Saturday, July 30, 2022

Allamuchy Mountain State Park, NJ from Earthworm Parking Lot

ABOUT THE PARKS: 

DIRECTIONS: 
GPS Coordinates 40.916678, -74.761119
Earthworm Parking Lot

TRAIL MAPS: 
Jersey Highlands Trails Map 126 - NYNJ Trail Conference


HIKE DISTANCE:  12.1 miles

THE HIKE:
Picking up the Highlands Trail were it continues from the drive into the parking lot.
Creek crossings were bone dry.
The trail ascends steeply at times.

Coming up on a seasonal overlook.
A bit of a rock scramble.
Then the real overlook.
Musconetcong River
Right on yellow when the Highlands Trail veers left.
We took yellow to white to an unmarked trail.
Coming out on the Sussex Branch Trail and ...
Jefferson Lake.
We turned right just before this bench ...
... and worked our way over to a short stretch on the Highlands Trail.
When the Highlands Trail turned right, we veered left on unmarked.
There were some old blue and yellow blazes and a spotted lanternfly nymph that I somehow managed to squish with my trekking pole.
Back on the Sussex Branch Trail for a bit to ...
... the second leg of the Iron Mine Trail
We turned on red ...
... 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.
Eventually there were yellow X's painted on trees.
Briefly on white ...
... before taking another unmarked trail.
A short side trail leads to a seasonal view.
This trail skirts along the boundary with the boy scout camp and ...
... goes to the summit of Allamuchy Mountain.
From the Dan Beard Trail to white for quite a while ...
... then right on yellow.
When yellow turns left, right on unmarked.
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
Wildflowers seen only along the Sussex Branch Trail - no flowers in the forest: