ABOUT THE PARK:
Hill and Dale Preserve - New Jersey Conservation Foundation
DIRECTIONS:
GPS Coordinates 40.68351, -74.78209
 |
| Parking is on the opposite side of Parsonage Lot Road from the Hill and Dale Preserve. It is actually the parking lot for Hell Mountain Preserve, which I can find nothing about online. |
 |
| The kiosk in the parking lot has maps for Hell Mountain Preserve but I could see no trail. Perhaps another one to explore in the winter. |
 |
| If anyone is game in the meantime, here are the maps. |
TRAIL MAP:
Hill and Dale Preserve Trail Map - New Jersey Conservation Foundation
HIKE DISTANCE: 1.7 miles (hiked together with
Cold Brook Preserve - 2.7 miles, 2.3 miles away)
THE HIKE:
 |
| Chipping Sparrow |
 |
| Walk out of the parking lot... |
 |
| ... and cross Parsonage Lot Road slightly diagonally to the right ... |
 |
| ... to the kiosk and trail which is blazed orange but shown as red on the map. |
 |
| After a short distance the blue trail goes left. I was going to return that way but could see a blow down that would present problems for Shawnee so I already knew I was not going to return that way. |
 |
| These trails are very well blazed. |
 |
| Orange/red goes through a wooded section and merges with blue for a few yards. |
 |
| We stayed with orange which proceeds uphill along fields. |
 |
| Today it was all about red-winged blackbirds - a female here ... |
 |
| ... and a male. |
 |
| Going up, the views behind are spectacular - the pictures don't so it justice. |
 |
| After passing along the top, orange/red goes into the woods. |
 |
| Where orange/red turns right and crosses the creek, we kept straight on blue. |
 |
| She is getting hot in the sun ... |
 |
| ... and LOADED with ticks. Yes, every black speck is a tick and that is just a fraction of what was on her. Even though she was just dosed with K-9 Advantix a few days ago and I was sprayed down with Deep Woods OFF, they were on me, too. |
 |
| At that part where orange/red and blue are together, staying left on orange/red when blue leaves right. |
 |
| We retraced on orange/red all the way back. |
 |
| The ticks I pulled off of Shawnee when we got home before I let her inside. |
 |
| The ticks I pulled off of Shawnee before we got in the car. I stick them in a container with rubbing alcohol which makes them deader than dead. Or drunker than dead. Whichever, dunk them in and they never come out. |
