ABOUT THE PARK:
Columbia Trail - Hunterdon County Parks
Columbia Trail - Califon, New Jersey
DIRECTIONS:
GPS Coordinates 40.742005, -74.823233
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| Parking off of Valley Brook Road at the Hunterdon/Morris County line. |
TRAIL MAP:
Columbia Trail Brochure - Hunterdon County Parks
HIKE DISTANCE: 11 miles
THE HIKE:
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| Almost 2-year-old granddaugher Ellie needed a baby sitter for the day and since it was hiking day, we just made it a stroller-appropriate hike. There was a section of the Columbia Trail I had not yet hiked so that is where we headed. |
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| And here we are ready to get started heading from the Hunterdon/Morris County line towards Ken Lockwood Gorge. |
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| Mile markers every quarter mile. |
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| Just a short section of footpath or you can also take the road. |
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| The teal diamond Highlands Trail shares the Columbia Trail through this entire section. |
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| Moana also came along. |
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| Wild Turkeys |
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| And of course Ellie needed reading material that plays the Baby Shark song over and over and over. It's a nice beat to walk to but that song gets stuck in your head. |
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| Crossing a bridge over a little creek ... |
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| ... to benches across from the Califon Fire Department ... |
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| ... for snacks and a break. |
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| Continuing on, the Columbia Trail is on Railroad Avenue for a short distance. |
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| The Columbia Trail leaves Railroad Avenue. |
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| Once we hit a quiet spot (the Columbia Trail is insanely busy on weekends) Ellie got to hike a bit. |
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| Until she sat down and started playing with gravel then it was back in the stroller before a bike came along and ran her over. |
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| Gnome House |
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| Ellie seems to be enjoying hiking with grandma. |
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| A game of peek-a-boo. |
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| After Hoffman Crossing ... |
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| ... things become more rugged and remote entering Ken Lockwood Gorge. |
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| If someone were pushing me in a stroller I think I'd be napping, too. |
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| South Branch Raritan River comes into view way down below. |
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| Shortly after mile 4-1/4 ... |
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| ... the Ken Lockwood Gorge Trestle. You can return on Raritan River Road by climbing down a steep embankment just to the left before the bridge. This was not going to happen with a stroller so on to Plan B after crossing the bridge to take a break. |
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| June 1, 2019 |
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| South Branch Raritan River from the Ken Lockwood Trestle. |
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| Still sounds asleep. Must be the fresh air and sound of rushing water. |
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| Heading back. |
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| Here is one way down but way too steep for the stroller. Make note of those balloons and that sign for later. |
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| At Hoffman Crossing we turned left ... |
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| ... steeply downhill towards the bridge ... |
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| ... then left on Raritan River Road. We'd just do the Raritan River Road part of the gorge this way because really, it is not to be missed. Raritan River Road starts out paved where there are residences ... |
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| ... then becomes gravel and there are no more homes. |
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| Still asleep but not for long. |
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| The surface becomes bumpier .... |
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| And after jolting around on this very bumpy washout part ... |
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| Rise and shine! |
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| That sign and those balloons from earlier... the sign says "... wedding... 2 PM ... additional parking..." Oh. No. Car traffic would ruin a nice scenic, otherwise car-free hike. I checked the time and it was 11:30 so hopefully enough time to get out and back before cars started to roll in. |
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| We stopped often along the way to see the cascades that Ellie really liked. |
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| Coming up under the Ken Lockwood Gorge Trestle. |
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| This is the steep path up to the Columbia Trail. |
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| Heading back. |
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| Enjoying nature. |
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| Once we hit Hoffman Crossing, we kept straight on Raritan River Road. |
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| This stretch pretty much goes all along the river. The speed limit is 25 mph, which nobody does, and wedding traffic apparently had started rolling in, but it's amazing how people slow waaaaaay down when they see the stroller. So all-in-all, not a bad road walk and more scenic that the corresponding part of the Columbia Trail. |
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| Just after this historic church in Califon ... |
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| ... we crossed over and went one block on the sidewalk then right a block coming out at ... |
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| ... the historic train station and the Columbia Trail. |
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| Back to our break spot across from the fire station from earlier in the day. |
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| She did so well until about the last 1/4 of a mile when crabbiness set in. |
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| Moana helped tide her over ... |
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| ... back to the car. |
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