Saturday, August 30, 2014

Mount Paul, NJ - Northern Section


ABOUT THE PARK:
State Buying Large Woodlands Tract in Jefferson - NJ.com
Sale Means Mt. Paul Will Become State Park - NJ.com
Retreat Amongst the Woodlands - Cougar's Byte

 DIRECTIONS:
GPS Coordinates 41.047221, -74.544628

View Larger Map
Room for about 5 cars between Ridge Road and the power cut on Mount Paul Road.

TRAIL MAP:
Kittatinny Valley State Park - Mount Paul Area - NYNJ Trail Conference/NJ DEP
Approximate trail distances:
Mount Paul Road (paved) - .8
Orange (including unmarked part from mowed clearing) - 1.1
Mount Paul Road (unpaved from orange to white) - .5
White (from unpaved Mount Paul Road to charcoal) - 1.2
Charcoal - .5
Yellow (from charcoal to blue) - .2
Blue (from yellow to teal Highlands Trail) - .5
Teal Highlands Trail (from blue to power cut) - 1.5

Mount Paul, NJ - Northern Section at EveryTrail


PEAK BAGGING:
Mount Paul - peakery.com

HIKE DISTANCE:    6.4 miles

THE HIKE:
From the parking area, proceed along paved Mount Paul Road beyond the gate.
Looking back towards the gate and parking area.
Peaceful paved road through the woods.
One third of a mile in I realized I left my map printouts in the car.  Couldn't go on without them.  Not wanting Shawnee to log mileage she didn't need to, we returned to the top of the hill, I tied her to my backpack and ran the rest of the way to my car and back up the hill.  She used to practice out-of-sight stays in obedience class where she would need to stay while I was out of sight for 5 minutes.  Even though she did not like this, it wasn't anything she didn't know how to do.  She could have dragged my backpack down the hill and she didn't, my good girl :).
This woods road blazed green (far right tree) should go through to the Highlands Trail but on my way back I could not find the other end from the Highlands Trail.
The woods road on the right goes to the cemetery where 70 priests were buried before they were moved after the land was bought by the state.  Ahead on the left is a mowed clearing. The trail to the summit of Mount Paul is reached through that clearing.
Retreat building now leased by Kean University.
Crossing the dam at Stony Brook Lake.
Stony Brook Lake
An old bridge on the unpaved part of Mount Paul Road.
We looped around back to the cemetery because at the time I was looking for the trail to the summit of Mount Paul but had not yet found it.
Former cemetery.
Turning on to that mowed clearing....
... beyond this forest fire box ...
... to a portal into another world - that is what it feels like.  You have to look for the opening in the trees.
Climbing up Mount Paul.
After a false summit, the trail is blazed orange.
At the summit of Mount Paul, just a short bushwhack off trail.
Continuing on from the summit becomes tricky since the trail is less well-defined and the paint blazes are harder to see.
We managed to stay on track and things open up again right before ...
... unpaved Mount Paul Road.
A Bluejay
Crossing over Stony Brook
Taking a dip in Stony Brook.
Shortly after crossing over Stony Brook, watch for an old electric pole on the left with a white blaze above a white box - this is the access to the white trail.
On the white trail.  Most blazes are very faded and hard to see but the trail is mostly well-defined through this area.
In a jumble of blow downs, what appears to be a newer red trail goes to the right but it doesn't seem to be a trail at all, just a bunch a blazes through the woods so we continued on around the blow downs and continued on the white trail.
The trail clears out again.  None of the blow downs were so bad that we could not get through or around them.
The Charcoal Trail - now if that isn't an easy color to see!
The charcoal trail ends at the yellow trail.
Yellow Trail to the left, Blue Trail to the right.
It is actually blue and green combined until green leaves to the right.  We continued left on blue to...
The Highlands Trail
Here is where you can truly appreciate the difference between unmaintained and maintained trails.
An onlooker.
Taking a break on the Highlands Trail.
A busy hornet's nest up high in a tree.
The Highlands Trail crosses the power cut and you can see Mount Paul Road just a few yards away.
There is a faint trail through the power cut that connects back over and parking is immediately on the left.
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9 comments:

  1. Trekker DogAugust 31, 2014 at 8:16 AM

    Did you used to compete in obedience? I did many, many years ago - my border collie at the time also used to hate the out of sight stays! So stressful for her to do that next to a line of other dogs.

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    1. Gone Hikin'August 31, 2014 at 8:33 AM

      Shawnee and another before her were competition level obedience trained. I had even gotten Shawnee's ILP from the AKC so she could compete. It's a whole other world and once I got to the point of competing, I felt it was a world I did not want to be in so I never did it. I just like to have well-trained dogs.

      Daniela

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  2. AnonymousSeptember 2, 2014 at 8:14 AM

    Beautiful photos especially the blue jay. Your dog is amazing! She waited for you with the backpack. Thanks for sharing!

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    1. Gone Hikin'September 5, 2014 at 7:36 PM

      Thank you! Yes, Shawnee is pretty special. She was not an easy dog in the beginning because she had no socialization and was terrified of everything, even me. I used to have to carry her up the street and make her walk back home because she would not even walk out the driveway. But with lots of work on both our parts, she became quite an amazing dog.

      Daniela

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  3. JennSeptember 8, 2014 at 9:53 PM

    Love your blog! We are about to go to swartswood next weekend and can't find a trail map anywhere so your tips will definitely help. What kind of trekking poles do you use!

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    1. Gone Hikin'September 8, 2014 at 10:02 PM

      Thanks, Jenn! I only use one trekking pole because I need to have a free hand for the dog. Even using one still helps reduce stress on the knees and I can't tell you how many times I would have gone down had it not been for the trekking pole! I have been using this one for about 5 years and it's a Black Diamond. I don't recall which style and they might not even make this particular one any more but it's an adjustable, not a fold up kind.

      Daniela

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  4. UnknownDecember 12, 2015 at 6:49 PM

    I was a Paulist novice in the 1990's and lived on the property for a year. It is spectacular!

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  5. AnonymousApril 22, 2016 at 8:56 PM

    grew up in Fox Trail and used to frequent the trails. Blue, Red, White, even played hoops in the gym. Was always a cool place and still is. Went back a few weeks ago after 35 years of being away. Thanks for sharing,,,,

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