ABOUT THE PARK:Stokes State Forest - NJ Department of Environmental Protection
DIRECTIONS:GPS Coordinates 41.183957, -74.811662
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| Lake Ashroe Parking |
HIKE DISTANCE: 9.8 miles
THE HIKE:
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| Walking in on the gravel road from the parking lot ... |
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| ... to the start of the Red Maple Trail. |
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| Lake Ashroe |
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| This spot has always given me pause in the past - there are no markers visible. The landmark would be that interpretive sign on the left. Red Maple goes right on the woods road. I needed Jacobs Ladder which was a few steps to the left ... |
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| ... then right. The trail is not visible from the intersection but it is right there. |
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| Heading up to the Appalachian Trail on Jacobs Ladder. |
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| At the top, a right on the AT. |
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| A short side trail to the left with views of Lake Owassa. Just as I lowered the camera after taking this picture, a bald eagle flew over the lake and I missed the shot. |
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| Foliage was much nicer on the eastern side of the ridge. |
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| Coming up on ... |
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| ... great views from Blue Mountain. |
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| You can see High Point Monument from here. |
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| Crossing over the Stokes State Forest boundary into Delaware Water Gap NRA for a bit. |
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| Hard to see with the leaf fall but when the AT turns left, we turned right ... |
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| ... on a nice and clear but rocky unmarked road. |
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| It's as peaceful as it looks. |
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| But according to Brodie, "Say what? Peaceful? When I have been in panic mode the whole time hearing gunfire from the west?" Yeah, well, there is that unfortunately. |
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| When the woods road turns right, a woods road sort of comes in from the left. I hiked it several years ago from Mountain Road and it was almost impossible to follow. Now I don't see it at all. |
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| After the turn and beyond the barrier, the road smooths out and is very easy going. |
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| The Red Maple Trail joins in from the left. |
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| Coming up on a swamp on the left. |
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| At the intersection with Brink Road, a left ... |
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| ... leads to views of the swamp if it is not flooded. It was not on this day. |
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| Heading back. |
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| Back at that unmarked intersection with the interpretive sign, left to retrace back to lake Ashroe. |
What a coincidence! I just did a hike this morning from Lake Ashroe. It was much shorter than yours (about 6.5 miles), and we stayed on the Red Maple and Steffen Trails and then explored the abandoned Boy Scouts camp. The Stokes naturalists introduced the hiking group to part of a new trail that is being marked and will connect to Tillman. It was absolutely beautiful and quiet, though my dog Luna was on squirrel and chipmunk alert.
ReplyDeleteOverall, thank you for your blog. I've been following it for years. You give me good ideas for places to hike with the pups. I'm often a solo hiker, and your blog gives me confidence to keep getting out there. I lost some courage a few years ago when I ran into a naked man on a trail in PA when I was by myself. (He kept trying to talk to me, and his behavior made me uncomfortable.) However, I've decided to not let one person's weirdness rob me of my joy. Now that my dogs are old enough for longer walks, their presence definitely helps!
That is a coincidence, especially since that area is so lightly used. That is why it is one of my favorite places. Thanks for the heads up about a new trail. I will have to find out where that is to plan another hike in that area.
DeleteNow THAT is weird, running into a naked man on a trail! The weirdest thing I had happen was in the Catskills. I was coming up on where the trail turned left and straight ahead was private property. I was the only one there because there was only one way in and my car was the only car in the lot. So coming up on that turn a man suddenly started screaming like he was being tortured over on the private property. I could not see anything but it was LOUD like it was just the other side of the trees. I had my German shepherd, Shawnee, at the time. We both looked at each other and took off running. Creeped both of us out! But like I always say, it is far more dangerous to drive to and from a hike than it is to hike alone.
You're very welcome! The trail is still under development, but the naturalists said it will be called the Red Eft trail and marked with orange blazes.
ReplyDeleteYour experience sounds absolutely terrifying. I had a bizarre experience in Gnome Hollow Preserve in Frelinghuysen. I was passing the old Christmas tree farm when I saw the back end of a limp possum sticking out of a hole in a tree, about four feet off the ground. As I continued, there was a small pile of animal entrails in the middle of the trail. I assume they belonged to the possum and that it didn't stick itself in that tree. A little further on, I saw what appeared to be a large rib cage that was positioned vertically and unnaturally to the right of the trail. I assume it was from a deer because there were deer leg bones and jaw bones scattered across the trail, and it looked like the bones had been painted orange. I think somone set up a creepy display for hikers to find. I let the Ridge & Valley office know. I haven't seen anything like it since.
Other than the naked guy and dead-animal abstract art, I've had good experiences hiking alone, though the naked guy alarmed me for a while. I agree that traveling on the road is far more dangerous than walking in the woods!