Stephens State Park, NJ with Highlands Trail and Patriots Path to the South

ABOUT THE PARK: 

Stephens State Park - New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection

DIRECTIONS: 

GPS Coordinates 40.87365, -74.80550

TRAIL MAPS: 

Allamuchy Mountain and Stephens State Park Trail Maps - New Jersey DEP

Stephens and Allamuchy State Park Trail Map - New York New Jersey Trail Conference

Highlands Trail Section 4 Map - New York New Jersey Trail Conference

HIKE DISTANCE: 8.5 miles

THE HIKE: 

Over the years I have pretty much hiked all of these trails but I wanted to find a way to incorporate the Highlands Trail and Patriots Path heading south out of Stephens State Park.  That required a bit of road walking but that was a very welcome reprieve after hiking miles through the snow.  That is exhausting!

The Musconetcong River from the parking lot.

From the parking lot there are lots of human prints.

The human prints are thinning out ...

... until there are none.  From this point on it was just me and the fox, coyotes, rabbits, squirrels and mice.  I am always amazed at how they make use of the trails and you can only see that in the snow.

This was a steep and slippery uphill climb but I finally managed to get to the top.

And here we have mountain bike tracks.   Yes, in the snow!

Eventually the human tracks become more plentiful looping back around closer to the parking lot.

But that isn't where I was going.  I was heading out of the park as were lots of those footprints.

Seems a lot of people who live in the area enter this way and some park along Dorset Drive.

I turned left on Dorset Drive ...

... then left on Stephens Park Road.

It's not a bad road walk at all.  Very little traffic ...

... and some countryside views.

Coming up on Mine Hill Road on the right is where the Highlands Trail comes out and continues down Stephens Park Road.  I turned right to pick up the Highlands Trail.

There are only about 5 homes on this dead end road so it is very quiet and peaceful with no traffic.

There is a dry reservoir with a dam down on the left.

At the dead end the Highlands Trail continues.

So many fox tracks!

The Highlands Trail turns right into the woods along with the Patriots Path coming in from straight ahead.  This is where I would be turning but first I wanted to continue straight to see if there is any place to park at the other gated end of Mine Hill Road in case I ever want to continue on the Patriots Path in that direction.

A set of human prints came out of the woods from the Highlands Trail/Patriots Path.

The gate where the residential roads start.

No signs saying you can't park and looks like there is plenty of room, especially when there is no snow, to park a car out of the way along the side.

Heading back.

Now turning left on the Highlands Trail/Patriots Path.

It's private property on either side for a while until the trail enters the park.

After a bit of uphill, the trail descends, steeply at times.  With no snow it would be fine but really had to watch my footing in the snow.  So glad I had not brought Brodie along.

Coming up along the Musconetcong River.

Back at the parking lot.

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