Appomattox Court House National Historical Park, Appomattox, VA

ABOUT THE PARK:  Appomattox Court House National Historical Park - National Park Service

DIRECTIONS:
GPS Coordinates 37.376238, -78.797153

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(NOTE:  Parking fees apply at the historic village unless it is a free entrance day.)

TRAIL MAP:
This hike consists of two separate areas, the historic village on the west side of Route 24 and the hiking trails on the east side of Route 24.  The two do not officially link together but I did make a loop out of both for this hike by walking along the grassy part of Route 24 to get from one to the other.
Historic Village Birdseye View Map - National Park Service
Hiking Trail Map - National Park Service

I highly recommend downloading the free podcast which you can listen to on an iPod for the historic village tour at the beginning of this hike.  NOTE: The National Park Service web site states that the podcast is a 5-mile tour.  That is incorrect as it is a 5-stop tour of 1/2 mile.

HIKE DISTANCE:  6 miles

HIKE DESCRIPTION:
The historic village:

McLean House, site of surrender meeting between Generals Lee and Grant.

Store and Jonathan Woodson Law Office

Clover Hill Tavern where parole passes were printed.

Site of old jail house.

Peers House, site of final Civil War battle.

After the podcast tour of the historic village, the hike continues down to the Appomattox River and over to the hiking trails.  The northern end of the hiking trails start at Lee's Headquarters Parking.  Although I crossed over Route 24 and walked in the tall, wet grass .65 mile along Route 24 to Lee's HQ, it was not one of my better ideas and I do not recommend it although it is possible to do.  Just be really, really careful crossing over Route 24 as cars speed by FAST!  Or go back and get your car and drive there to do an out and back of the northern section of trails.  The southern trails are woods roads, therefore less interesting than the northern section so if you skip that part, nothing lost.

Trail crossed the Appomattox River on a concrete bridge.

This was a great hike to do on a dreary, drizzly day because the new spring leaves on the trees really brightened things up.

The southern section of the trail follows woods roads coming out at the North Carolina Monument.

The trail comes back out on to Route 24 at the North Caroline Monument parking lot.  On the other side of Route 24 is the Confederate Cemetery.

Leaving the cemetery heading away from Route 24, follow the fence towards the historic village back to the parking lot.

HIKE SUMMARY:
[  0.00]  From Appomattox Court House parking lot follow the podcast tour
[  0.50]  End podcast tour; continue down the hill on mowed grass trail towards Route 24
[  0.90]  Arrive at picnic areas at Appomattox River; cross river on Route 24 bridge and continue straight
[  1.00]  Sweeney historical marker and grave on left; cross over Route 24; turn left and follow Route 24 on grass
[  1.65]  Lee's HQ parking lot - northern trailhead; follow white-blazed History Trail
[  1.90]  Turn left to continue following History Trail; right goes back to parking lot
[  2.05]  Turn right on orange-blazed Nature Trail as white goes straight
[  2.25]  Cross footbridge
[  2.35]  Cross footbridge; come to end of the Nature Trail; continue across field back to History Trail
[  2.40]  At white-blazed History Trail junction, turn left briefly to Sweeney's Prizery
[  2.50]  Sweeney's Prizery; Retrace steps and continue straight on white-blazed History Trail
[  2.70]  Cross the Appomattox River on a concrete bridge and continue to the right
[  3.80]  Cross through power cut
[  3.95]  Cross paved River Ridge Road
[  4.75]  Trail switchbacks down and crosses Plain Run on wooden bridge
[  4.85]  Keep straight on white-blazed History Trail when blue-blazed Sears Lane goes right
[  5.40]  North Carolina Monument
[  5.45]  Lee's Last Attack wayside exhibit; turn right towards Raine Cemetery
[  5.55]  Cross through North Carolina Monument parking lot; follow mowed path through field parallel to Route 24
[  5.70]  Turn left leaving mowed path and cross Route 24 to Confederate Cemetery
[  5.80]  From Confederate Cemetery turn right (with back facing Route 24) and follow along split rail fence towards historic village
[  6.00]  Arrive back at parking lot

Catoctin Mountain Park, Thurmont, MD

ABOUT THE PARK:  Catoctin Mountain Park - National Park Service

DIRECTIONS:
GPS Coordinates to the Visitor Center parking lot: 39.633804, -77.449692

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TRAIL MAP:
The park service has maps and descriptions for hikes of various lengths here.
This hike is the 8-Mile Loop Trail.

HIKE DISTANCE:  8 miles

HIKE DESCRIPTION:
Facing the visitor center from the parking lot, turn right and head towards the hiking trail sign.

