ABOUT THE PARK:
Bass River State Forest - NJ Department of Environmental Protection
Batona Trail - NJ Department of Environmental Protection
DIRECTIONS:
GPS Coordinates 39.62434, -74.44306
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| Parking along Dan Bridge Road at the southern Batona Trail trail head. |
TRAIL MAP:
Bass River State Forest Trails - NJ Parks and Forests (shows complete reroute and original trail)
Bass River State Forest Trail Map - NJ Department of Environmental Protection
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HIKE DISTANCE: 7.65 miles
From the trail head to Ives Branch Pond it was 4.5 miles but to shorten the return route, we took sand roads.
THE HIKE:
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| The beginning of the Batona Trail. |
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| The trail follows Dan Bridge Road for about half a mile. |
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| Turns are always very clearly marked. |
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| From the sand road on to a pine needle covered path. |
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| Bypass around a huge puddle. |
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| The trail alternates between sand roads and paths. |
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| West Branch Bass River |
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| Looks like old cranberry bogs converting back to forest. |
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| Coming up on a small pond which is shown as a cranberry bog on the map. |
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| He considers it a pond. |
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| These can be problematic for us. |
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| The wheels don't fit and she keeps wanting to step off into the swamp. It was a battle to get her across. |
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| I saw my first ever palm warbler last weekend in PA and now a second in southern NJ passing through on it's way to breeding grounds in Canada. |
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| Turning on to Allens Coal Road. |
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| Crossing Bartletts Bridge over ... |
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| ... Bartletts Branch. |
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| Eastern Towhee |
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| No takers? |
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| Just to the left of this intersection ... |
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| ... is the former route of the Batona Trail which looks like it is now becoming overgrown. It involved a substantial road walk which the reroute completely eliminated. |
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| This will be our last South Jersey hike for the season because the bugs are starting to wake up and you know it gets bad when bug spray is supplied at the trail register! |
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| We could have turned back here to make it a 7-mile hike but being pretty sure I could short cut the return route using sand roads, decided to continue on to Ives Branch Pond. |
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| Coming up on Ives Branch Pond at 4.5 miles. |
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| Ives Branch Pond |
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| This crossing might have been a little tricky for us but it was our turn around point anyway so no big deal. |
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| As short distance away I noticed a cross so we went to investigate. We paid our respects to Bella at her peaceful resting place overlooking Ives Branch Pond. |
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| Heading back to the Batona Trail. |
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| Where the Batona Trail left to the right, we continued straight. |
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| The Batona Trail joined back in from the right then when it turned left, we kept straight again. |
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| This was the only tricky spot we encountered... |
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| ... and trudging through was a bad, bad idea. This did not come off until shampoo and water at home. |
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| Balloon #27 of the year. |
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| The sand road widens as it gets closer to Stage Road. |
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| The Easter Bunny was here! |
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| And here come some Easter egg hunters. |
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| The sand road turns to pavement at Pilgrim Lake Campground. |
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| Left on Stage Road... |
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| ... then across this bridge which was the original Batona Trail ... |
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| ... a short distance to the parking area. |
