Showing posts with label NJ Tourne County Park. Show all posts
Showing posts with label NJ Tourne County Park. Show all posts

Saturday, June 5, 2010

Tourne County Park (Morris County, NJ)


ABOUT THE PARK: Morris County Park Commission

TRAIL MAP: Downloadable maps - saw no maps at all available at the park.

PARKING DIRECTIONS:
Boonton Side: From the Morris Country Park Commission website - this area is heavily used and when I was there McCaffrey Lane was being closed off for a 5K race.
Denville Side: McCaffrey Lane is gated in the middle of the park so there is no through traffic to the other side. Instead of turning left from Fanny Road on to McCaffrey Lane, continue straight and turn left on Old Denville Road. The park entrance will be on the left. This parking lot is by the children's play area, is very large and appears to be lightly used.

HIKE DIRECTIONS:
The weather forecast for the weekend was not good with a constant chance of thunderstorms so I wanted a park where I would have a quick out back to the car if needed. Turned out to be a sunny day but terribly hot and humid. Managed to get 9.5 miles in exploring the trails with repeating some trail sections. I was not able to find trail distances online so I measured the ones I was on and will provide approximate trail lengths.


DeCamp Trail to Top of the Tourne - 1.5 mile loop, unmarked


This should be a view of the New York City skyline but with the haze and humidity the skyline was not visible the morning I was there:


Red-Blazed Trail - 3 miles
Appears to be the most heavily used trail in the park




White-Blazed Trail - 1 mile
Not as heavily used as the red-blazed trail.


Along the white-blazed trail there is a sign for Boiling Spring. I turned at the sign and followed the unmarked trail but it kept forking into other unmarked trails not on the map, there were no more signs and I never did find Boiling Spring.


Swamp Trail
Apparently this trail no longer exists as it goes right into the swamp. There is no way to the other side that is supposed to come out on to the red-blazed trail.
Swamp Trail trailhead from white-blazed trail:




Mountain Lakes/Birchwood Trail - umarked - .8 miles (in pink on map)





Unmarked Trails
There are several unmarked trails, more than what is shown on the map, so it is confusing to know exactly where they lead. Although the unmarked trails are well-defined and not overgrown, I did not run into any other people.



LITTER REPORT:
No litter! Noticed most people using reusable water bottles instead of disposable plastic bottled water.