ABOUT THE PARKS:
Allamuchy Mountain State Park, NJ - NJ DEP
DIRECTIONS:
GPS Coordinates 40.916678, -74.761119
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| Earthworm Parking Lot |
TRAIL MAPS:
Jersey Highlands Trails Map 126 - NYNJ Trail Conference
HIKE DISTANCE: 12.1 miles
THE HIKE:
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| Picking up the Highlands Trail were it continues from the drive into the parking lot. |
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| Creek crossings were bone dry. |
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| The trail ascends steeply at times. |
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| Coming up on a seasonal overlook. |
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| A bit of a rock scramble. |
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| Then the real overlook. |
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| Musconetcong River |
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| Right on yellow when the Highlands Trail veers left. |
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| We took yellow to white to an unmarked trail. |
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| Coming out on the Sussex Branch Trail and ... |
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| Jefferson Lake. |
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| We turned right just before this bench ... |
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| ... and worked our way over to a short stretch on the Highlands Trail. |
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| When the Highlands Trail turned right, we veered left on unmarked. |
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| There were some old blue and yellow blazes and a spotted lanternfly nymph that I somehow managed to squish with my trekking pole. |
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| Back on the Sussex Branch Trail for a bit to ... |
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| ... the second leg of the Iron Mine Trail |
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| We turned on red ... |
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| ... then left red on unmarked trails that were very clear and open yet based on the many ancient spiderwebs I walked through, rarely used. I ran into nobody else on these unmarked mountain bike trails but did distinctly hear the THUMP of a bear jumping out of a tree twice although neither bear was seen. |
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| Eventually there were yellow X's painted on trees. |
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| Briefly on white ... |
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| ... before taking another unmarked trail. |
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| A short side trail leads to a seasonal view. |
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| This trail skirts along the boundary with the boy scout camp and ... |
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| ... goes to the summit of Allamuchy Mountain. |
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| From the Dan Beard Trail to white for quite a while ... |
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| ... then right on yellow. |
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| When yellow turns left, right on unmarked. |
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| This unmarked trail comes out at the parking lot. |
Birds not seen but heard with the Merlin Bird Sound ID app:
- Red-eyed Vireo
- Blue Jay
- Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
- Northern Flicker
- Eastern Wood Peewee
- White-breasted Nuthatch
- Indigo Bunting
- Red-bellied Woodpecker
