Black River County Park is full of awesome hiking trails and picnicking areas. The Black River…read moretributary which runs through the Park is one of my favorite local trout fishing destinations. The NJ State Fish & Game regularly stocks this River and anyone with a valid Fishing License and Trout Stamp can have access to this activity along the River. Disabled Veterans and Kids under 16 are allowed to Fish freely without either. Plenty of excellent sites to check out including the Nathan Cooper Gristmill, Kay Pond, The Black River, and the picturesque Waterfalls. The Mill was built in 1826 and is still in operation as one of the only remaining water powered mills that has been restored in NJ. The Park often has guided tours and you can take home stone ground flour & cornmeal that's made right on site which is pretty cool. Open Wednesday - Sunday 10 till 5 [12 till 5 Sunday]

Black River County Park has a lot going for it. It's in a convenient location right off of a county…read morehighway and is only a few minutes away from downtown Chester aka a solid handful of post-hike meal options. In terms of the actual hike, you have high quality water features, with the Black River itself and its accompanying rapids the notable highlight, along with one of my all-time favorite hike characteristics - ruins. But the positives are slightly tainted by the lack of overall maintenance, which is a shame. I came here for a 6.4-mile hike with one of my chums last Saturday. It was a nasty, humid scorcher of a day and predictably we didn't see too many brave souls out there. It was character building at least. For those familiar with the park, we took the blue trail from the mill, which more or less runs parallel to the river, following it up past the environmental center to Pottersville Road, and then took the red trail on the right down to the Black River, meeting up again with the blue trail. The first part of the hike is in a lower-lying area with a lot of muddy sections, but the park has been pretty accommodating in building a lot of little bridges to get over those parts without getting your feet sopping wet. We're also in the midst of an epic drought, which at least helps for these types of adventures - I've seen it much muddier than this. A significant portion of the trail early on takes place on top of an abandoned railroad bed, and you could see a few ancient wood pilings down the slopes here and there. All of the trail markings here were pretty decent, and you have some pleasant visuals this time of year, including Kay's Pond. Once you start climbing up toward the environmental center, the trail markings and maintenance begin deteriorating. Both of us are experienced hikers, and we had to stop several times to make sure we were actually on the right trail. There's A LOT of offshoots and obvious places where additional markers should have been painted to steer people in the right direction. As a result, we actually missed the correct path to the environmental center and basically walked parallel to it from a distance in the cornfield. Thankfully there's no tree cover there and it was easy to orient ourselves, but it shouldn't have been an issue at all. Shortly thereafter, we ended up on the wrong part of the red trail for about 10 minutes, which we were able to figure out and retrace easily, but again, the lack of helpful trail markers loomed large. Right around this area (probably not a coincidence), we kept encountering random stretches of 50 feet or so where the path was totally overgrown. It wasn't a huge deal, though we definitely had to spend a little extra time checking for ticks, but these weren't huge areas of need - you could get a county worker to come in here with a weed-wacker and take care of these sections pretty quickly. And it's not clear why the rest of the path WAS maintained. Very strange. In terms of difficulty, there are a few stretches where we were a little out of breath, but nothing crazy (we're both in decent cardio shape, so your mileage may vary). I don't want this to come off as a purely negative diatribe, because there WERE positives. The canine chum situation was one. This is usually a very popular pooch spot but the heat kept most of them away. Thankfully we encountered a delightful, freshly sheared poodle named Toffee who was very accommodating (see attached). The wildlife sightings were solid as well. My eagle-eyed chum noticed a praying mantis on the road, and we met up with a nervous garter snake as well. We've both been here before and romped around in Kay's Ruins before - a remarkably solid foundation still remains there right on the river, and it's an awesome photo opportunity. Especially with the foliage in abundance, the optics are great. Additionally, because of the length of the trails it's easy to do a hike here with decent mileage where you get a legit workout. But this park could take some lessons from nearby Hacklebarney when it comes to making this park a little more hospitable for its guests.

So beautiful. The trails are poorly marked and there aren't any maps really. But it's worth it…read more Just leave plenty of time. Lots of variety

A quiet preserve with a nice, paved path on slight grade. There are more paths through the woods…read moreand alongside the river that runs through the glen. Watch out for coyotes and bears! It's nice to see a refuge like this, and great spot for easy access to a little bit of nature when you need to kick back and dangle your feet in a cool stream..

Great place, peaceful. I love go there Almost every…read moreSaturday morning Helping me found my self together...

I love wild cat trail!! Seeing the old mining cave is cool. The closer you get to it the colder it…read moregets. The only negative thing I have to say is that the paths are poorly maintained.

This place is absolutely beautiful, highly recommend. It's super popular, so the parking lot gets…read morepretty full. Come early! It's 3.5 miles, 1,250 feet elevation. You get a pretty good cardio workout as you traverse across the rock scrambles. It's a somewhat strenuous hike. For an easier time, go up the Red Dot trail and come down the Blue Dot trail. It's a loop! If you're looking for a less strenuous hike, you can go up and down the Blue Dot trail, but you'll miss a good view on the Red Dot trail. The Red Dot trail has an amazing view of the Delaware Water Gap and Mt Minsi. As you go further up, you'll reach the high point. Going down the Blue Dot trail, you'll eventually come across beautiful waterfalls and hike right by the river. Absolutely gorgeous! Don't forget to bring plenty of water!

