Ash Brook Reservation, NJ - North Trail in the Winter

ABOUT THE PARK: 

I hiked this previously in May 2017.  At that time, Marc Grobman, the trail steward at Ash Brook Reservation, sent me his PDF files, below, to share.  The sign above confuses me. It was not there in 2017.  It refers to the "Swamp Nature Trail" which I assume is the same as the North Trail.  It also refers to other trails that are where?  Oak Ridge Park cannot be accessed from this location.  These arrows are all at the entrance of Union County Vo-Tech; Ash Brook Reservation is at the very back.  The arrows on that sign point to nowhere.  Union County has no information at all about Ash Brook Reservation on their web site.




DIRECTIONS: 

GPS Coordinates 40.61592, -74.35960

Trail parking in front of the police academy.

TRAIL MAP: 

HIKE DISTANCE: 2 miles

THE HIKE: 

When I hiked this in May 2017 it was extremely muddy and buggy.  It IS a swamp so that is to be expected.  I always wanted to go back and hike it in the winter so after a couple of days of temps in the single digits and teens, I grabbed my microspikes and headed back.

The trail starts at the kiosk in the far corner of the parking lot next to the police academy.

The white-blazed North Trail (or Swamp Nature Trail now?)

It starts out nice and dry and is easy to follow.

When it starts becoming frozen, it's easy enough to get around.  For a little while.

Then it starts to become more icy.

OK, I give.  Time to break out the microspikes.  That is not water, it is solid ice.

I swear you can tap dance across a smooth sheet of ice with these on.  These are Kahtoola microspikes.

I could not believe skunk cabbage was sprouting up through the ice. I usually do not see that until March.  I saw it poking up through the ice everywhere.

After this bridge over a drainage, it's another short stretch of ice then ...

... bone dry up Red Hill for an unblazed loop around.  Off with the spikes. 

We left the loop to follow an unmarked path where I found ...

... balloon #1 of 2022.

The path leads all the way to Martine Avenue where we turned around and headed back.

Back on the loop passing the spool.

At the huge pine tree, the loop is complete and we turned right back on white.

Coming  up on that icy patch ...

... then that bridge ...

... then a right turn immediately after the bridge along the drainage.

This spur trail comes out at the opposite end of the parking lot from the trail head.

A left turn along the back of Union County Vo-Tech ...

... back to the police academy and parking.

Ash Brook Reservation - North Trail

ABOUT THE PARK:
I found out about this trail when I happened across this article online.  It's not even 5 miles from my house and I did not know about it.  At this time there is no information online but Marc Grobman, the trail steward at Ash Brook Reservation, sent me his PDF files to share.





DIRECTIONS:
GPS Coordinates to Union Country Vocational and Technical Schools entrance 40.61912, -74.35715

From the entrance drive straight towards these signs.  (The spur trail comes out just to the left of these signs.)  Turn right and continue straight to the police academy at the far corner.

Turn right in front of the police academy to park.

Parking in front of the police academy.

I added in the starts representing trail access points.

TRAIL MAP:

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HIKE DISTANCE:
1.9 mile loop returning from the spur trail; probably about 2.5 miles as a lollipop returning on the trail

THE HIKE:

Kiosk in front of the police academy with the trail head just beyond the picnic table on the left.

A dry section of the trail over West Hill.

Returning the map I used to scan.  I had been here with Shawnee the previous day but did not get very far because the trail became too swampy for her.

A power cut to the right.

The trail starts crossing drainage culverts as it enters Ash Swamp.

Swamp water off to the side.

And then the trail becomes swamp, probably because we had torrential downpours the previous two weekends.

Wearing old sneakers was a great idea.

Not much visible but I think this might be a Great Crested Flycatcher.

This is the trail.

I thought I had stepped on a log.  Obviously not.  But after that point, what did it matter?  I just slogged on through.

Looks like a Canada Goose was hiking the trail also.

At the bridge a spur trail to the left goes to the parking lot.  Because the trail was so swampy, it took longer than I thought to get through it and the sun was setting, I decided this would be my return route but first over the bridge to Red Hill.

From the bridge ooking down the culvert (creek?) that the spur trail follows.

After just a little more wet trail, the trail suddenly dries out completely.

At this time there were no blazed looping around Red Hill and there are several different paths but it's hard to get lost.

This was one huge den.

Darned camera would not focus.

At the big spool, the trail turns back to form the loop.

Back at the bridge and turning right on the spur trail.

Coming out at the corner of the Union County VoTech lot.

Looking back at where the trail comes out - this would be an alternate access point.

I walked along the perimeter of the lot the way I had driven in.

Driving home in my socks, which didn't look much better.  Definitely a place to return to when it is drier out.