Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge, NJ - Wilderness South

ABOUT THE PARK: 

Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge - U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Dogs are not allowed.

DIRECTIONS: 

GPS Coordinates 40.70605, -74.46797

TRAIL MAP: 

Great Swamp Trail Map - U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

This map is actually better than the online map but the "You Are Here" is at the other parking lot, not the one where this hike starts.

HIKE DISTANCE:  4.5 miles

THE HIKE: 

The orange trail starts from the parking area but there aren't many orange markers to be seen.

The trail is well-defined and ranges from dry ...

... to wet ...

... to completely flooded out.  This is, after all, a swamp, so it is to be expected.

At an intersection that is easy to miss, a trail goes to the right.  That would be the silver trail, again, with markers being a rare sight.  It's a bit more overgrown and thorny in spots but it does open up.

There are several downed trees to maneuver over/around but they were all doable.

I found some spring back in here!

The trail ends at...

Black Brook

Heading back to the orange trail.

Continuing to the right on the orange trail.

A short distance ahead is the worst flooded part but I made it through.

Just after that it is pretty much dry trail the rest of the way.

The very sporadically blazed green trail goes to the right.

It crosses the swamp on a boardwalk.

The loop that goes around back to the orange trail was about 95% bone dry.

One of those elusive green markers.

Passing by a pond.

So far on this hike I had seen two owls, several ducks that flew off as I approached, and a red-shouldered hawk soaring overhead.  This robin was the only one that allowed me a picture.

I could, however, have taken many, many pictures of the many, many ticks.  Yes, they're baaaack. Let it be noted that I did spray my legs with picaradin, which is what I always use on clothing, as I was leaving the car but they did not care.  The total tick count was about 10 plucked off as I went along, 3 more when I was as the car, 1 in the trash bag that I put my clothing in, 1 dead one in the washer after I soaked the clothes for a good half hour, and 1 in my hair as I was getting into the shower.  I hope that was it.

Somewhere around the loop before this bridge there should be a beige trail to the right but I missed it.

All the bridges and boardwalks end in water but it was doable to get back to dry land.

There is one of those ducks that took off.

The orange trail ends at the Meyersville Road parking lot.

Heading back.

Got one of the red-shouldered hawks!  A few minutes later I heard the squawking again and looked up to see two of them circling.

Then I felt eyes on me.

These shoes held up so well in this water.  The water came up over the shoe laces a few times but my socks were barely damp.

Schiff Nature Preserve, NJ

ABOUT THE PARK: 

Schiff Nature Preserve

DIRECTIONS: 

GPS Coordinates 40.75151, -74.61815

Parking lot at the McVickers Brook Preserve section of Schiff Nature Preserve.

TRAIL MAP: 

Schiff Nature Preserve Trail Map

HIKE DISTANCE:  10.4 miles

THE HIKE: 

Brodie is having to sit out hiking for a while.  He came down with Old Dog Vestibular Disease which, in a nutshell, is like having vertigo on crack.  My dog before him, Shawnee, had it.  When her eyes started rapidly going back and forth, her head tilted, she was smashing into walls and could barely walk, I rushed her to the veterinary emergency hospital thinking she was having a stroke.  When Brodie showed the same symptoms I knew it was not an emergency so I just made a regular vet appointment for that day.  He just needed something for the nausea.  That is about all that can be done for it.  Then it is supportive care for 3-4 weeks until it resolves.  He is not able to eat out of his bowl so I have to syringe and hand feed him.  While I am hiking, here is Brodie at home.  (I leave his harness on so I can help him when he is wobbly, although he is already walking pretty well on his own.)

On with the hike...

It was foggy and spritzy and drizzly so please pardon the horrible pictures.

Hopping off for a look at ...

... the Conservation Pond that had some loud frog activity going on ...

... then continuing on the white Franklin Parker Trail.

The Gaia app shows a trail to the right when white turns left.  There is supposed to be a pond so I turned right.

It's not really a trail rather a controlled fire break so it has thick leaf drop and thorny vines throughout.

And no pond to be seen.  

Continuing on white.

Seriously?  On which planet?

After white crosses the woods road ahead it becomes a footpath.

Right on white leads out of Schiff to the Patriot's Path so I veered left on green.

Right on purple.

Coming up on Lookout Point.

Nothing to see at Lookout Point today.

Taking red down ...

... to the lean-to ...

... then blue the rest of the way down.

Blue continues to the left on the other side of Union School House Road ...

... along the North Branch Raritan River.

At the guardrail blue crosses back over a level up in the woods but I stayed on the road.  The trail ascends and I needed to stay on the road to connect to a separate section of Schiff Nature Preserve.  I would be back on the upper level of blue later on.

It's only about half of a mile of road walking with very light traffic.

Passing by historic Union School which is now a private residence.

Crossing the bridge over ...

... North Branch Raritan River.

Just before the 35 mph sign ...

... right then to the right along the field.

At this pond the trail splits; staying to the right for an out-and back section.

The trail ascends then at the top it becomes less defined although the markers are there.

The trail then switchbacks down steeply.  It's going from marker to marker since there really is no trail.  

At the end ...

... back along the river on the opposite side from where I was before on Union School House Road.

Climbing back up.

Eastern Bluebird

Just past that pond, keeping right to continue around the field.

At Union School House Road the trail continues on the other side but this hill was way too steep so I had to backtrack a bit and go down that driveway on the right.

Red-bellied Woodpecker

The trail on the other side of the road winds down ...

... then veers left along the river.

Well this was a challenge.  I am 5'4" and this came to just past my waist.  Getting over was not graceful by a long shot but to the best of my knowledge there were no witnesses so it's all good.  Just try not to push off on that cut log on the right.  It moves.

Coming back out on Union School House Road, turning right and retracing the road walk.

I was able to see blue blazes just before this 30 mph sign so I climbed up here.

Looking back down at the speed limit sign from the blue trail.

Turning around and heading south on the blue trail as it ascends higher up away from the road.

The trail merges with the park entrance road.

Pleasant Valley Lake

White-breasted Nuthatch

Taking the white trail about half way around Great Meadow.

Another Eastern Bluebird

Right on red.

Right on yellow.

Historic Site

Back at the pond from the beginning of the hike.

Retracing on white all the way back.