Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge, NJ - Wilderness South

ABOUT THE PARK: 

Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge - U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Dogs are not allowed.

DIRECTIONS: 

GPS Coordinates 40.70605, -74.46797

TRAIL MAP: 

Great Swamp Trail Map - U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

This map is actually better than the online map but the "You Are Here" is at the other parking lot, not the one where this hike starts.

HIKE DISTANCE:  4.5 miles

THE HIKE: 

The orange trail starts from the parking area but there aren't many orange markers to be seen.

The trail is well-defined and ranges from dry ...

... to wet ...

... to completely flooded out.  This is, after all, a swamp, so it is to be expected.

At an intersection that is easy to miss, a trail goes to the right.  That would be the silver trail, again, with markers being a rare sight.  It's a bit more overgrown and thorny in spots but it does open up.

There are several downed trees to maneuver over/around but they were all doable.

I found some spring back in here!

The trail ends at...

Black Brook

Heading back to the orange trail.

Continuing to the right on the orange trail.

A short distance ahead is the worst flooded part but I made it through.

Just after that it is pretty much dry trail the rest of the way.

The very sporadically blazed green trail goes to the right.

It crosses the swamp on a boardwalk.

The loop that goes around back to the orange trail was about 95% bone dry.

One of those elusive green markers.

Passing by a pond.

So far on this hike I had seen two owls, several ducks that flew off as I approached, and a red-shouldered hawk soaring overhead.  This robin was the only one that allowed me a picture.

I could, however, have taken many, many pictures of the many, many ticks.  Yes, they're baaaack. Let it be noted that I did spray my legs with picaradin, which is what I always use on clothing, as I was leaving the car but they did not care.  The total tick count was about 10 plucked off as I went along, 3 more when I was as the car, 1 in the trash bag that I put my clothing in, 1 dead one in the washer after I soaked the clothes for a good half hour, and 1 in my hair as I was getting into the shower.  I hope that was it.

Somewhere around the loop before this bridge there should be a beige trail to the right but I missed it.

All the bridges and boardwalks end in water but it was doable to get back to dry land.

There is one of those ducks that took off.

The orange trail ends at the Meyersville Road parking lot.

Heading back.

Got one of the red-shouldered hawks!  A few minutes later I heard the squawking again and looked up to see two of them circling.

Then I felt eyes on me.

These shoes held up so well in this water.  The water came up over the shoe laces a few times but my socks were barely damp.

Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge, NJ - Wilderness North

ABOUT THE PARK: 

Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge - U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

DIRECTIONS: 

GPS Coordinates 40.72736, -74.49481

Parking off of Long Hill Road.  There is also parking at the end of Woodland Road but this hike is currently not reachable that way since the trail is completely flooded out a short distance in from that side.

TRAIL MAP: 

Great Swamp Trail Map - U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

HIKE DISTANCE:  5 miles

THE HIKE: 

Dogs are not allowed here so since I had a use-it-or-lose-it vacation day to take before the end of the year and an appointment in Morristown, I took the opportunity to do this hike having hiked here previously 10 years ago.

Starting on the blue trail at the kiosk.  A woman approached me as I was starting, pointed to her sneakers, and asked if she would be able to hike these trails.  These are the shoes I had on...

I told her she could absolutely not hike through a swamp in a wilderness area with sneakers and directed her to the visitor center area trails.

Some sections are dry.

Some sections are not.

It was snowing pretty much throughout the hike, much heavier towards the end.

I would be returning from ivory on the right later; for now left on blue.

Left on yellow where blue short cuts over to the other side of ivory.

This is the type of trail you need to be prepared for.

See that white object to the right on the steps up the bridge?

Unbelievable!  There were people leaving with fishing rods as I was starting the hike.  They must have left this as the earthworms were still alive.  I turned them loose and covered them with some leaves in hopes they can get where they need to be.  Even if they don't make it at least they did not die trapped in a plastic cup in the snow.

Crossing Great Brook.

Great Brook

I would be coming off of red here in a little while.  For now staying on blue.

Where I would be starting on red - looked pretty dicey but I's give it a shot in a bit.

Even though blue leads to a parking lot, I wanted to continue on into this swamp.  I could hear tons of ducks quacking up ahead.

Well I can see why now - no humans can get there.  This wasn't just swampy, it was completely flooded out.  Way too much for my waterproof boots.

Turning back.

Now left on red.

It is definitely dicey for a bit but the trail markers are there.

Just not much of a trail to follow so going from marker to marker.

After a while the trail does become defined.

At the end of red, left on blue to retrace to the bridge over Great Brook.

After crossing the bridge, left on blue where I had come in on yellow before.

When blue continues on the short cut section, left on ivory.

Yes, this is the trail.

At the end of ivory, left on blue to retrace all the way back.