Pequannock Watershed, NJ: Four Birds Trail and Wharton and Northern Railroad

The hike includes this newer trail (2009) which does not appear to be heavily used.

ABOUT THE PARK:
Pequannock Watershed - Newark Watershed Conservation and Development Corporation

DIRECTIONS:
GPS Coordinates 40.997962, -74.457232

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Parking for 4-5 cars to the left just outside the entrance to Camp Winnebago.

IMPORTANT:

A permit is required to hike in the Pequannock Watershed.  Permits must be purchased in person at the Newark Watershed office. Click here for information on obtaining permits. 

TRAIL MAP:
Jersey Highlands Trail Map 125 - NY/NJ Trail Conference

HIKE DISTANCE:
Timberbrook to Four Birds to Marty Donofrio Trail to Four Birds and back - 5.35 miles
Returning via unmarked trail instead of abandoned rail bed - 9 miles
Returning via abandoned rail bed - 9.45 miles

THE HIKE:

Take the yellow-blazed Timberbrook Trail from the parking lot.

The Timberbrook Trail skirts a swamp before meeting up with the white-blazed Four Birds Trail.

The white-blazed Four Birds Trail skirts Timberbrook Pond.

Things get confusing at the end of Timberbrook Pond where the trail diverts around a creek feeding into the pond as it merges with woods roads and an abandoned rail bed and blazes seem to be missing.  This picture is looking back after crossing the washed out area.  As the trail comes into a clearing at the end of the pond, turn left and proceed on the earthen dam to the point where it is washed out.  Turn right and walk along the bank of the creek until you can find a spot to rock hop over.  Turn blazes are up ahead indicating to cross over but I found crossing to be easier before the turn blazes.  Then turn left and continue back to the earthen dam and turn right continuing along the end of the pond.

Shortly after navigating the washed out section, blazes indicate both left and right turns.  Turn left here as right is the high water walk around.  The high water walk around is not marked at the other end so you miss it heading out in this direction - you actually see where to turn for the other end of the bypass on the return route. Makes it pretty useless if the trail is flooded out - you would not know there is a bypass until you don't need it any more.

There are some white painted blazes in addition to white rectangle markers to confuse things even more but you want to head to the abandoned rail bed and in a few steps the white-blazed trail leaves to the right (where my dog is) as a foot path.

Careful on this foot bridge - it is old, rotten and wobbly.  It doesn't look like this part of the Four Birds Trail gets much use.

The red-blazed Marty Donofrio trail enters Land Conservancy of NJ property.  It is very well-blazed but also appears not to get much use.

After a steep climb up, some seasonal views at the top of the Marty Donofrio Trail.

The Marty Donofrio Trail ends at a woods road that runs along the ridge of Copperas Mountain and connects back to the Four Birds Trail.

As soon as the Four Birds Trail merges in on the woods road from the right, turn right briefly to a view of Charlotteburg Reservoir before returning to continue on.  Or continue to the right on the Four Birds Trail to head back for a 5.35 hike.

Four birds on the Four Birds Trail.

View of Charlotteburg Reservoir from the Four Birds Trail.

Charlotteburg Reservoir

A woods road connects the Four Birds Trail to the Wharton and Northern Railroad abandoned rail bed.

The Wharton and Norther Railroad abandoned rail bed along Charlotteburg Reservoir.  Walking on the large gravel is not very pleasant.

There are several no trespassing signs indicating not to leave the rail bed to get closer to the reservoir.  The reservoir is completely off limits.  Litter, however, is abundant so many seem to ignore the signs.

A long section of flooded out rail bed that was not easy to get around. 

Badly eroded rail bed.

Conflicting signs - the rail bed meets up with the high water walk around from earlier in the hike.  You have no choice but to ignore the no trespassing sign.

Spring flowers along the creek.

A burl that looks like a bear climbing a tree.

Ring-necked Ducks in Timberbrook Pond

Turtles sunbathing on a log in the pond.

