South Mountain Reservation, NJ - Turtle Back and Orange Reservoir

ABOUT THE PARK:

South Mountain Reservation - Essex County Parks

South Mountain Reservation - South Mountain Conservancy

DIRECTIONS: 

GPS Coordinates 40.76634, -74.27473

Turtle Back Rock Parking Lot

TRAIL MAP: 

South Mountain Reservation Trail Maps (purchase) - South Mountain Conservancy

Lenape Trail Map 6 South Mountain North - New York New Jersey Trail Conference

HIKE DISTANCE: 6.7 miles

THE HIKE: 

Summer half day Fridays at work + 70 degrees after looooong heat wave = rare afternoon hike.  

I would be heading left on the Turtle Back Trail (Upper) and returning from the Turtle Back Trail (Lower) to the Interpretive Trail.

A connector trail if you want to short cut it but not us, on with orange it is.

Hobble Brook with almost no water even after heavy rain the previous day.

Oops

Took some other trails to get around that.

Connecting back after bypassing the blow down, the yellow Lenape Trail joins in.

Another one but there was a more direct bypass...

... after which yellow leaves and green joins in.

A very scenic area along the Rahway River.

We would be returning to this spot to continue on orange after the loop around Orange Reservoir.

Gravel Reservoir Trail to ...

... a left on the green trail down to Orange Reservoir.

Taking the 2-mile Zoo Loop around the reservoir.

Where I had only seen a couple of other people in the distance on the trails, this paved path around the reservoir was pretty crowded.

This cormorant was having one heck of a time with that fish with something or other in the way.

I think the fish got away and he managed to untangle himself.

Finishing the loop back to the green trail.

Reservoir Trail back to ...

... left on the orange Turtle Back Trail.

Taking the Interpretive Trail to Turtle Back Rock.

Turtle Back Rock

Back at the parking lot.

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