Stokes State Forest, NJ - Stony Brook Trail with Seasonally Closed Sunrise Mountain Road

ABOUT THE PARK:
Stokes State Forest - NJ Department of Environmental Protection

DIRECTIONS:
GPS Coordinates 41.20627, -74.77492

Kittle Road Day Use Area Parking

TRAIL MAP:

Delaware Water Gap & Kittatinny Trails Map 122 - New York New Jersey Trail Conference
Stokes State Forest Trail Map North - New York New Jersey Trail Conference free map

HIKE DISTANCE:  10.8 miles

THE HIKE:

The seasonally closed roads will be opening back up in less than a month so I wanted to get another hike in using Sunrise Mountain Road where I could have total peace and tranquility, which is exactly how it played out.  Ran into one other hiker a mile into the hike then saw nobody at all until the last half mile when it was pretty busy on a nice pre-spring day.

Crossing Kittle Road from the parking lot over to the bridge.

Just before the building up ahead ...

... right on the brown Stony Brook Trail.

There will be lots of creek crossing but very few bridges.

The Blue Mountain Trail joins in just before ...

... crossing through the Stony Lake Day Use Area lot.

Green joins in but as blue and green leave, we would be staying with brown.

We had a hiking buddy for quite a long stretch of trail.  It was fine until Brodie noticed him.  He pays no attention to squirrels but oh boy does he want a porcupine big time.

The porcupine eventually left the trail so we could pass.  I can clearly see him giving Brodie the "Go ahead, make my day" look.

Coming up on ...

... closed Sunrise Mountain Road where we turned left for a 3.5 mile road walk.

It was very peaceful and quite scenic.

High Point Monument visible in the distance.

The Tinsley Trail crosses over and to the right it would be a very short distance up to the Appalachian Trail.

A picnic area on the left were we stopped for a break.

I will never understand how people can bring in heavy items but can't bring themselves to take out the much lighter empties.  I was going to try to flatten the cans and pack them out but there was just too much with so much hiking left to do.  Had it been in the middle of the woods I would have but I am sure the park staff can haul these out in a vehicle when they drive by.

View from the picnic area.

Continuing on passing the drive on the right to the Sunrise Mountain overlook.

Leaving Sunrise Mountain Road to take the red Swenson Trail.

Continuing straight on the Blue Mountain Trail when the red Swenson Trail ends.

At the Spring Cabin the Blue Mountain Trail turns left but we went around the left side of the cabin ...

... to the cabin access road which is a dashed line through a swamp on the map but it's actually a dry gravel road all the way through.

The yellow Tinsley Trail comes in from the left and continues on the gravel road.

Coming up on trail markers of the NJ State School of Conservation I decided to give those trails a try.

This was the Purple Finch Trail but it wasn't much of a trail at all.  It's more bushwhacking from marker to marker.

Then it just ends.  But we were right at Skellenenger Road so we went there and turned right.

I knew the Blue Mountain Trail would be a very short distance to the left so at the NJ State School of Conservation sign we turned left ...

... and literally bushwhacked a handful of steps to a left on  ...

... the Blue Mountain Trail along Big Flat Brook.

At the campground road, the trail veers left across the road ...

... back into the woods.

When the Blue Mountain Trail turns right across the bridge, we continued straight on the brown Stony Brook Trail.

Coming back up on the building where we started the hike.

Now back to a much busier parking lot.