HIKE SUMMARY:
[  0.00]  Take the yellow-blazed Timberbrook Trail from the parking lot
[  0.45]  Cross over woods road
[  0.75]  Yellow trail ends at the white-blazed Four Birds Trail, turn left and follow white
[  1.20]  Woods road comes in from the right; trail turns left on earthen dam at end of pond; at creek turn right, turn left and rock hop creek as soon as you can; turn left back to earthen dam; turn right to continue along end of pond; at intersection follow left turn markers to abandoned rail bed
[  1.40]  White trail leaves rail bed to the right as foot path into woods; keep left at fork when woods road goes right
[  1.45]  Cross over woods road
[  1.65]  Cross creek on old wooden log foot bridge
[  1.80]  Cross woods road; trail veers left; turn left on red diamond blazed trail
[  1.85]  Cross woods road
[  1.90]  Enter Land Conservancy of NJ property at sign
[  2.00]  Rock hop over creek
[  2.30]  Red diamond trail ends at top of incline at woods road; turn right on unmarked woods road
[  2.50]  Keep left at fork
[  2.55]  Keep right at fork
[  2.85]  White-blazed Four Birds Trail merges in from right; turn right briefly to view then retrace or turn right here and continue back on Four Birds Trail for 5.35 mile hike
[  3.00]  Woods road comes in from the left
[  3.50]  Woods road goes left; view on right; continue on white-blazed trail after view
[  3.60]  View on right; continue on white trail as it turns left and leaves woods road as a foot path; wider unmarked trail continues straight (red dashed line trail on map)
[  3.70]  Unmarked trail comes in from left
[  4.15]  At intersection turn right on unmarked woods road
[  4.95]  When woods road becomes eroded and fizzles out; keep right on a more defined woods road
[  5.00]  Turn right on abandoned rail bed running along creek (bridge and live railroad on other side of creek)
[  5.10]  Unmarked trail on right (shown as red-dashed unmaintained trail on map, trail will ascend very steeply but it can be used to get back to the Four Birds Trail at the views to avoid the abandoned rail bed that is not easy to walk on because of large gravel, flooding and erosion and is plagued with unsightly litter - would be about a 9 mile hike total)
[  6.50]  Flooded out section of rail bed
[  6.80]  Left at intersection then follow woods road as it veer right (can also turn right at intersection to stay on rail bed)
[  7.10]  Turn right on rail bed (flooded section) when left goes to reservoir and woods road continues straight
[  7.30]  Pond on right but more like swamp
[  7.55]  Keep left when rail bed merges in from right
[  7.75]  Keep straight when old stone walls appear on left and woods road goes right
[  7.85]  Keep straight on white-blazed high water walk around when it comes in from the left (alternatively, turn left and follow the high water walk around back to the Four Birds Trail)
[  8.10]  Turn left on one of the unmarked trails up and over short hill back to Four Birds Trail and earthen dam creek crossing in reverse of earlier in the hike
[  8.20]  High water walk around trail goes left (this is what is not blazed coming in the opposite direction and is easily missed on the way out)
[  8.25]  Keep right at fork with woods road
[  8.75]  Right on yellow-blazed Timberbrook Trail
[  9.00]  Cross woods road
[  9.45]  Back at parking lot

Catskill Forest Preserve, NY - Kanape Brook and Ashokan High Point

ABOUT THE PARK:
Sundown Wild Forest - New York State Department of Environmental Conservation

DIRECTIONS:

GPS Coordinates 41.935710, -74.328383  

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First view of the Catskill Mountains on I-87 northbound.

Kanape Brook Parking Lot

TRAIL MAP:
Southern Catskill Trails Map #143 - NY/NJ Trail Conference

PEAK BAGGING:
Ashokan High Point - Peakery.com

HIKE DISTANCE:
Full Red-blazed Lollipop Loop - 9.2 miles
Kanape Brook/Ashokan High Point Out and Back - 7.5 miles
Additional mileage for Little High Point bushwhack - .6 miles roundtrip

THE HIKE:
The time to do this hike for the best views is when the leaves are down. The entire trail is blazed with red discs although sometimes they look more orange.  There will also be yellow ski trail markers.  There is only one blazed trail so red, orange, or yellow, it's all the same trail.  In researching this hike I read in a couple of places that the continuation of the red trail from the summit is poorly blazed and hard to follow.  This was probably the case at some point but there were new markers along with old markers so it seems to have been reblazed recently.  A couple of confusing spots are mentioned in the hike summary.  I also read a review that said the trail is too steep for dogs.  I did not find this to be the case with my dog.  She had no problems at all.

Walk out of the parking lot, turn left and walk along the road a short distance to the red marker on the other side of the road and descend to the bridge.

Nice new bridge built by NYSDEC to replace the one destroyed by Hurricane Irene in August 2011.

Shortly after the bridge, sign in at the trail register.

The trail following Kanape Brook is an old woods road that ascends gradually along the ravine.

Small cascades in Kanape Brook.