Keep to the right of the sign and follow the trail towards Chimney Rock as it winds through the woods parallel to MD77.  At the next intersection, the trail turns left just before the park headquarters.  Although the trail is not blazed, is it obvious and easy to follow.

From Chimney Rock continue on to Wolf Rock.

After Wolf Rock the trail levels out along the ridge of the mountain heading towards Thurmont Vista.

 

The next stop is the Blue Ridge Summit Overlook...

... then Hog Rock:

The trail then descends arriving at MD77.  Cross over carefully (speeding traffic on this road) and follow the boardwalk into Cunningham Falls State Park for .20 mile to a viewing platform at Cunningham Falls.

Return back to the other side of MD77 and continue following the trail parallel to MD77 back to the visitor center parking lot.

HIKE SUMMARY:
[  0.00]  Facing visitor center, turn right and at end of parking lot take trail to right of sign
[  1.00]  Turn left towards Chimney Rock when straight goes to park headquarters
[  1.25]  Trail switchbacks sharply to left
[  1.60]  At intersection turn left towards Chimney Rock (per sign)
[  2.00]  At intersection turn left towards Chimney Rock (per sign)
[  2.05]  Chimney Rock; retrace and go straight following sign to Wolf Rock
[  2.50]  Turn right to Wolf Rock at intersection; retrace and continue right on trail
[  2.95]  At fork go right towards Thurmont Vista
[  3.60]  Thurmont Vista on right
[  4.00]  Turn right to Hawk Rock at intersection
[  4.70]  Blue RIdge Summit Overlook
[  5.20]  Go through parking lot/picinic area, cross road and proceed on Hog Rock Nature Trail
[  5.30]  At intersection keep straight to Hog Rock Vista
[  5.45]  Hog Rock Vista; Keep straight towards Cunningham Falls
[  6.40]  Cross MD77 towards Cunningham Falls
[  6.60]  Cunningham Falls; retrace back to MD77
[  6.80]  Cross MD77 back to trail and turn right towards visitor center
[  7.75]  Cross footbridge; left through gravel parking lot; cross Park Central Road to visitor center
[  8.00]  Back at visitor center parking lot

Allamuchy Mountain State Park - North, NJ

ABOUT THE PARK:
Allamuchy Mountain State Park - Village of Allamuchy

DIRECTIONS:
GPS Coordinates 40.921180, -74.738480

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My GPS brought me in on Colonial Road.  At the end of Colonial Road it told me to turn left then right - this is incorrect.  At the end of Colonial Road cross straight over Waterloo Road and that is the parking lot for the Sussex Branch Trail.

TRAIL MAP:
The map put out by the State of New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection is the official map but it is pretty useless as it does not show unmarked trails and I did find an error on it.  The NY/NJ Trail Conference will be putting out a new map set the end of April 2011 which will show the trails in this park.  But for now, the best ever map is the "unofficial" map put out by JORBA - I found it to be completely accurate and easy to follow for the route I took.
Allamuchy Mountain State Park - North - JORBA

NEW JERSEY 1K CLUB HIGH PEAKS:
Allamuchy Mountain North
Allamuchy Mountain

HIKE DISTANCE:  10.65 miles

HIKE DESCRIPTION:
The hike starts on the Sussex Branch Trail, a rail trail, from the far end of the parking lot.  After a very short distance, turn left on the white-blazed Waterloo/Rte. 517 Trail.   A yellow-blazed trail merges in for a while before leaving again.

An unmarked trail called the Ice Cream trail is intermittently marked with old painted blazes and takes you to the summit of Allamuchy Mountain North.

The purple Ditch/Cardiac Trail leads to another unmarked trail to the summit of Allamuchy Mountain.

A view of the Delaware Water Gap and Kittatinny Mountains is reached from an unmarked trail:

As an alternate return route, the red-blazed trail comes out at Jefferson Lake across from the Sussex Branch Trail, a short distance from the parking lot.

