Farny State Park, NJ and the New Righter Mine Trail

ABOUT THE PARK:
Farny State Park -NJ Department of Environmental Protection
New Jersey's Great Northwest Skylands (nice history and description)

DIRECTIONS:

GPS Coordinates 40.962675, -74.457589

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This lot fills up fast in the summer and I believe tickets for parking on Split Rock Road run $200 and they DO ticket!

TRAIL MAP:
Jersey Highlands Trail Map #125 - NY-NJ Trail Conference (show Splitrock Reservoir trails but does not show Wildcat Ridge and Righter Mine trails in Wildcat Ridge WMA)
Wildcat Ridge WMA Trails - Jersey Off Road Bicycle Association (shows Wildcat Ridge and Righter Mine trails but not the Splitrock Reservoir trails)

HIKE DISTANCE:
9.3 miles with 4 mile option

THE HIKE:

Crossing the Splitrock Reservoir dam at about 7:30 am on a gorgeous crisp morning after storms came through the night before.

Looking back after crossing the dam.

Splitrock Reservoir

A left turn just after the dam brings you to the start of the new yellow-blazed Wildcat Ridge Trail.

The yellow trail intersects with the white-blazed Four Birds Trail which leads to...

The beginning of the blue-blazed Splitrock Loop Trail.

Flowers with last night's raindrops on the blue trail.

A tight squeeze on the blue trail.

Down to the creek crossing.

The aqua-blazed Righter Mine Trail follows along the creek.

Pretty falls with a pool along the way.

Some fall foliage.

The aqua-blazed Righter Mine Trail comes out into a power cut ...

... with a pylon full of turkey vultures.

A short walk from the end of the Righter Mine Trail on Split Rock Road meets back up with the blue-blazed Splitrock Loop Trail.

Splitrock Reservoir from the blue trail.

This marks a trail leaving to the right off of the blue-blazed trail to what I think is Double D Peak.

Some views at the top.

It made for a nice break spot.

Charlottesburg Road along the reservoir.

A cormorant on a rock way out in the reservoir.

There are always lots of puddles on Charlottesburg Road.

A couple that calls those puddles home.

Looking back towards the dam.

HIKE SUMMARY:
[  0.00]  From the parking lot, turn right and walk on Split Rock Road across the dam
[  0.30]  Immediately after crossing dam, turn left to the yellow-blazed Wildcat Ridge Trail (sign up ahead) then enter power cut
[  0.40]  Leave power cut into woods, descend and follow trail to the right as it joins a woods road
[  0.65]  Left on white when white crosses over just before yellow NO TRESPASSING sign
[  0.70]  At top of hill, turn left on blue at the triple blue blazes
[  1.35]  Cross woods road
[  1.45]  Cross woods road then keep left as a woods road veers right (not marked)
[  1.65]  Rock hop over creek then turn right on the aqua-blazed Righter Mine Trail (woods road)
[  1.90]  Keep right at fork
[  2.05]  Keep straight when woods road comes in from left at metal shed
[  2.10]  Watch for faint path to waterfall with pool on right (you will be able to see and hear the waterfall); retrace back to aqua, turn left on aqua and retrace
[  2.55]  Straight on aqua when blue crosses over
[  2.85]  Aqua leaves woods road as footpath to the right at turn blazes
[  3.00]  Cross over blue at a cairn
[  3.30]  Keep left at fork
[  3.35]  Veer right uphill then turn left to resume with aqua blazes when the blue trail is to the right
[  3.55]  Turn right into power cut and follow aqua along woods road through power cut
[  3.70]  When aqua Righter Mine Trail ends at Split Rock Road, turn right on Split Rock Road
                  *** Turn left on Split Rock Road back to parking for 4 mile hike.***
[  3.90]  At the far end of the next power cut, watch for the blue trail to enter woods on the left; left on blue
[  4.30]  Cross woods road
[  4.75]  Cross woods road
[  4.95]  Cross Charlottesburg Road
[  5.05]  Keep straight when a woods road goes left
[  5.95]  Turn right at tree with blue ribbon and 3 red thumbtacks, follow path marked with an occasional blue ribbon on a tree; at top of ascent follow cairns to the right to view; retrace
[  6.05]  Turn right on blue
[  6.85]  Turn left on woods road where blue crosses over with a cairn on either side of trail; woods road fizzles out but rock hop down creek bed towards the reservoir
[  6.95]  Left on gravel Charlottesburg Road just before reservoir; multiple paths to right with views
[  8.00]  Turn right on blue before yellow gate across Charlottesburg Road
[  8.10]  Cross woods road
[  8.25]  Keep right at fork
[  8.60]  Cross woods road
[  9.00]  Turn right on Split Rock Road
[  9.30]  Back at parking lot

Farny State Park, NJ and the New Wildcat Ridge Trail

ABOUT THE PARK:

Farny State Park -NJ Department of Environmental Protection

DIRECTIONS:

GPS Coordinates 40.956545, -74.476768

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Parking at the red-blazed Beaver Pond trail head (trail starts beyond gate on left)

If your GPS tells you to turn on Darlington Road, ignore those instructions as that road does not go through.  You need to reach the trail head via Upper Hibernia Road.

