Saturday, December 20, 2014

Campgaw Mountain Reservation, NJ


ABOUT THE PARK:
Campgaw Mountain Reservation - Bergen County Parks
Ski Campgaw

DIRECTIONS:
GPS Coordinates 41.057024, -74.190379

View Larger Map
The lot is huge, this isn't even half of it.


TRAIL MAP:
Campgaw Mountain County Reservation - New York New Jersey Trail Conference
Campgaw Mountain County Reservation, NJ at EveryTrail


HIKE DISTANCE: 5.9 miles

PEAK BAGGING:
Campgaw Mountain - Peakery

THE HIKE:
The pink trail crosses the parking lot and continues between the picnic pavilion on the left and the power cut on the right.
It passes by ...
On the white trail heading towards ...
... a tree with a huge burl!
Continuing on towards ...
... the orange-blazed Hemlock Trail around Fyke Pond.
The far end of the pond.
Heading back on the other side.
Not a single hemlock in sight.
Heading towards the ski lodge on green.
Snow making in progress - kind of neat to see but the down side it that it is loud and you can hear it through most of the hike.
Continue straight through to the other side of the parking lot to pick up ...
... the red trail to the top of the mountain.
At the top.
It's looking like a winter wonderland up here.
Continuing on around to yellow to ...
... views from the other side of the slopes.
This is was a Pileated Woodpecker.  He flew by twice and each time I had him in the viewfinder three different times but he was so fast that this is what every picture looked like.  He would always take off just as I snapped the picture.
I did get a White-breasted Nuthatch and they are fast, too.
Heading down on blue which looks like it used to be a ski slope.
An old-timey snow making machine.
A good portion of the green trail was a maze sawed through Sandy blow downs.
When red crosses over the park road, turn right to silver.
After silver, back on red.


HIKE SUMMARY: 
[  0.00]  Take the pink trail between the picnic pavilion and the power cut
[  0.30]  Right on pink where pink goes left also
[  0.60]  Right on white where pink goes left
[  0.70]  Left on red/white where white also goes right
[  0.95]  Right on orange
[  1.20]  Continue around on orange at far side of pond along park road
[  1.50]  Right on yellow
[  1.65]  Right on green
[  1.85]  Straight at end of green along ski slopes on left then through parking lot
[  2.00]  Left on red/white at end of parking lot
[  2.65]  Left on yellow
[  2.75]  Views on left where blue starts to the right; retrace
[  2.85]  Left on red/white where orange goes straight
[  3.35]  Right on red/white when blue goes left, then immediately left on blue at fork
[  3.70]  Old snow making making machine on left; right on green
[  3.90]  End of green, continue straight on red/white where red/white goes right also
[  4.10]  Right on park road then right on silver
[  4.55]  Either way at silver loop
[  4.90]  End of loop, retrace on silver
[  5.35]  Cross parking circle then right on red/white
[  5.75]  Stay on red/white when blue crosses over
[  5.80]  Cross over yellow continuing on orange and red/white
[  5.85]  Right on white
[  5.90]  Back at parking