Lenape Park to Echo Lake Park, NJ

ABOUT THE PARK:
Birds of Lenape Park - USGS
Union County Parks - Union County, NJ

DIRECTIONS:
GPS Coordinates 40.674338, -74.315034

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If your GPS tells you to turn on County Road then go off road, don't listen to it because you can't get to the parking lot that way.  There is a park entrance with the sign directly off of Kenilworth Boulevard.

TRAIL MAP:
Lenape Park Map - Union County, NJ
The map only shows the paved trails.  There are dirt trails also, one of which is blazed.
Echo Lake Park Map - Union County, NJ

Lenape Park and Echo Lake Park, NJ at EveryTrail
 

HIKE DISTANCE:  4.8 miles

THE HIKE:
Last I knew this was a skeet shooting range and at some point has become a park but there is almost no information online other than the building of the East Coast Greenway section that passes through the other side of the park.  That is where I intended to go but could not find the connection because the map is wrong.   I know how to get there now so that is for another day.

Walk back towards Kenilworth Boulevard from the parking lot then turn right at the kiosk on the paved multi-use trail.

The multi-use trail is elevated and in full sun along the first part.  Swallows use the lower level as their personal highway and they are zooming by constantly/

After about 3/4 of a mile Lenape Pond is on the right. 

Lenape Pond

An egret in Lenape Pond.

After Lenape Pond the trail becomes more shaded.  (That is Kacey who is staying with us while her family is away.)

At Williams Nursery you'll be coming up on Springfield Avenue.  Turn right a short distance ...

...  then left at the crosswalk into Echo Lake Park.

A lower level of the paved trail through Echo Lake Park runs right along the water, which is currently covered with green stuff.

Cross over Park Drive and the trail straight ahead ...

... is a dirt path which appears to end at a chain link fence but it does continue to the right and around the fence back to...

... Park Drive with a parking lot on the right.  Turn left here on the paved path.

The paved path follows between water on the left and ...

... Park Drive on the right before crossing over on the same crosswalk.

Retracing back through Echo Lake Park.

Crossing back over Springfield Avenue where the police stopped traffic just for us.

Turn left just before Williams Nursery back into Lenape Park.

A wildlife garden just before Lenape Pond.

The back side of Lenape Pond where we found ...

... an unmarked trail along the water.

When the unmarked trail fizzled out, I noticed a blue blaze off to the left.  A very short bushwhack brought  us to a blue-blazed trail!

Turn right and went until ...

... we could go no more.   The trail became completely choked due overgrowth.  Will have to explore this again in the winter to see where it comes out.

Heading back towards Lenape Pond on the blue trail there were bridges.

A lot of work was put into building this trail and it looks to be fairly new.  What a shame that it is not being maintained.

Heading back we decided to use the swallow corridor in the shade instead of the paved path up above to the left.

Wawayanda State Park, NJ - Old Coal to Turkey Ridge

 

ABOUT THE PARK:
Wawayanda State Park - NJ Department of Environmental Protection

DIRECTIONS:

GPS Coordinates 41.142977, -74.407410

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Parking lot P7 off of Clinton Road.  Although this lot is numbered like the Pequannock Watershed lots, this is a Wawayanda State Park lot and no permit is required.

TRAIL MAP:
North Jersey Trails Map #116 - NY/NJ Trail Conference
Wawayanda State Park Map - NJ Department of Environmental Protection
Wawayanda State Park - JORBA

Wawayanda State Park, NJ - Old Coal to Turkey Ridge at EveryTrail


HIKE DISTANCE:  6.65 miles

THE HIKE:

Facing Clinton Road, turn right and walk south a short distance to the Project U.S.E gate.  Continue beyond the gate.

The gravel road becomes the Old Coal Trail.

Bearfort Waters

Porject U.S.E. canoes...

... and equipment.

Intersection with yellow.  Yellow goes into Pequannock Watershed property where a hiking permit is needed.

In an area where there are several old stone walls, a trail at a cairn goes to the right.  Don't take it - it goes nowhere.

An unmarked trail to the left leads through a very pretty area ...

... to a cairn at the top of a hill.  Turn right at the cairn (straight ahead dead ends in Pequannock Watershed property on the map).

At the next intersection, a short out and back to the left leads to a pretty little pond.

The unmarked trail ends at Turkey Ridge Trail.

At one point on the Turkey Ridge Trail, the markers indicate a left turn at a fork turn when the trail actually continues to the right.

Looking west in the pipeline cut.

Lake Lookout comes into view along the Pickle Trail.

This little guy took off but only to meet us at the other end of Lake Lookout.

Pickle Trail along Lake Lookout.

There he is waiting for us.

View of Lake Lookout from our break spot.

Overgrown part of Lookout Trail along the tip of Lake Lookout.

Lake Lookout

Watch out when approaching puddles on the Lookout Trail beyond the lake - frogs start jumping every which way!

The Lookout Trail ends at Old Coal Trail.

A wet spot with a nice crossing ...

... and more frogs!

Crossing the gas pipeline cut again looking west.

Old Coal passes the start of the Turkey Ridge Trail.

Old Coal goes left - to the right is the unmarked trail from the beginning of the hike.

A huge mushroom.

On the Old Coal Trail.

A Great Blue Heron in Bearfort Waters.

The end of the Old Coal Trail at Clinton Road.

HIKE SUMMARY:
[0.00]    Walk south on Clinton Road
[0.10]    Turn right at sign on gravel road; beginning of Old Coal
[0.50]    Straight on Old Coal when yellow starts to the left
[0.60]    Straight on Old Coal when unmarked goes right (some maps show this trail running parallel to Bearfort Waters all the way to Cherry Ridge Road)
[0.85]    Straight on Old Coal when trail at cairn goes left  (trail not on any maps)
[0.95]    Straight on Old Coal when trail at cairn goes right (took this trail but it goes nowhere and is not on any maps)
[1.40]    Left on unmarked when Old Coal goes right
[1.80]    Right at cairn at top of hill when trail also goes straight
[1.90]    Turn right; left goes to small pond
[2.25]    Turn left on Turkey Ridge at T-intersection
[2.50]    Keep right at fork to stay on Turkey Ridge even though there are left turn markers
[2.90]    Keep right on Turkey Ridge when Pines starts to the left
[3.15]    Cross pipeline
[3.25]    Turn right on Pickle before intersection with Rattlesnake up ahead
[3.80]    Right on Lookout Trail when Pickle ends; Lake Lookout
[3.90]    At tip of Lake Lookout, keep straight on white Lookout Trail when unmarked goes left at fire pit
[4.00]    Keep left on Lookout when unmarked (Hemlock & Load) starts to the right
[4.20]    Right on Old Coal when Lookout ends
[4.30]    Straight on Old Coal when unmarked (Hemlock & Load) starts to the right and unmarked (Mojo Swamp) starts to the left
[4.65]    Cross pipeline
[4.95]    Straight on Old Coal when Turkey Ridge starts to the right
[5.10]    Straight on Old Coal when Split Rock starts to the left and Buddha starts to the right
[5.20]    Straight on Old Coal when a second Split Rock access starts to the left
[5.25]    Straight on Old Coal when unmarked (from beginning of hike) goes right
[5.70]    Trail to left at cairn that went to nowhere
[5.70]    Straight on Old Coal when trail at cairn goes right
[6.05]    Straight on Old Coal when unmarked trail goes left
[6.15]    Straight on Old Coal when yellow starts to the right
[6.55]    Left on Clinton Road
[6.65]    Back at Parking