ABOUT THE PARK:Stokes State Forest - NJ Department of Environmental Protection
DIRECTIONS:GPS Coordinates 41.183957, -74.811662
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| Lake Ashroe Parking |
HIKE DISTANCE: 9.8 miles
THE HIKE:
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| Walking in on the gravel road from the parking lot ... |
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| ... to the start of the Red Maple Trail. |
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| Lake Ashroe |
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| This spot has always given me pause in the past - there are no markers visible. The landmark would be that interpretive sign on the left. Red Maple goes right on the woods road. I needed Jacobs Ladder which was a few steps to the left ... |
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| ... then right. The trail is not visible from the intersection but it is right there. |
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| Heading up to the Appalachian Trail on Jacobs Ladder. |
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| At the top, a right on the AT. |
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| A short side trail to the left with views of Lake Owassa. Just as I lowered the camera after taking this picture, a bald eagle flew over the lake and I missed the shot. |
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| Foliage was much nicer on the eastern side of the ridge. |
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| Coming up on ... |
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| ... great views from Blue Mountain. |
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| You can see High Point Monument from here. |
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| Crossing over the Stokes State Forest boundary into Delaware Water Gap NRA for a bit. |
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| Hard to see with the leaf fall but when the AT turns left, we turned right ... |
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| ... on a nice and clear but rocky unmarked road. |
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| It's as peaceful as it looks. |
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| But according to Brodie, "Say what? Peaceful? When I have been in panic mode the whole time hearing gunfire from the west?" Yeah, well, there is that unfortunately. |
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| When the woods road turns right, a woods road sort of comes in from the left. I hiked it several years ago from Mountain Road and it was almost impossible to follow. Now I don't see it at all. |
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| After the turn and beyond the barrier, the road smooths out and is very easy going. |
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| The Red Maple Trail joins in from the left. |
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| Coming up on a swamp on the left. |
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| At the intersection with Brink Road, a left ... |
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| ... leads to views of the swamp if it is not flooded. It was not on this day. |
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| Heading back. |
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| Back at that unmarked intersection with the interpretive sign, left to retrace back to lake Ashroe. |
