Watchung Reservation, NJ - Unmarked Trails not Previously Hiked

ABOUT THE PARK: 

Watchung Reservation - Explore Union County

DIRECTIONS: 

GPS Coordinates 40.68646, -74.36147

Tower Parking Area

TRAIL MAP: 

Watchung Reservation Trail Map 2014 - Union County Parks

I uploaded all of my Watchung Reservation hike tracks into Gaia and changed all them to blue so it would be easy to see in the app which trails I had already hiked.  I could then clearly identify which trails to take.

HIKE DISTANCE:  7.7 miles

THE HIKE: 

Watchung Reservation is the closest to me but not a place I hike very often.  Too crowded, too noisy, just not my thing.  But on a holiday when I did not want to be on highways driving any distance, it would have to do.  Surprisingly, by hiking these unmarked trails that I had not hiked before, I actually found lots of quiet and solitude. 

Heading out of the parking lot to the left to pick up the white trail which crosses WR Tracy Drive.

Crossing Summit Lane.

Just before coming up on WR Tracy Drive again, left on a wide gravel unmarked path.

Heading past The Loop ...

... and back into the woods.

Coming out at an open area with picnic tables we headed right ...

... to a pretty much hidden trail ...

... which opens up once through the overgrowth.

This is a nice unmarked trail high up with the more popular trails down below.

It descends at the far end meeting up with heavily used trails.

Taking a few marked trails to the next section of unmarked trail.

This unmarked trail follows a dry creek bed ...

... then ascends very steeply uphill to the left.

Cute little garter snake.  It was so small I thought it was a large earthworm at first.

At the top meeting up with the pink trail to the next unmarked trail.

From this point a left on the white trail to a left on the unmarked trail towards the red dots.

The unmarked trail comes out at Skytop Drive where we crossed then continued up Glenside Avenue a short distance to a right on another unmarked path...

At this point, having come in on the brown solid like from Glenside Avenue, we turned left on a trail not on this map - it heads towards "You Are Here" then veers right and follows parallel to the white trail.

It's a very nice peaceful trail with nobody else in sight.

There has been maintenance on it even though it is not an official trail.

It comes out on the white trail just before the overlook to the left.

And here we are at the lovely overlook... of a quarry.  Ugh.

From here another unmarked trail that follows closely along the edge of a steep drop to the left.

Coming out at a parking area on Skytop Drive near Seeley's Pond ...

... a right on Skytop Drive a short distance to a left on an unmarked path.

Right on an unmarked path that was not even on the Gaia app (the rest of the ones we hiked were on the app).

At times it was well-defined, other times not so much but I always managed to regain it.

At the end it ascends steeply to ...

... an official gravel path.

Crossing a bridge over Blue Brook ...

... to a right on an unmarked path that follows Blue Brook at a higher level.

Over to the other side of Blue Brook ...

... then left towards Lake Surprise.

With Lake Surprise straight ahead, veering right uphill.

Right on unmarked.

Passing by Trailside Nature and Science Center.

Interesting turn blazes.

Retracing the rest of the way on white.

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