This is one of the better hikes you will enjoy, never a dull moment, you get lots of rock…read morescrambling on top of a view. I thought this trail would be overridden by tourists and post Covid new hikers but I was shocked it wasn't crowded - went on black friday, maybe everyone was shopping and it was a little chilly. After thorough research, best route up is by taking the red trail and taking the blue trail back. The red trail up to the top is all rock scrambling, constant climbing up rocks till you get to the top. The blue trail back is not as much scrambling and a gradual decline down rather than a straight up climb. I can't imagine taking the red trail down, it would take longer and is definitely harder. There are multiple parking lots so beware of where you park though the lots are close by walking distance. McDonald's is 7 minutes away without traffic so that can be a great incentive to come, grab grub right after. When I finished hike around 1, parking lot was quite full.

For an inexperienced party of hikers, this trail might not be the best choice, but we had a…read moregrueling and fulfilling hike. With ample breaks (~10 short water breaks and 3-4 longer breaks to admire scenery), we finished in 5.5 hours. If a short but rough bit of rock scrambling will be a challenge, make sure to bring gloves and proper hiking footwear, and durable fitted clothing. The path we took had varied terrain and tended to go up and down in elevation. Definitely download a hiking app that works without good phone service since there are multiple trails and we had multiple instances where we had to choose the correct direction. We brought 2 bottles of ice water each, but decidedly towards the end we should have really brought 4-5. Didn't see any wildlife except a hawk/falcon, plenty of millipedes, and a weird alien-like squirming worm sticking straight out of a tree looking like a stubby branch. Pathing: we started at the parking lot and followed the blue state line trail (which apparently leads to Maine, informed fellow hikers). We probably missed any views until we changed to the yellow trail (the beginning is denoted by three yellow squares, as well soon learned). On the yellow trail, we were soon treated with a small, private feeling view of a pond next to a campfire pit. The next viewing area consisted of a closeup experience of the same pond from the ground level. After another hour of hiking, we had our best view yet, a canopy high view of the river and small houses across, with trees as far as the eye can see. Seemed worth it after four hours of rocks and mud. Terrain: Short easy walking portions are split between rocky paths with the occasional climb up or down. Having a stick really helped during both parts. Watch out for slick mossy rocks. Weather: matters! We luckily came on a cloudy cool summer day (70-80F) and with shade and breeze it was very pleasant. I could imagine running out of water in the first two hours if it was sunny and hotter. Unluckily, it rained during the last hour as it became afternoon. It will be very hard to hike this trail without sunlight. It also became frigidly cold. Crowdiness: crossed about 10 hikers during the five hours, could be due to the rain warning, but still much less crowded compared to any other spots I've been to. Also saw almost no trash, thumbs up to all the hikers here. Danger: heard about snakes, never saw any. Most dangerous thing on the trail is probably the dwarves that surely live in the trees with the little doors, and slick rocks along with unsure footing. Few scrapes and bruised backsides can be expected for amateur hikers like us, especially when it rains. Feels amazing after we finished, my last hour of the journey nearly blank with desperation to reach the end. Good meal and foot massage ahead! tl;dr fairly difficult trail with ups and downs and rock scrambling, bring more water than you think you need, a hat, gloves, sunscreen if you like, a stick, good shoes, and a tested hiking app. Views depend on the trail you take, we got the best views on the yellow trail. Be careful and enjoy being nearly alone on the trail. Don't stay til dark, and run from the rain.

Medium level hike with great scenery. Not much elevation but part of the trail is rocky. Wear your…read morehiking shoes instead of sneakers, otherwise you will get a foot massage like I did today =) It's a good 3-4hours hike. Parking lot is 50 meters away from the entrance. Hiking might require hands at some points but overall it's smooth and agreeable. Following white trail, then at the crossing of white trail and yellow trail (2.5hours hike), you will enjoy the great view from the top of the mountain. Then follow the yellow trial for 30mins, surprise lake is right in front of you. It's surrounded by the forests with the branches of the trees touching the water. A soft breeze from the lake is very refreshing after a long hot hike. Follow the orange trail, you will get to the entrance nicely and easily. Def worth a visit if you like hiking.

Wallkill River National Wildlife Refuge was established to conserve and enhance populations of…read morewildlife and their habitats, to protect and enhance water quality, and to provide opportunities for wildlife-dependent recreation and research. The refuge conserves the biological diversity of the Wallkill Valley by protecting and managing land, with a special emphasis on forest-dwelling and grassland birds, migrating waterfowl, wintering raptors, and endangered species. The North American Waterfowl Management Plan identifies the Wallkill River bottomlands as a priority focus area for waterfowl management within New Jersey.

