Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge, NJ - Wilderness South

ABOUT THE PARK: 

Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge - U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Dogs are not allowed.

DIRECTIONS: 

GPS Coordinates 40.70605, -74.46797

TRAIL MAP: 

Great Swamp Trail Map - U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

This map is actually better than the online map but the "You Are Here" is at the other parking lot, not the one where this hike starts.

HIKE DISTANCE:  4.5 miles

THE HIKE: 

The orange trail starts from the parking area but there aren't many orange markers to be seen.

The trail is well-defined and ranges from dry ...

... to wet ...

... to completely flooded out.  This is, after all, a swamp, so it is to be expected.

At an intersection that is easy to miss, a trail goes to the right.  That would be the silver trail, again, with markers being a rare sight.  It's a bit more overgrown and thorny in spots but it does open up.

There are several downed trees to maneuver over/around but they were all doable.

I found some spring back in here!

The trail ends at...

Black Brook

Heading back to the orange trail.

Continuing to the right on the orange trail.

A short distance ahead is the worst flooded part but I made it through.

Just after that it is pretty much dry trail the rest of the way.

The very sporadically blazed green trail goes to the right.

It crosses the swamp on a boardwalk.

The loop that goes around back to the orange trail was about 95% bone dry.

One of those elusive green markers.

Passing by a pond.

So far on this hike I had seen two owls, several ducks that flew off as I approached, and a red-shouldered hawk soaring overhead.  This robin was the only one that allowed me a picture.

I could, however, have taken many, many pictures of the many, many ticks.  Yes, they're baaaack. Let it be noted that I did spray my legs with picaradin, which is what I always use on clothing, as I was leaving the car but they did not care.  The total tick count was about 10 plucked off as I went along, 3 more when I was as the car, 1 in the trash bag that I put my clothing in, 1 dead one in the washer after I soaked the clothes for a good half hour, and 1 in my hair as I was getting into the shower.  I hope that was it.

Somewhere around the loop before this bridge there should be a beige trail to the right but I missed it.

All the bridges and boardwalks end in water but it was doable to get back to dry land.

There is one of those ducks that took off.

The orange trail ends at the Meyersville Road parking lot.

Heading back.

Got one of the red-shouldered hawks!  A few minutes later I heard the squawking again and looked up to see two of them circling.

Then I felt eyes on me.

These shoes held up so well in this water.  The water came up over the shoe laces a few times but my socks were barely damp.

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