Mount Paul, NJ - Northern Section

ABOUT THE PARK:
State Buying Large Woodlands Tract in Jefferson - NJ.com
Sale Means Mt. Paul Will Become State Park - NJ.com
Retreat Amongst the Woodlands - Cougar's Byte

DIRECTIONS:
GPS Coordinates 41.047221, -74.544628

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Room for about 5 cars between Ridge Road and the power cut on Mount Paul Road.

TRAIL MAP:
Kittatinny Valley State Park - Mount Paul Area - NYNJ Trail Conference/NJ DEP

Approximate trail distances:
Mount Paul Road (paved) - .8
Orange (including unmarked part from mowed clearing) - 1.1
Mount Paul Road (unpaved from orange to white) - .5
White (from unpaved Mount Paul Road to charcoal) - 1.2
Charcoal - .5
Yellow (from charcoal to blue) - .2
Blue (from yellow to teal Highlands Trail) - .5
Teal Highlands Trail (from blue to power cut) - 1.5

Mount Paul, NJ - Northern Section at EveryTrail


PEAK BAGGING:
Mount Paul - peakery.com

HIKE DISTANCE:    6.4 miles

THE HIKE:

From the parking area, proceed along paved Mount Paul Road beyond the gate.

Looking back towards the gate and parking area.

Peaceful paved road through the woods.

One third of a mile in I realized I left my map printouts in the car.  Couldn't go on without them.  Not wanting Shawnee to log mileage she didn't need to, we returned to the top of the hill, I tied her to my backpack and ran the rest of the way to my car and back up the hill.  She used to practice out-of-sight stays in obedience class where she would need to stay while I was out of sight for 5 minutes.  Even though she did not like this, it wasn't anything she didn't know how to do.  She could have dragged my backpack down the hill and she didn't, my good girl :).

This woods road blazed green (far right tree) should go through to the Highlands Trail but on my way back I could not find the other end from the Highlands Trail.

The woods road on the right goes to the cemetery where 70 priests were buried before they were moved after the land was bought by the state.  Ahead on the left is a mowed clearing. The trail to the summit of Mount Paul is reached through that clearing.

Retreat building now leased by Kean University.

Crossing the dam at Stony Brook Lake.

Stony Brook Lake

An old bridge on the unpaved part of Mount Paul Road.

We looped around back to the cemetery because at the time I was looking for the trail to the summit of Mount Paul but had not yet found it.

Former cemetery.

Turning on to that mowed clearing....

... beyond this forest fire box ...

... to a portal into another world - that is what it feels like.  You have to look for the opening in the trees.

Climbing up Mount Paul.

After a false summit, the trail is blazed orange.

At the summit of Mount Paul, just a short bushwhack off trail.

Continuing on from the summit becomes tricky since the trail is less well-defined and the paint blazes are harder to see.

We managed to stay on track and things open up again right before ...

... unpaved Mount Paul Road.

A Bluejay

Crossing over Stony Brook

Taking a dip in Stony Brook.

Shortly after crossing over Stony Brook, watch for an old electric pole on the left with a white blaze above a white box - this is the access to the white trail.

On the white trail.  Most blazes are very faded and hard to see but the trail is mostly well-defined through this area.

In a jumble of blow downs, what appears to be a newer red trail goes to the right but it doesn't seem to be a trail at all, just a bunch a blazes through the woods so we continued on around the blow downs and continued on the white trail.

The trail clears out again.  None of the blow downs were so bad that we could not get through or around them.

The Charcoal Trail - now if that isn't an easy color to see!

The charcoal trail ends at the yellow trail.

Yellow Trail to the left, Blue Trail to the right.

It is actually blue and green combined until green leaves to the right.  We continued left on blue to...

The Highlands Trail

Here is where you can truly appreciate the difference between unmaintained and maintained trails.

An onlooker.

Taking a break on the Highlands Trail.