***2 1/2 stars***…read more Wallkill was the site of our First of the Year hike this year, on a warmer than usual January 1 with some decent sunshine. We picked this based almost solely on location - in recent years, a Sussex native has been trekking all over the state to participate in this noble event so a nearby spot was selected as a gesture of good will. Our specific sojourn took place exclusively on the Wood Duck Trail, a back and forth hike that was about three miles in total (perfect mileage for this event). The parking lot is easy to spot, just off 23, and while the lot itself does not have a port-a-potty, the spiffy QuickChek nearby does - and for what it's worth, the bathroom there was pretty clean and the employees very pleasant. I am always warmly received in the Kingdom of Sussex. It absolutely could have been the time of year, but this place seemed super desolate and not conducive to decent optics. It's a lot of marshy/swampy areas off to the sides of the trails, which can be spooky under the right circumstances (maybe they could do some kind of Halloween hike over here with lanterns?) but after a while it's just repetitive. At the end of the trail (very easy to spot - it's literally gated so you have no choice but to turn around), there's a pleasant little off-shoot where you can get pretty close to the Wallkill River and admire the water features. Our Honorary Young Pup scampered down to the edge and played around there for a few minutes before we headed back. There were also one or two wooden bridges to cross over little streams, which were nice enough. However, they were a bit slippery - all of us watched the Honorary Young Pup skip across them with gritted teeth, but she stayed upright. I don't know if that's just the result of recent thawing and the prior day's rain, but something to keep in mind if you're tromping around there in similar weather. Once or twice we also encountered lookout points ostensibly to view birds and other wildlife, but they were not interested in making themselves known on January 1. Our only wildlife sighting of the day was a cardinal hopping around on the ice nearby. It would have been improved if this trail permitted pooches, but alas - only service animals are allowed, and they were off doing their duty elsewhere on this particular day. I don't see any reason why the powers that be couldn't at least allow leashed canines here - I can't imagine a tethered retriever doing any damage to the waterfowl, but I don't make the rules. On the positive side, the trail IS pretty well maintained. Part of that could be the minimal brush along the edges (there were a few sticker bushes but nothing that really hindered our journey), but it was very easy and straight-forward to follow, and even on a morning where everything was still in the process of drying out, I was impressed by how solid the path was. I'd anticipated navigating around a few puddles, and there really weren't any to speak of. Also in that regard, it's very young pup friendly. Our Honorary Young Pup is now a cagey veteran of this event and was comfortable frolicking by herself further down the trail and had no issues completing this adventure. This wasn't terrible by any means, but personal preference-wise, I prefer hikes/trails that are more interesting.

Super nice 3 mile trail around lake with tall walls from an old marl factory half way around. Water…read moreis super clear and tho' it says no swimming, you may fall off your paddle board sometimes! Has parking w boat launch and a porta potty.

The Jockey Hollow unit of Morristown National Historical Park is the site of the Continental Army's…read moremain winter encampment. My first stop was the Jockey Hollow Visitor Center. There, I watched the 15 minute film and arranged for a volunteer to take me inside the Wick House. The film described what life was like for the common soldier who wintered at Jockey Hollow during the harshest winter of the War, from December 1779 to June 1780. Huddled in log cabins with rags for clothing and little food, the army hunkered down to wait for Spring. After watching the film and touring the Wick House, I decided to walk the 2.5 mile park loop road. There are 27 miles of hiking trails in the park, but these were all covered with snow and ice on the day of my visit. There were plenty of pedestrians, dog-walkers and cyclists sharing the road with me.

Most elementary school teachers' lesson plans on the American Revolution emphasize the significance…read moreof the Continental Army's winter encampment at Valley Forge in Pennsylvania during the winter of 1777-1778. Few of them mention the fact that thousands of soldiers from the Continental Army spent the winter of 1776-1777 (following George Washington's iconic crossing of the Delaware River) and the winter of 1779-1780 (which was the harshest winter of the Revolutionary War) in Jockey Hollow -- located just south of downtown Morristown. In March 1933, Morristown National Historical Park -- including the Jockey Hollow encampment -- became the country's first National Historical Park. Jockey Hollow features a small visitor center staffed by knowledgeable park rangers that offers a short film and interpretive exhibits explaining the significance of the site as well as a small gift shop. There are also more than 25 miles of marked hiking trails and a 3-mile paved tour road that offers easy 'drive to' (or, 'walk to') access to the visitor center, Wick Farm, soldiers' huts, and parade grounds. The tour road is very popular with local walkers and runners and the marked hiking trails, which range in difficulty from easy to moderate, are well-blazed and well-represented on the trail maps available on the park's website and along the trails throughout the park. The longest hiking trail is the 6.5 mile white-blazed Grand Loop Trail, which circles the entire Jockey Hollow site and intersects with the Patriots Path trail system that traverses Morris County. Some of the other hiking trails include the 3.0-mile blue-blazed New York Brigade loop trail, which offers a fantastic view of the distant New York City skyline from the top of Mount Kemble, and the 2.25-mile yellow-blazed loop trail, which connects the key historic sites throughout the park. There is no fee for the park and there is plenty of free parking at the visitor center, the soldiers' huts, and the trailheads.