ABOUT THE PARK:
Kittatinny Valley State Park - NJ Department of Environmental Protection (scroll down to Paulinskill Valley Rail Trail)
DIRECTIONS:
GPS Coordinates 40.93552, -75.07082
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| Parking on Bugler Road for about 2-3 card across street from trail entrance which is to the right in this picture. |
TRAIL MAP:
HIKE DISTANCE: 8.2 miles (4.1 miles each way)
THE HIKE:
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| The start of this hike would have been very confusing had I not happened across MetroTrails' writeup beforehand. There are no signs at all except for private property signs and a silver gate. I don't know if it is OK to access the trail this way or not, but it is the only way to get there. |
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| A rocky start. |
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| A short distance in, the chunky gravels ends and the official Paulinskill Valley Trail starts. |
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| The trail is to the left; to the right is a private drive that is a continuation from the entrance. |
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| That is frost over there in the field - the first of the season and it was cold at 35 degrees! |
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| This is the perfect type of trail for the wheelchair. |
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| This would be my attempt at photographing a bear that crossed the trail about 50 feet ahead of us from left to right but I missed. She did not seem to notice us and was moving along as through she had a destination in mind so I waited a minute then proceeded on making noise and singing, which will send anyone running. Never saw the bear again. |
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| The trail is a little narrow in places but widens up after reaching ... |
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| Hainesburg Junction |
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| Ruins in the woods at the junction. |
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| Now the trail widens considerably. |
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| Paulins Kill |
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| Completed in 1910, it was the largest reinforced concrete structure in the world at the time. |
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| Pictures cannot capture how massive this structure is. |
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| Pictures do, however, capture the graffiti :( |
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| A side trail by the viaduct down to the Paulins Kill. |
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| The trail continues on a short distance parallel to Station Road. |
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| Then it is a short (maybe 1/4 mile) road walk on Station Road. As we were approaching those young men picking up litter, I picked up a few pieces and deposited it in their bag in passing. Turns out this is what they were a part of... |
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| Just when Station Road swings left over the bridge, bear right back on to the Paulinskill Valley Trail. |
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| There is supposed to be parking here and there is ample room for several cars but signs all along that section say permit parking only? |
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| The Paulinskill Trail is part of the Liberty Water Gap Trail. |
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| Eighty eight miles to Jersey City. |
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| Following along the Paulins Kill. |
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| Coming up on a clearing... |
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| ... with views of the Kittatinny Ridge to the left. |
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| The only bridge we crossed on this hike. |
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| The trail follows along a residential road briefly. |
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| Farm animals on the left. |
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| More of the Knowlton cleanup crew. |
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| Lots to sniff along here. |
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| Crossing West Crisman Road. |
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| This would be where a fox (a gray fox, I believe) disappeared as we went by. |
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| Eighty seven miles to Jersey City. |
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| Crazy loud starlings (with a few red-winged blackbirds thrown in) flew over... |
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| ... landing in trees... |
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| ... then in a split second it was quite once more and they were all gone. |
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| Canada geese resting in a field before resuming their fall migration. |
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| This is a very quiet stretch of the trail. Only one bike other than these two and one walker passed us. |
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| Kittinny Ridge with Mount Tammany just off the picture to the left. |
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| Our turn around point. |
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| Mount Tammany |
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| In that clearing we crossed earlier, way over in the field, could it be? |
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| Yes it is, a balloon for my collection. |
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| Help. |
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| Oh my. This happens sometimes. |
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| Free to move again. |
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| More sniffs off of the trail. |
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| It looks like these two planes are tethered together. |
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| Coming back up on Station Road. |
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| Back at the Paulinskill Viaduct. |
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| I had noticed a trail along the Paulins Kill from the viaduct before so decided to take that. |
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| It does indeed meet back up with the Paulinskill Valley Trail. This is looking back at that trail on the left where we came up to meet the Paulinskill Valley Trail. |
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| Hainesburg Junction - keep left, right is private property. |
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| The trail narrows after Hainesburg Junction but is still very passable. |
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| Back at Brugler Road. |
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| The Liberty Water Gap Trail continues along Brugler Road and eventually crosses a pedestrian bridge over the Delaware River. |
