Sunday, June 3, 2012

Wawayanda State Park, NJ - Terrace Pond North and South


ABOUT THE PARK:
Wawayanda State Park - New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection

DIRECTIONS:
GPS Coordinates 41.157558, -74.367454

View Larger Map
Paved parking for several cars along westbound side of Warwick Turnpike.

TRAIL MAP:
Wawayanda State Park Trail Map - New Jersey Department of Environmental Potection
North Jersey Trails Map #116 - New York New Jersey Trail Conference

PEAK BAGGING:
Bearfort Mountain - NJ1K.org
Bearfort Mountain - Peakery.com

HIKE DISTANCE:  10.65 milles
Terrace Pond North only (most scenic) - 5.4 miles - NJ Hiking or Dan and Laura's Photo Album
Terrace Pond South only 4.8 miles - NJ Hiking (starts from parking on Clinton Road)

THE HIKE:
Walk back east on Warwick Turnpick to the beginning of the parking pullout and the trail starts across the street.
Views start about half a mile into the hike.
A little higher Greenwood Lake comes into view.
Mountain Laurel still in bloom.
Pretty cascades and pools.
New York City Skyline
View from the pipeline.

A tricky crossing at a "seasonally wet spot".  In case you are wondering what might happen if you fall in....
... this would be the result.
Terrace Pond looking south.
Back at the pipeline for a short distance.
Pipeline beautification in progress?
End of the blue trail at Clinton Road parking.
Blue trail ends and yellow trail starts at the bench.
Some lost dogs in the area if you happen to see them.
Bear print in the mud on the yellow trail.
Black rat snake.
Easy hiking on woods road after lots of rugged terrain.
The trail skirts a swamp on the left.
Cute garter snake.
A final look at the swamp before the camera had to be sealed up and put away due to rain, lightning and thunder.
A break in the rain back at Terrace Pond (from the east looking west)
Clouds breaking up over the pipeline.
Downpour over Greenwood Lake on the left, not raining on the right.
Double rainbows over Greenwood Lake.
A hawk flying by the rainbow.


HIKE SUMMARY:
[  0.00]  Walk east on Warwick Pike to end of parking pullout, cross over to trail head
[  0.60]  Views begin
[  1.00]  Pools and cascades on the left, rock hop a couple of creeks
[  1.45]  New York City skyline comes into view
[  1.80]  Turn right at pipeline
[  1.90]  Turn left to other side of pipeline but stay in pipeline
[  2.05]  Leave pipeline to the left at large cairn
[  2.60]  Stay right on blue when white joins in from left; descend down vertical rock wall
[  2.65]  Cross swamp carefully on logs
[  2.70]  Short side trail on left to view of Terrace Pond; another steep vertical descent but it can be bypassed to the left; keep right on blue when white leaves to the left
[  2.85]  View west at top of huge boulder
[  3.30]  Turn left in pipeline and keep straight when passing two unmarked trails on left
[  3.40]  Leave pipeline to left on woods road
[  3.50]  Rock hop creek
[  3.70]  At fork turn right and cross creek on large rocks (easy to miss, blazes falling off tree)
[  4.00]  Blue ends at Clinton Road, make sharp left on yellow at bench
[  4.15]  Cross swamp on puncheons then large rocks, cross more wet area on rocks
[  4.45]  From this point wet areas no longer have rocks placed for crossing, pick your way across the best you can
[  5.00]  Pass through old stone wall, woods road comes in from right
[  5.10]  Yellow turns left as another woods road comes in from right
[  5.50]  Yellow makes sharp left turn at well-blazed intersection
[  5.60]  Swamp comes into view on left, trail skirts swamp
[  5.75]  Keep left on yellow when unmarked goes right
[  6.00]  Step over large concrete drainage pipe; watch for yellow trail to go right around swampy area and continue on the other side
[  6.10]  Keep left on yellow when yellow dot goes right
[  6.80]  Keep left on yellow when red joins in from right, after a few steps turn left on red when yellow goes right (I had intended to stay on yellow here but it was so overgrown and swampy it was impassible)
[  7.15]  Red ends, turn right on white (you can turn left on white also but you would have to cross that swamp again and go up the steep vertical wall from earlier in the hike - getting my dog up that wall was not an option)
[  7.35]  Left on white when yellow goes right (this is where yellow comes out had it been passable)
[  7.50]  Straight on white when yellow dot comes in from right
[  7.90]  Turn right on blue when white turns left joining blue (retracing first part of hike from this point)
[  8.45]  Turn right at pipeline
[  8.70]  Leave pipeline to the left
[  9.60]  Cascades and pools
[10.65]  Cross Warwick Pike back to parking

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