Showing posts with label NJ Cold Brook Preserve. Show all posts
Showing posts with label NJ Cold Brook Preserve. Show all posts

Saturday, May 27, 2017

Cold Brook Preserve, NJ


ABOUT THE PARK:
Cold Brook Reserve - Hunterdon County Division of Parks and Recreation

DIRECTIONS:
GPS Coordinates 40.67468, -74.74965
Parking lot just to the right off of the entrance drive.

TRAIL MAP:
Cold Brook Preserve Trail Map - Hunterdon County Parks
It might be different in the winter but at the time of this hike the map was pretty useless since there were very few blazes and the ones I did see did not match the map.  Field perimeter trails were overgrown and virtually non-existent.  I only did about half of what was on the map because it was too cumbersome to get through and ticks were horrendous.
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HIKE DISTANCE:  2.7 miles (hiked together with Hill and Dale Preserve - 1.7 miles 2.3 miles away)

THE HIKE:
American Robin
Walking in along the entrance drive to the start of the trail.
American Goldfinch
Yellow Warbler
The beginning isn't too bad, the entrance road starts to become overgrown but there is still a visible trail.
That post hidden in the brush must be a trail marker but there is nothing on it.  We turned right here,
The grass starts getting ...
... longer and longer and thicker.
Gray Catbird
Brown Thrasher
Farms to the right of the field.
The path into the woods which should be blazed red here but there are no blazes visible,
Fortunately, after the initial overgrowth, there is a visible trail.  I am guessing this is mostly due to horse traffic as there were hoof prints visible.
A bridge but not where it belongs.
Yellow blazes!
Then red blazes but I was on the opposite side of the wooded area from where the map says the red trail should be.
Coming back out to the fields.
Meow.
Eastern Kingbird
Back on the entrance road where the going gets easier.  We cut the hike short since it was so difficult to follow anything remotely resembling a trail.
Pretty scenery, though.
Straight ahead is the exit, left is the parking area.