TRAIL MAP:

Jersey Highlands Trail Map #125 - NY-NJ Trail Conference

HIKE DISTANCE:  9.15 miles

THE HIKE:

Walk beyond the gate to start on the red-blazed Beaver Pond Trail.

The trail soon starts to follow along Beaver Pond.

Beaver Pond

Rugged white-blazed Four Birds Trail south of Split Rock Road.

The white trail crosses over Split Rock Road at a kiosk.

A short woods road leads to views of Splitrock Reservoir.

More rugged terrain on the north side of Splitrock Road.

Partial views from the top.

The white-blazed trail descends and follows along the reservoir.

Splitrock Reservoir

A very scenic swamp on the Lilac Trail which was teaming with all kinds of birds - Great Blue Herons, ducks...  But you will have to take my word for that because not a one of them would pose for a picture.

But I can always count on my chipmunk friends to sit still for me.

A metropolis of mushrooms.

The lilac blazes (shown as pink on the map) of the Lilac Trail are sometimes hard to see but it's all woods road which is a welcome relief after the ruggedness of the Four Birds Trail.

Some other blazes join in briefly from Camp Lewis trails.

Back on the white-blazed Four Birds Trail to the new yellow-blazed Wildcat Ridge Trail.  If you are looking at Jersey Highlands Map #125, just west of the bottom of Splitrock Reservoir there is a woods road that connects the white trail to a parking area at a power cut near the Oreland Branch abandoned railroad tracks - this is now the yellow-blazed trail.

I'm not sure if I missed something here but same end result - I came out into the power cut which led to the parking area. The trail seems to actually come out on Upper Hibernia Road a little to the left of the power cut.  Either way, turn left on Hibernia Road and walk a short distance downhill to...

... where the abandoned Oreland Branch crosses over; turn left here and the yellow blazes resume.

It's a very pretty walk on the old rail bed to end the hike.

The rail bed and yellow blazes end at Upper Hibernia Road and from there it is just a short road walk back to the car.

HIKE SUMMARY:

[  0.00]  Walk beyond gate to start on the red-blazed Beaver Pond Trail

[  0.20]  Keep right at the fork at the far end of Beaver Pond

[  0.35]  Keep left at fork

[  0.45]  Red ends, turn left on the white-blazed Four Birds Trail

[  0.80]  Partial view at top of ascent
[  1.05]  Keep left on white when blue starts to the right
[  1.15]  Yellow-blazed Wildcat Ridge Trail crosses over; keep straight on white
[  1.40]  Cross through power cut
[  1.60]  Pass kiosk then cross Split Rock Road continuing on white
[  1.85]  Woods road crosses over, turn right on woods road
[  1.95]  Right at fork
[  2.00]  Shore of reservoir with views; continue north along shore on unmarked footpath for more views
[  2.10]  In the cove, take trail to the left back to the woods road, right on woods road
[  2.15]  Right on white-blazed Four Birds Trail
[  2.80]  Keep straight on white when woods road crosses over
[  3.15]  Partial views on rock slab at top of ascent
[  3.35]  Straight on white when woods road crosses over
[  4.35]  Views along shore of reservoir
[  4.45]  Short side trail to the right to rock outcrop in reservoir
[  4.50]  Turn left on unmarked when white continues straight
[  4.65]  When woods road veers left, the Lilac Trail comes in from the right; swamp ahead on right
[  5.10]  Keep straight at fork
[  5.15]  At T-intersection with cairn, turn right
[  5.60]  Keep left with several trails split off to the right
[  6.00]  Cross plywood bridge; other blazes from Camp Lewis join in
[  6.10]  Camp Lewis trails leave the Lilac Trail
[  6.15]  Cross footbridge
[  6.65]  Cross creek either by rock hopping or side trail to the right over bridge
[  7.00]  Trail forks just before Split Rock Road and blazes end - proceed to Split Rock Road and turn left
[  7.25]  Turn right on the white-blazed Four Birds Trail at the kiosk
[  7.40]  Cross through power cut
[  7.75]  Turn right on yellow-blazed Wildcat Ridge Trail
[  8.30]  Enter power cut
[  8.35]  Turn left on paved Upper Hibernia Road
[  8.45]  Turn left on yellow-blazed Wildcat Ridge Trail (now following abandoned railbed)
[  8.90]  Yellow ends at Upper Hibernia Road, turn left and walk along road
[  9.00]  Keep right at fork
[  9.10]  At intersections, keep left on Brunache Road then straight to parking
[  9.15]  Back at parking