Cherry Brook Preserve, NJ

ABOUT THE PARK:
Montgomery Pathways Booklet (page 13) - Montgomery Township Open Space and Pethways Committee  (Note that it does not mention where I parked yet there is a very nice parking area.)

I was surprised to see that hunting had already started but when I ran into two hunters who were not actively hunting, they told me hunting starts the following weekend.  They were the only people I ran into the entire hike but it appears to be a heavily hunted area so best to hike here on Sundays during hunting season.

DIRECTIONS:
GPS Coordinates 40.403940. -74.673634

Parking off Pine Brae Drive.

TRAIL MAP:

This map at the trail head kiosk shows more trails than the booklet map yet the additional trails do not exist.

Montgomery Pathways Booklet (page 14) - Montgomery Township Open Space and Pethways Committee (shows the trails that currently do not exist as proposed trails)

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My track pretty much shows what exists.  I looped around to the left and every time I would hit overgrowth or a street, I would backtrack and keep left again.

HIKE DISTANCE:  5.7 miles

THE HIKE:
Dan and Laura Balogh hiked here in April 2014 so their pictures show what it looks like without all of the summer overgrowth.

The mowed path starts at the kiosk.

Right around the bend, a deer.  I told her be careful and to RUN, RUN, RUN and she did, 

Princeton Airport off to the left.

These pretty yellow flowers were everywhere.

Occasionally there is a trail marker but for the most part the trails are not blazed.

Brodie sees someone off in the woods.

This guy had no fear at all :(  He actually came closer to us.

We continued on but I had that strange feeling we were being followed ...

Well now, if this isn't a first - hiking with a deer.  He followed us for quite a while.

We came out on the berm that leads to another parking area so we backtracked to the trail.

And look who was waiting for us.  He eventually stopped following but I am so sad for what his future holds.

On to another wildlife species that did not hike with us.

The trail heads into the woods ...

... but immediately becomes overgrown and obliterated so we turned back ...

... and continued left on the mowed path.

That was one of the benches noted on the map but it's pretty much reverted back to nature.

Crossing a creek where I had to just step in and get wet because there was no other way to cross.

Saw a few of these white markers in this area.

Coming out on Birchwood Drive where there is parking along the cul de sac.

Turning back.

The Pond

Some boardwalks that look unnecessary and out of place.

Then a whole section of vinyl boardwalk.

Horse farm on the left.

The trail comes out at the Cherry Hill Road parking area ...

... where we crossed over Cherry Hill Road to take the trail on the other side.

This trail goes around the back of Orchard Farm Organics.

Lots of chickens at the farm.

Suddenly things become really overgrown even though there are trail signs.

We went ahead and crossed Beden Brook...

... only to find there really wasn't a trail on the other side (there should have been) so we had to turn back.

The stepping stones don't quite reach the other side but that was OK, it was getting hot and wading through felt kind of nice.

There is a bench in some overgrowth to the right across from the farm so we stopped there for a break.

This is a combo "Can you get those burrs off my snout/how dare you forget to refill my treats?" look.  Yes, I am a bad dog mom and forgot to refill Brodie's treats.  So I did not have my snack either.  I did not dare.

Brodie thought he might chase down one of those chickens instead.  He was sadly mistaken.

Back across the road.

Through a beautiful pine plantation.

The trail squiggles around and it's pretty overgrown but there is a path to follow.

Back out on to the mowed path and retracing from the beginning of the hike.

All is now forgiven about the forgotten treats.  I stopped at a farm stand on the way home for some free range eggs for Brodie's lunch.

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