Joe Palaia Park, NJ

 

ABOUT THE PARK: 

Joe Palaia Park - Township of Ocean Parks

Deal Test Site - Wikipedia

DIRECTIONS: 

GPS Coordinates 40.25622, -74.02369

One of several parking lots around the park.

TRAIL MAP: 

Joe Palaia Park Trail - Township of Ocean Parks

HIKE DISTANCE: 

Joe Palaia Park Trail - 3 miles plus the Library Trail for a total of 3.8 miles

     hiked together with

Weltz Park - 1.8 miles (about a 5 minute drive between parks)

THE HIKE: 

The trail starts from the parking lot at the large signs.

The trail is very well marked with arrows on posts showing which way to go.  Because everyone (mostly) goes the same way, you come in contact with fewer dogs which is great when your dog is reactive.  And there are LOTS of dogs walking in this park.

The entire 3 miles is paved.

Whoever put this trash can within the first tenth of a mile knew Brodie was coming.  He likes to get that out of the way early on but after we are far enough from the car to not want to go back.  Which means when he is not wearing his backpack I have to carry it.

Mile markers every tenth of a mile.

Bicentennial Red Oak

This was a pretty tree ...

... with a complex name.

Oops.  RIP Magnolia.

Poplar Brook

Very busy deer crossing.

Mallards are pairing up for spring.

It's not on the park map but I had seen another loop (on Google Maps) adjacent to this park behind the recreation center and was thinking this trail, the Library Trail, might lead there instead of taking the sidewalk along the road.

At the field we turned right ...

... then left on the paved path although we could have gone either way as it is a loop and turns out it was the loop I was looking for.

Coming up on this structure - more on that when we get there.

First on the right, some ruins.

Then on the left, a sign explaining that structure.

The path continues to loop around.  Where Joe Palaia Park was starting to get busy, not another soul over on this loop.

Coming back up on that field where we turned left and then left again ...

... to get back to the Joe Palaia Trail.

A short distance ahead the path veers left and follows parallel to Deal Road.

After winding around back into and through the park ...

... back at the parking lot.

Black Brook Park, NJ - East Coast Greenway

 

ABOUT THE PARK: 

Black Brook Park - Explore Union County

East Coast Greenway

DIRECTIONS: 

GPS Coordinates 40.684548, -74.298775

Black Brook Park Parking

TRAIL MAP: 

HIKE DISTANCE:  3.5 miles (1.75 miles each way)

THE HIKE: 

A family hike on a very cold and windy March day.

The grandkids.

Cousins by Adoption

Ducks in Shallcross Pond

To loop around the pond first we turned right on the paved path.  There is no paved path that loops around so left on the grass ...

... to a footpath along the far side of the pond.

It's not very stroller-friendly over on the far side.

Back on the paved path, we crossed road to continue on the East Coast Greenway.  Fortunately there was no gunfire because we know how Brodie feels about that.

Northern Mockingbird

Children running wild.

White-breasted Nuthatch

Our turn around point at Kenilworth Boulevard.

On the way back, a right on a dirt path for an out and back to the dam.

We were being watched.

The dam is down to the right but it was steep and muddy so I didn't go down.

Back to the paved path

There were a bunch of white-throated sparrows digging around in the leaves for dinner.  These two have different coloring, one bolder with black stripes and the other duller with brown stripes.  Turns out there are two color morphs and this picture has one of each.

Back at the road crossing ...

... over to Black Brook Park.