Great Swamp Watershed CMA and The Gatehouse, NJ

ABOUT THE PARKS: 

Great Swamp Watershed CMA - Great Swamp Watershed Association

The Gatehouse - Harding Land Trust

DIRECTIONS: 

GPS Coordinates 40.764264, -74.496615

Parking in the cul de sac at the end of Tiger Lily Lane.

TRAIL MAPS: 

Great Swamp CMA Trail Maps - Great Swamp Watershed Association

The trail map in The Gatehouse kiosk (dark green area) shows all of the connecting trails on the same map.  Note that the purple dashed connector trail at the bottom center is actually blazed yellow.

HIKE DISTANCE:  4 miles

THE HIKE:

Through the deer exclosure gates on the right.

With the exception of a short stretch of trail towards the end, there was an incredible network of boardwalks and puncheons keeping us out of the swamp and mud even after days and days of rain.

We followed trails keeping right to capture just about all of them.

It's a swamp and there are bugs.  Lots of bugs.  Dousing oneself in Deep Woods OFF works until it is sweated off in high humidity.

Because it was already in the upper 70's with high humidity at 6 AM, we started just as the sun was coming up.

There is no white trail so not sure what the white markers mean but at this gate the trail goes left and is the connector trail to the next section.  It is shown as purple dashes on the map but it is blazed yellow.  NOTE:  When Dan and Laura Balogh did this hike the following weekend, this gate was chained and locked so there was no access.

At the hunter blind on the right, a yellow marker on the left seems to indicate keeping straight and based on an obvious trail, others have followed that also.  

It took some doing because it was a tangled mess but I got everything off the branch and packed it out, 5 balloons and a huge wad of ribbon.

When we got to Silver Brook there was no way across and it was then I realized I had not seen any yellow markers.  So back we went.

From this direction I saw the yellow marker at that hunter blind where the trail turns, it just can't be seen from the other direction.

Back on track.

Crossing Silver Brook.

Entering the Harding Land Trust section on purple.

Coming out at ...

... a parking lot off of Harter Road.

Heading back.

There is a short pink loop to the right that comes back out on purple.

Back on Great Swamp Watershed Association property.

I caught Brodie chowing down on these mushrooms and immediately yanked him away. I suppose they aren't poisonous since he is fine.

The green trail comes out at the Horizon entrance at Tiger Lily Road.

From the Horizon entrance green continues to loop around.

Back on the yellow connector trail ...

... where it would now be a left at that hunter blind.

Back into the deer exclosure at the three white markers.

Here is the one section that was incredibly muddy.

But it looks like more boardwalk is being built.

Back where we started.