Bass River State Forest, NJ

ABOUT THE PARK:
Bass River State Forest - NJ DEP

DIRECTIONS:
GPS Coordinates 39.621324, -74.439516

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Parking lot on East Greenbush Road.

TRAIL MAP:
Bass River Trail Map - NJ DEP
According to the park, a new updated map should be posted online soon.

HIKE DISTANCE:  5.75 miles

THE HIKE:

At the end of the parking lot opposite the trail head, a firefighter memorial.

With your back to the road, go to the far right corner of the lot through the opening.  The trail forks immediately; keep left.  Right is the return route.

Remains of the former CCC camp.

Some remaining CCC camp pavement along the trail.

Trail is marked with pink blazes on posts.  Trails are very well maintained.

Beginning of the boardwalk through the cedar bog on the silver-blazed Absegami Trail

It's dark and noticeably cooler in the bog.

Atlantic white cedar and sphagnum mosses in the bog.

Lake Absegami from Falkinburg Branch drainage.

Turtles in Lake Absegami.

Joe's Trail runs along Lake Absegami for .6 miles.

Lake Absegami from Joe's Trail

The end of Joe's Trail at the picnic pavillion.

Heading back the other way.

Heading back on the pink trail.

Trail maintenance

HIKE SUMMARY:
[0.00]    Go through break in fence at far right corner of parking lot and immediately take left side of fork; left again at second fork towards CCC Site A
[0.30]    Cross straight over AT&T line
[0.40]    Straight at intersection when trail crosses over
[0.55]    Cross wet/swampy area on small, loose logs
[0.80]    Straight at intersection when trail crosses over
[1.40]    Straight at intersection when trail crosses over
[1.65]    Straight at intersection when trail crosses over
[1.75]    Cross East Greenbush Road
[1.90]    Turn left on sand road at T-intersection
[2.20]    Continue straight across AT&T line with green coming in from the right; continue on pink/green as it veers to the left after the intersection
[2.55]    Shortly before State Road where pink also goes left, veer right on pink as a footpath leaving sand road, plum and green join in from the right after few steps
[2.65]    Cross Stage Road then power cut
[2.70]    Turn right on red and cross paved park road
[2.85]    Turn left on red where it comes out on paved park entrance road with park office on right and beginning of Joe's Trail on the left
[2.90]    When red comes to paved park road again, cross paved road to start of silver-blazed trail
[3.00]    Beginning of boardwalk through Atlantic cedar bog
[3.10]    Turn left on silver/yellow when yellow comes in from the right
[3.20]    Left on paved road a few steps then left on paved park entrance road
[3.25]    View of Lake Absegami from Falklinburg Branch drainage
[3.30]    After guardrail turn right on Joe's Trail
[3.60]    Two benches with view of Lake Absegami
[3.90]    End of Joe's Trail at picnic pavillion; retrace
[4.50]    Right on park road then right on red trail
[4.65]    Cross paved park road on red then turn left on pink/green/plum
[4.80]    Cross power cut then Stage Road
[4.90]    At White Pine Plantation sign where plum and green leave to the left and split into two trails, veer right, cross sand road and continue on pink parallel to Stage Road
[5.65]    Cross East Greenbush, continue through clearing, turn left into woods on path parallel to East Greenbush
[5.75]    Veer left at fork to parking lot

Harriman State Park, NY - Lake Tiorati to Goshen Mountain

Lake Tiorati on Seven Lakes Drive

ABOUT THE PARK:
Harriman State Park - The Palisades Parks Conservancy
Harriman State Park - New York State Parks

DIRECTIONS:
GPS Coordinates 41.275333, -74.088773

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TIorati Lake Picnic Area Parking - season parking fee applies Memorial Day to Labor Day

TRAIL MAP:  NY/NJ Trail Conference Northern Harriman Bear Mountain Trails Map 119

DISTANCE:
7 miles
This is the same hike as described here.

THE HIKE:

The start of the blue-blazed trail is very hard to see.  It's on the right about 2/3 of the way through the lot a short distance after a dumpster.

The blue trail ends at the combined Appalachian Trail/Ramapo-Dunderberg Trail.

The Ramapo-Dunderberg Trail leaves the Appalachian Trail in a clearing.

Spring was nowhere near as far along in this part of Harriman State Park compared to 50 miles south.

The R-D Trail goes along a fence which is ...

Youmans Flats, apparently a landfill at one time, now a maintenance area.

An entire treetop severed by Sandy hangs in the other treetops (above the leaning tree).

Heading towards the summit of Goshen Mountain.

Along the Goshen Mountain ridge.

Some limited seasonal views of the Hudson River in the distance.

On the Appalachian Trail.

The Appalachian Trail crosses Seven Lakes Drive.

Sections of massive blowdowns from Sandy along the AT.

Trees tossed about like matchsticks off to the side.

Chainsawed and cleared trail - thank you trail maintainers!

Nearing a rock outcrop, shown as a view on the map...

... and this is it - Fingerboard Mountain and

a little of Lake Tiorati zoomed in.  Not much of a view even with no foliage.

Foliage is on it's way.

It was too windy on the rock outcrop so we headed for lower ground to take a break,

The Long Path at Arden Valley Road.

Short road walk on Arden Valley Road which was closed to traffic at this time.

On the blue-blazed trail back to the parking lot.

Some wildlife just before the end. She has that concerned look because she was focused on Shawnee, who could care less about chasing deer.

HIKE SUMMARY:
[  0.00]   Start at the triple blue blazes from the parking lot
[  0.30]  Turn right on white blazed AT/red dot on white Ramapo-Dunderberg combined trail when blue ends with water tower on left
[  1.10]  In pipeline clearing, turn right on red-dot-on-white where the AT continues straight and unmarked (return route) goes left
[  1.25]  Trail turns right and follows along chain link fence
[  1.50]  Cross Seven Lakes Drive continuing on red-dot-on-white
[  2.90]  Trail crosses summit of Goshen Mountain along ridge
[  3.25]  Just before crossing a wet area/small creek, turn left on the white-blazed AT where it continues across the wet area to the right along with the red-dot-on-white trail
[  4.40]  AT crosses diagonally to the left over Seven Lakes Drive
[  5.40]  Rock outcrop with very limited views
[  5.80]  At intersection at clearing from earlier in the hike where red-dot-on-white goes left and AT goes straight, turn right on unmarked
[  6.10]  At large cairn, turn left on the aqua-blazed Long Path
[  6.50]  Turn left on paved Arden Valley Road
[  6.70]  Turn right on red-dot-on-white towards water tower, continue short distance then turn left on blue
[  7.00]  Back at parking lot