Lord Stirling Park, NJ

ABOUT THE PARK:
Lord Stirling Park - Somerset Country Park Commission (check web site for trail closure dates)
NO DOGS ALLOWED

DIRECTIONS:
GPS Coordinates 40.695239, -74.520271

View Larger Map

TRAIL MAP:
Lord Stirling Park Trail Map - Somerset County Park Commission

Lord Stirling Park, NJ at EveryTrail


HIKE DISTANCE: 6.4 miles

THE HIKE:

The trails start to the right of the Environmental Education Center; I headed right to start and returned from the left.

A trail register and maps a short distance ahead to the right.

Singing with a beak full of food.

Branta Pond

Red Trail

Most intersections have a map showing where you are so it's hard to get lost,

Mourning Dove

Esox Pond

Yellow Trail

Passaic River

Somebody made a nice hole in a dead tree for a nest but can't see very far into it.

East Observation Tower

Passaic River from the East Observation Tower

He landed on my top!

It's not every day you see an emergency call box on a trail.

Some lingering fall foliage,

Three miles of boardwalk through the park.

Hairy Woodpecker

Hawk

The Dance Floor

Boondocks Boardwalk

Northern Flicker

The part of the boardwalk that skirts La Plus Grande is currently closed.

A trail through the woods detours around.

White-breasted Nuthatch

Dark-eyed Junco

Blue Jay

The Great Swamp Oak

Lots ...

... of geese ...

...  and airplanes ...

... flying ...

... over.

West Observation Tower

Grasshopper

Remember all of those geese flying over earlier?

Their layover spot.

Back at the Environmental Education Center

Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge, NJ - Orange Trail

I know, it says no dogs - will explain in a minute.

ABOUT THE PARK:
Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge - U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (be sure to check web site for hunting closures)

DIRECTIONS:
GPS Coordinates 40.706109, -74.467833

View Larger Map

Large paved lot at the end of a dead end road.

TRAIL MAP:
Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge - U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge Map - U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (more detailed map)
Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge, NJ - Orange Trail at EveryTrail


HIKE DISTANCE: 5.2 miles

THE HIKE:
Dogs are not allowed on this hike - this is why I picked it:  On Tuesday, October 28, Shawnee woke up, ate breakfast, and other than stumbling a time or two, it was business as usual.  She had a chiropractor appointment in the afternoon so I figured something was out of whack and he could fix it.  As we were getting ready to leave for that appointment a few hours later, she started running into walls, falling down, looked like a drunken sailor in a pinball machine.  The most alarming symptom was her eyes darting back and forth rapidly.  Instead of going to the chiropractor, I raced her straight to the emergency clinic in a panic thinking she was having a stroke.  It was determined she has what is called Old Dog Vestibular Disease.  As someone described it to me - it's like vertigo on crack.  It comes on suddenly for no apparent reason with dramatic symptoms resembling a stroke, is the scariest thing ever, but the prognosis is good and she should recover but it can be a slow process taking anywhere from weeks to months.  She has already improved some but stays in her bed and wears her hiking harness always so I can assist her when she needs to go out.  Her eyes no longer dart back and forth and she eats normally again after having been fed with a syringe early on.  She wags her tail and is not in any pain.  No way could she catch on that I was going hiking without her - she would have been so upset.  This took a lot of planning and preparation.  Trying to outsmart Shawnee is not easy.  I put my backpack in the car and my hiking clothes in the basement the day before.  I changed in the basement on my way out and when I returned home so I walked into the main part of the house with the clothes on that I had left in.  Other than a sniff or two when I returned, she was none the wiser.  Whew, I can't believe I pulled it off!  But I missed her terribly and she was on my mind every single step.

Recovering in bed.

The orange trail starts right at the kiosk in the parking lot.

So many hawks flew over but the only one I got was a turkey vulture.

The silver trail start markers are on a log on the ground.

About 1/4 of a mile in, the silver trail becomes overgrown by impenetrable phragmites and thorny vines.

Heading back on silver.

Further along on orange, the green trail starts to the right on a boardwalk.

A small pond on green.

The beige trail leaves from green.

Some of the prettiest foliage I have seen this season was on the beige trail.

Beige ends at a swamp.

Heading back on beige ...

... to continue on green.

A dragonfly in November!  Turns out this is a geriatric dragonfly.  Apparently they only live one summer as adults then die of old age before winter :(

A gnarly old tree on orange.

Orange ends at the other parking lot.

Heading back on orange.

So many birds but I only managed to photograph a fraction of them.

I swear I find one every single hike.  Ugh.

HIKE SUMMARY:
[  0.00]  Take the orange trail from the kiosk
[  0.70]  Turn right on silver when orange continues straight
[  0.95]  Trail becomes impassible; retrace
[  1.20]  Turn right on orange
[  1.50]  Cross bridge
[  1.60]  Turn right on green on boardwalk when orange goes straight
[  2.00]  Turn right on beige when green goes straight
[  2.45]  Beige ends at swamp; retrace
[  2.90]  Straight on green when beige ends
[  3.10]  Bridge and boardwalk
[  3.20]  Turn right on orange when green ends
[  3.30]  Cross bridge
[  3.40]  Orange ends at other parking lot; retrace
[  3.60]  Straight on orange when green goes left
[  4.00]  Straight on orange when green goes left on boardwalk
[  4.10]  Bridge
[  4.50]  Straight on orange when silver goes left
[  5.20]  Back at parking