A busy hornet's nest up high in a tree.

The Highlands Trail crosses the power cut and you can see Mount Paul Road just a few yards away.

There is a faint trail through the power cut that connects back over and parking is immediately on the left.

Mahlon Dickerson Reservation and Weldon Brook WMA, NJ

ABOUT THE PARK:
Mahlon Dickerson Reservation - Morris County Parks
Weldon Brook Wildlife Management Area - New York New Jersey Trail Conference
Ogden Mine Railroad Path - Traillink.com

DIRECTIONS:

GPS Coordinates 41.007758, -74.586135

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TRAIL MAP:
Jersey Highlands Trail Map 126 - New York New Jersey Trail Conference
Mahlon Dickerson Reservation Trail Map - Morris County Parks
Mahlon Dickerson Reservation and Weldon Brook WMA, NJ at EveryTrail


HIKE DISTANCE:  6.5 miles

THE HIKE:

Walk to the kiosk in the parking lot then beyond the yellow gate on the yellow-blazed trail.

Saffin Pond at sunrise.

The teal diamond-blazed Highlands Trail joins in from the bridge at Saffin Pond.

Yellow continues and teal leaves to the right crossing over Weldon Road.

The Highlands Trail through the woods.

A tiny little frog.

Climb through a power cut.

Power cuts seem ugly at first glance but there is beauty to be found.  The bees seem to be asleep on the flowers.  Yes, we hike that early.

There is even somewhat of a view at the top!

The first woods road to the left from the power cut as shown on the NYNJ Trail Conference map is overgrown but the second left at the communications tower leads to this gate into the woods.

Unmarked woods roads through Weldon Brook WMA.

Old stone farm walls in the woods.

The woods road goes through a pretty swamp...

... but this is the crossing.  Figuring it would be too difficult for Shawnee, I intentionally approached from this side so we could retrace from here.

Yes, she agrees it is too difficult and is already heading back and checking to be sure I am, too.

A tiny little red eft hiker on the trail.

Grasshopper

Back through a section of power cut ...

... and back into the woods on the other side of the power cut.

Woods road through the woods to...

The Ogden Mine Railroad Path

Swamps on either side along the rail bed.

In one of the swamps, a beaver lodge with a belted kingfisher - did not even know she was there until I uploaded the picture.

A kiosk just before Weldon Road.

Cross Weldon Road to the parking lot.

HIKE SUMMARY:
[  0.00]  Walk through the parking lot to the kiosk and take the yellow trail through the yellow gate
[  0.60]  Right on teal diamond when yellow continues straight; cross Weldon Road; short distance beyond gate turn right on teal diamond
[  1.30]  Turn right in the power cut
[  1.50]  Continue straight in power cut at top of hill when a woods road leaves to the right
[  1.90]  Entering Weldon Brook WMA in power cut
[  2.00]  Continue straight at top of second hill (woods road to the left becomes too overgrown)
[  2.20]  Left at fork just beyond communications tower paved access road on right
[  2.30]  Continue through silver gate on woods road leaving power cut
[  2.40]  Keep right at fork
[  2.60]  Keep right at fork
[  2.70]  Blue blaze on right but that trail meets back up with woods road in a short distance
[  3.20]  Right at T-intersection then right again
[  3.40]  Right at T-intersection (tree on left has two white circle blazes)
[  3.70]  Turn right at intersection then keep right at fork for out-and-back to swamp
[  4.00]  Swamp crossing; retrace
[  4.20]  Turn right at T-intersection
[  4.40]  When woods road veers left, turn right on path through power cut
[  4.50]  At intersection just over rise, turn right on path into woods
[  5.00]  Turn right on Odgen Mine rail bed
[  5.40]  Keep straight on rail bed when blue starts to the left
[  6.20]  Keep straight on rail bed when a trail forks to the right
[  6.40]  Cross Weldon Road
[  6.50]  Back at parking