ABOUT THE PARKS:
Musconetcong Gorge Preserve - Hunterdon County Department of Parks and Recreation
Sweet Hollow Preserve - New Jersey Natural Lands Trust
Highlands Trail Section 9 - New York/New Jersey Trail Conference
DIRECTIONS:
GPS Coordinates 40.627328, -75.135697
View Larger Map
TRAIL MAPS:
Musconetcong Gorge Preserve - Hunterdon County Department of Parks and Recreation
A few of things to note about the map:
- The teal/yellow trail on the map is blazed teal diamond/yellow diamond/white rectangle-
- White rectangle trail along Pine Run to old rail bed not shown on map
- The red trail on the map is blazed orange
- The orange trail on the map is blazed blue
- The dark blue trail on the map is blazed orange
- The light blue trail on the map (the Nature Trail) is blazed dark blue/orange
- The white diamond trail and white rectangle trail are 2 different trails plus there are some old white blazes along the rail bed
Highlands Trail Section 9 - New York/New Jersey Trail Conference (includes Sweet Hollow portion)
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| Nature Trail at end of hike - Click here for interpretive brochure. |
HIKE DISTANCE:
Musconetcong Gorge Preserve and Sweet Hollow Preserve - 10 miles
Musconetcong Gorge Preserve to white rectangle trail at Pine Run - 5.30 miles
Musconetcong Gorge Preserve to white square trail - 3.65 miles
THE HIKE:
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| The first part of the hike follows the combined teal Highlands Trail, yellow park trail, and white rectangle trail along a ridge for almost 2 miles. |
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| Seasonal views all along the ridge trail. |
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| The Highlands Trail follows Staats Road briefly... |
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| ... before turning on to Schaaf Road, a quite residential/farm road. |
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| The Highlands Trail leaves Schaaf Road to follow the perimeter of a cornfield. |
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| Looking back at the cornfield before entering the woods. |
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| The first sign of spring - skunk cabbage. |
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| A creek through Sweet Hollow Preserve |
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| Another creek in Sweet Hollow Preserve |
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| A .6 mile road walk on quiet Sweet Hollow Road to the second section of Sweet Hollow Preserve. |
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| At the top of the hill in the second section of Sweet Hollow Perserve. |
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| Woods road through second section of Sweet Hollow Preserve. |
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| Farm with a view from Schaaf Road |
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| Highlands Trail leaves Staats Road to the left behind a row of 4 mailboxes. |
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| The white rectangle trail descends the rocky gorge next to Pine Run. |
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| Old rail bed parallels the Musconetcong River. |
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| Musconetcong River |
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| Dam on the Musconetcong River. |
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| Scout Run Waterfalls |
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| Bridge over Scout Run |
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| Fibermark Paper Mill seen from the Nature Trail. |
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| If you like REAL cage-free eggs (most in the grocery store that claim to be cage-free really aren't - click here to check) watch for farmers selling eggs on your drive out. Bring some empty cartons along - farmers will gladly reuse them. |
HIKE SUMMARY:
[ 0.00] Start on the trail to the far right of the parking lot - teal/yellow/white rectangle
[ 0.55] Rock hop over creek; continue uphill to the right as blue goes left on a woods road
[ 1.25] Keep right on teal/yellow/white rectangle as white diamond goes left
*** turn left here for 3.65 mile hike, turn left on white/orange at bottom and continue from 8.3 mile point below
[ 1.90] Keep right and rock hop over creek on yellow/teal as white rectangle leaves downhill to the left; rock hop over smaller creek
*** turn left here for 5.3 mile hike and continue from 7.6 mile point below
[ 2.50] Right on Staats Road on teal Highlands Trail (sparse blazing along road)
[ 2.60] Left on Schaaf Road on teal Highlands Trail (sparse blazing along road)
[ 3.10] When road veers to the left, turn right on Highlands Trail towards cornfield then follow perimeter of cornfield to the right
[ 3.30] Teal Highlands Trail continues straight into woods from far end of cornfield
[ 3.50] Cross power cut; after few steps trail follows along top of stone wall to right
[ 3.60] Teal trail leaves stone wall to the left, keep straight through clearing back into woods
[ 3.80] Dilapidated building in bamboo grove to the left
[ 3.85] Rock hop over creek; at paved Sweet Hollow Road turn left and walk along road (sparse blazing along road)
[ 4.45] Almost at the top of a gradual incline, teal Highlands Trail leaves paved road to the left on woods road
[ 4.70] Old stone fireplace at top of hill
[ 4.85] Keep left on teal as it leaves woods road to the left at fork
[ 5.00] Rock hop over creek then a few steps later another creek
[ 5.15] Cross power cut
[ 5.35] Turn left on Route 579 when Highlands Trail goes right
[ 5.70] Turn left on paved Schaaf Road
[ 6.40] Meet back up with teal Highlands Trail coming in from right from cornfield
[ 6.90] Turn right on Myler (turns into Staats Road)
[ 7.00] Turn left into woods behind 4 mailboxes as Staats Road bends to the right
[ 7.60] Rock hop over smaller creek, then wider creek; turn right on white rectangle trail
[ 7.70] At bottom of descent, turn left on old rail bed
[ 8.20] Unmarked side trail to right goes down to river and dam; trail continues to meet back up with rail bed
[ 8.30] Continue to the right on old rail bed a few steps then turn left on white diamond trail; after a few steps when white diamond goes left, turn right on white diamond/orange trail
[ 8.95] At intersection with gate on the right, blue goes left on woods road uphill; take the orange trail to the right of the blue trail; when the orange trail splits at the top of a short steep section, take the right fork.
[ 9.15] Orange trail ends at waterfalls; retrace back to intersection
[ 9.35] At intersection with metal gate, turn right on blue/orange trail
[ 9.40] Cross wooden footbridge (this is #10 on the Nature Trail map)
[ 9.45] Rock hop over creek, few more steps rock hop over another creek
[ 9.70] At fork go either way
[ 9.85] Blue trail that previously forked meets back together; continue uphill
[10.00] Back at parking lot
