, he'll likely lead the faster group near the front to finish earlier.
When we near Washington, I will be calling Dicola's Pizza ahead of time so they will have extra food ready for us. We can hang out there for a bit, and around 8 pm I want to head to Port Colden.
Following the hike, and beginning directly after will be the 16th Annual Hikers' Hootenanny! This will be held where my house used to be before it burned down in 2010. I have obtained a camp fire permit, which we will have in the back lot like we always did when I lived there. Sorry, there are no longer any bathrooms :(
But this should be a really fun time, so any musicians, feel free to bring your guitars and we'll hang out late!
The party will be at 8 Port Colden Road, Washington NJ 07882. It'll be the only vacant lot on the right after heading into the village off of Rt 57. Feel free to contact me for more details! 908 343 8374

Sun 3/17 Old Putnam/Westchester NY Hike and Fri night hike!

Hey all! Let's gear up for some great St. Patty's Day theme hiking! We have old Putnam Sunday and another friday night hike. Read toward the end for info on the night hike, but here is the info for this Sunday, 3/17 Old Putnam St. Patrick's Day Hike!
Join us for an interesting point to point hike, using public transportation, on the Old Putnam line, most of which is now the South and North County Greenways in Westchester County, as well as a few lesser developed parks both along the Hudson, through little towns, and in the Bronx!
We will be meeting at 9 am at Hastings-On-Hudson train station, located at 134 South Side Avenue, Hastings-on-Hudson. That is actually the address of the station cafe, obviously we'll be meeting at the station. Those coming from the city using public transportation can obviously meet us at the start of the hike, which is at Riverdale which is where the train is scheduled to drop us at 9:36.
It doesn't really matter which we meet at for the hike, but the participant is responsible for finding the group upon arrival, which brings me to the next item:
This hike is St. Patricks Day Theme! Let's celebrate by dressing in all green for this hike! Most of the route will be very easy, and much of the Old Putnam line is now a paved trail. We will never be very far from civilization.
The hike is between 15 and 16 miles (The short trails near the end are not to scale, so an approximation must be accepted. The park is very small, and so it should certainly be under 16 total).
The hike will start by following the Hudson south, then heading east through the Bronx and small pocket parks to Van Cortland Park. Here, we pick up the Old Putnam Trail, a surprisingly secluded and beautiful rail trail with original cinder surface much like the ones further to the west. It is surprising such a place exists within the confines of NY City.
When the trail leaves the Bronx, it becomes a more developed, paved trail. We'll continue on it north until we must follow a few roads to reach Hillside Park, a lesser used park with several trails leading down into Hastings-On-Hudson. We'll remain in parks until we reach a short section of Old Croton Aqueduct, then descend from it to the station, and admire the views along the Hudson before completing our hike.
This should be a great time!
THIS FRIDAY NIGHT: Join for a 15 mile night hike between Long Valley and Mansfield! Meet at 4:00 pm at Penwell, Mansfield Township NJ. From the traffic light in Mansfield, where Rt 57 intersects with Point Mountain Road and Port Murray Road, head no more than a half mile east and Penwell Road descends to the right. At the bottom of the hill, just before the bridge over the Musconetcong, turn left onto the abandoned former Penwell Road route. It's blocked at the end. We'll be pulling off on the left side at an angle within sight of the intersection.
We'll shuttle to the beginning and hike the Patriot's Path and Highlands Trail in to Hackettstown, and then visit Weiss Market where free samples are being given out at their "Meet the Manager" special. We'll then head west on a rail grade, then follow pleasant back roads through lovely farm lands and descend to Penwell. Only a very short distance walking along Rt 57. The rest is mostly fantastic back roads, beautiful foot paths, a scenic vista, an old iron mine, and more!
For both of these hikes further information, call or text me at 908 343 8374

M'ke

Sunday Washington's Crossing/Lambertville Hike and Phillipsburg Night Hike

Hey all!
 More good stuff coming up as always! This week, there's the 3/10 (Sunday) hike between Washington's Crossing and Lambertville along foot paths mostly, which should be amazing!
Additionally, I'll probably be doing a night hike on Friday, again in the Phillipsburg area to work on a bit more of the Warren Highlands Trail system (I may be reblazing a section), and then we'll head south to follow the Morris Canal Greenway route, a section which has recently been refurbished! For that, we'll probably meet at 4 pm in Phillipsburg along Charles Road near the intersection with Belvidere Rd. If you want to join, please contact me.
And Sunday: Join us for an incredible point to point hike between Washington's Crossing and Lambertville covering at least eight different parks! The now contiguous trail system leads between Washington's Crossing and Lambertville without even getting on the Delaware and Raritan Canal, although we will walk that briefly as well.
We will meet in Lambertville at 8:45 am Sunday morning. The parking area is somewhat hidden, but it's a good one. From NJ, take Rt 202 south to the Lambertville exit on Rt 29. Continue into Lambertville and turn right on Bridge Street.
DO NOT park at the station on Bridge Street. Pull into what appears to be a large hotel parking lot right by the bridge, after the station. Drive behind the building to the left, and there is state park parking along the river on the right! It sort of looks like you can't even go through that way.
If for some reason there is a storm closure or something in that section, park in the parking lot for the building and wait for me to show up. You can always call me at (908) 343 8374. After meeting, we'll do an easy car shuttle to our beginning point.
The route will be about 15 miles as usual, but I have not scouted the section from Baldpate into Lambertville, so it could vary slightly. I simply took the trail map and drew a line closely tracing it on Google Earth to get 15.
We'll be walking across the Washington's Crossing bridge from the Historic Park in PA, then along D&R canal briefly to the foot bridge into Washington's Crossing State Park. We'll weave through the trail system there, then head north. There is a connector trail that leads into the Ted Stiles Baldpate Mountain Preserve. We'll hike the Baldpate trails past an old farmstead and some limited views, then head down the north side. Dry Run Creek now has a trail connecting from the north side here, and we'll take it north to the new Rock Hopper Trail, which leads into Lambertville. Depending on the time, we may visit Goat Hill, or wander through town to complete the hike!
This hike is somewhat rugged at times, but not the type of difficult terrain one might find in the northern NJ Highlands or Ridge and Valley districts.