Natco Lake Park - Hazlet Township
Natco Park - Hazlet Township
Natco Park Booklet - Hazlet Township
DIRECTIONS:
GPS Coordinates 40.42563, -74.15513
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| Parking at the environmental building at 399 Middle Road. |
TRAIL MAP:
HIKE DISTANCE: 4.8 miles
THE HIKE:
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| We started on a sand trail to the right side behind the environmental building. |
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| There were no trail markers at first, just a lot of streamers hanging from tree branches. |
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| Eventually the trail was marked with green markers. |
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| The trail follows along Raritan High School where there is also parking to access the trails. |
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| Balloon #6 of 2022. |
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| We made a left on an unmarked trail which leads to Sun Dew Pond then loops around behind the pond. |
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| Balloon #7 of 2022. |
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| After looping around the pond we continued on the unmarked trail until it ended ... |
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| ... in a swampy section behind homes. |
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| Passing back by Sun Dew Pond. |
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| The yellow trail goes all the way to the parking lot at ... |
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| The Grammercy at Lakeside Manor where a right turn through the lot leads to the orange trail along Natco Lake. Also, Brodie scored some French fries in the parking lot before I so rudely intervened. |
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| Natco Lake |
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| The gulls had so graciously left some stinky dead fish lakeside to make a complete meal of Fish 'n Chips for Brodie before I again, VERY rudely intervened. Sigh. |
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| The orange trail, according to the map, should go all the way around the lake to Route 36. It does not. |
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| When the trail seemed to peter out, I notice a bridge off to the right so we went that way. |
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| Indeed, there were orange markers. |
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| But after this rickety bridge double markers indicating a right turn led to nowhere so we ended up bushwhacking looking for the trail but never found it so we retraced back to that first bridge then took a left on orange/red. |
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| Along the way there were orange markers to the left which would be where that orange trail should have come out according to an older map in the brochure and the Gaia app but after a few steps in, there was no more trail. So apparently that part of orange is now defunct and you have to retrace once you lose the trail along Natco Lake. |
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| Coming up on Pine Hill ... |
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| ... which overlooks Raritan High School. |
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| Retracing along the high school ... |
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| ... coming out opposite the environmental building from where we had started. |