HIKE SUMMARY:
[  0.00]  Start on Sussex Branch Trail at restroom for short distance then left on white
[  0.20]  Straight on white when unmarked goes left
[  0.30]  Yellow trail joins in from left; keep straight on white/yellow
[  0.70]  Straight on white/yellow when teal Highlands Trail crosses over
[  0.80]  Right at fork on white/yellow when unmarked goes left
[  1.25]  Right on white when yellow leaves to left
[  1.35]  Left on white when unmarked goes right, stay on white when passing other not well defined possible unmarked trails
[  1.80]  Left on white at fork when unmarked goes right
[  1.90]  Cross bridge; left on white when unmarked goes right
[  2.50]  White goes left when unmarked goes right
[  2.55]  Right on white when unmarked goes left (although there is a white circle marker on a tree to the left)
[  2.65]  At white turn blazes painted on tree to the right, turn left on unmarked trail following the painted blazes - this is the Ice Cream Trail - sign on tree to the left
[  2.80]  Trail splits, go either way but straight is shorter
[  2.90]  Trails merge back together and some faded white paint blazes are visible
[  3.30]  Summit of Allamuchy Mountain North
[  3.40]  Turn right at intersection on unmarked trail
[  3.55]  Turn left at intersection on unmarked trail
[  3.80]  Keep right at fork at old white metal diamond marker
[  3.85]  Keep left at trail comes in from the right; additional old white metal markers on trees
[  4.30]  Rock hop over stream; left on purple at intersection
[  4.40]  Straight on purple when unmarked comes in from right
[  4.65]  Purple turns right when unmarked goes straight
[  5.00]  Turn right on unmarked when purple goes straight
[  5.05]  Survey markers; summit of Allamuchy Mountain
[  5.25]  Straight at intersection on unmarked, not well defined trail (can turn right on more defined trail also to purple then left on purple)
[  5.35]  Turn right at T-intersection
[  5.80]  Other side of huge blowdown, left on purple
[  5.85]  Purple ends at white; right on white
[  5.95]  Stone building ruins on left
[  6.45]  White makes hard right when unmarked goes left
[  6.50]  Right on unmarked when white turns left towards creek
[  6.65]  Turn left on unmarked when unmarked goes right
[  6.90]  Short side trail to left to rock outcrop and view
[  7.25]  Left at fork
[  7.50]  Trail ends at white, turn right on white
[  7.60]  Keep left on white trail when Ice Cream trail comes in from the right
[  7.70]  Keep left on what at fork
[  7.80]  Right on white at fork
[  8.35]  Right on white when unmarked goes left; cross bridge
[  8.50]  Left on unmarked when white goes right; short distance ahead right at fork on unmarked (there is another trail to the right on the map at that intersection but I did not see it - could just be a poorly defined trail)
[  8.65]  Keep right at fork; few steps ahead right on red
[  9.10]  Keep left on red when unmarked goes right
[  9.50]  Keep left on red when unmarked comes in from right
[  9.60]  Teal Highlands trail joins from left; stay on red/teal trail (only teal blazes at first)
[  9.70]  Keep left on red when teal leaves to the right
[10.25]  Keep right on red when other end of red comes in from left and unmarked comes in from right; Jefferson Lake straight ahead
[10.30]  Right on Sussex Branch Trail
[10.65]  Back at parking lot

Storm King State Park, Orange County, NY

ABOUT THE PARK: Storm King State Park - New York State Parks

DIRECTIONS:
GPS Coordinates 41.423039, -74.000752

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TRAIL MAP:  NY-NJ Trail Conference West Hudson Trails Map #113

HIKE DISTANCE:
This Hike:  8 miles - Butter Hill, Storm King Mountain and Crows Nest Mountain
Shorter Versions:  4 miles - Crows Nest Mountain - NY-NJ Trail Conference
                             3.5 miles - Butter Hill and Storm King Mountain - NY-NJ Trail Conference

HIKE DESCRIPTION:
With your back to 9W, head left to the start of the orange Butter Hill Trail.  The trail climbs immediately.  On the day of this hike it was very foggy but climbing Butter Hill brought us above the fog.

 The yellow and teal-blazed trail (Stillman and Highlands Trails) to Storm King Mountain:

The blue-blazed Howell Trail descends through the clove and then up Crows Nest Mountain:

Views from Crows Nest Mountain:

Stillman Spring and Memorial:

HIKE SUMMARY:
[  0.00]  Take orange-blazed trail from north side of parking lot
[  0.40]  Orange-blazed trail ends, turn right on yellow square/teal diamond trail
[  0.65]  Left on blue/red-blazed trail
[  1.30]  Blue/red ends, turn right on yellow square/teal diamond trail
[  1.95]  Right on yellow square/teal diamond when white square goes left
[  2.65]  Turn left on blue square when yellow/teal goes right
[  3.15]  Blue trail turns left down stone steps (turn easy to miss, turn blazed on rock, straight will be return route to parking lot)
[  3.65]  Rock hop over creek
[  3.80]  Blue turns right when white goes left (blue blazes not immediately visible)
[  4.20]  Turn sharp left up steps on blue when white goes straight
[  6.25]  Blue trail ends at Route 218; left briefly on road then left on white before bridge
[  7.00]  Right on blue when white ends
[  7.15]  Rock hop over creek
[  7.55]  At top of stone steps where blue turns right, turn left on unmarked trail (old blazes on trees painted over)
[  8.00]  Arrive back at parking lot