Kanape Brook

Old stone walls along the trail.

This part of the trail is also designated as a ski trail with yellow markers.

There are several small stream crossings along the way.

The trail makes a left turn 2.7 miles into the hike - very clearly marked.  Straight ahead is private property.

The trail ascends more steeply on rocks and rock steps.

There are several tiers with a rocky ascent, then a flat stretch, then another rocky ascent.

Don't forget to turn around for seasonal views as the trail climbs higher.

At the summit old bolts and old graffiti in the rocks.

Two benchmarks at the summit.

The old graffiti supposedly dates back to the 1870's but the oldest legible one I found was from 1888.

The view from Ashokan High Point would be very reduced with foliage on the trees.

The best views require a partial bushwhack, which neither my dog nor I are fond of but we gave it a try and were successful.  I would not have attempted it with foliage on the trees since I would not have been able to see where I needed to go and I have a lousy sense of direction. My dog was a huge help because if there is a path, she follows it, even if I can't see it.  From the summit view, turn left and take the foot path straight ahead.  It fizzles out very quickly.  At that point, keep to the right.  There is no distinguishable path here.  You want to stay on the ridge but because you are also descending, it is hard to tell if you are on the ridge or not.

Eventually there is a defined path which will lead to the destination, the knob to the right of Ashokan Reservoir.  There are some steep downhills to get there that can be very slippery with thick leaf cover.

At the bottom of the descent, just before an uphill climb to the views, a camp site with a fire pit.

A tight path through blueberry bushes up to the summit of Little High Point.

Part of the view from Little High Point.  Ashokan High Point is the mountain on the right.

The views extend all the way around to the left from the Roundout Valley to the Hudson Valley.

Back at Ashokan High Point, continue on the red trail for more views.  There are several herd paths at the balds so it become harder to keep with the trail.  From this fire pit and stone seating in the center of the last bald, go left to find the red markers for the correct trail leaving the bald.

Several patches of snow on the north side of Ashokan High Point.

The trail descends steeply on loose rocks before meeting back up where the trail split earlier in the hike.

The first early spring flowers at the lower elevation.

Back at Kanape Brook.

HIKE SUMMARY:
[  0.00]  Exit parking lot, turn left and walk along paved South Hollow Road
[  0.05]  Cross road and turn right at red trail marker; descend to bridge
[  0.10]  Sign in at trail register
[  0.75]  Old stone walls begin along trail
[  1.00]  Hemlock grove
[  1.30]  Stone-lined spring to the left of the trail
[  1.45]  Trail lined with mountain laurel
[  1.60]  Cross wooden footbridge
[  1.90]  Rock hop creek then turn left where trail follows along opposite side of creek (turn not marked and blazes hard to see)
[  2.70]  Turn left at sign (straight is private property) then when trail splits, keep right (left is return route if doing lollipop)
[  2.85]  Trail ascends more steeply and start to watch behind for seasonal views
[  2.95]  Keep left on red when an unmarked trail not on the map goes sharply to the right
[  3.05]  Keep left at fork; right ends after short distance at overgrown views
[  3.25]  Rock steps ascend then level section; ascents followed by level stretches repeat several times
[  3.75]  Summit of Ashokan High Point; views on right, red trail continues to the left, unmaintained trail to Little High Point straight ahead
[  3.95]  Fire ring in valley before ascending Little High Point
[  4.05]  Summit of Little High Point; retrace
[  4.15]  Fire ring in valley before ascending Ashokan High Point
[  4.35]  Back at Ashokan High Point; turn right on red-blazed trail
[  4.45]  Side trail to left to view; retrace and continue left on red trail
[  4.50]  Come out into blueberry field openings then trail veers left into another open area
[  4.55]  Turn left at fire pit with stone seating to remain on red trail
[  5.00]  Short ascent
[  5.45]  Trail makes sharp turn left; ignore cairns and side trails along trail - they seem to go to camp sites
[  5.85]  After being fairly level, trail starts to descend more steeply
[  6.00]  Trail becomes woods road with loose rocks that descends steeply at times
[  6.30]  Loose rock woods road becomes less rocky footpath through mountain laurel
[  6.60]  Footpath becomes woods road after leaving mountain laurel
[  7.00]  At trail split turn right, then right again when private land road goes left
[  7.80]  Veer left at creek, turn right to rock hop creek, continue straight on red trail (no turn markers here)
[  8.10]  Cross wooden footbridge
[  8.40]  Stone-lined spring on right
[  9.80]  Back at car