Metedeconk Preserve, NJ - Silver Stream Trail

ABOUT THE PARK:
Metedeconk Preserve - New Jersey Conservation Foundation
Silver Stream Trail - Jackson Pathfinders

DIRECTIONS:
GPS Coordinates 40.129037, -74.317235

View Larger Map

Large parking area off of Frank Applegate Road.

TRAIL MAPS:
Metedeconk Preserve - New Jersey Conservation Foundation
Frank Applegate Road Nature Trail - Jackson Pathfinders
There is a new trail called the "Spur Trail" that is not shown on either map above but it is on this map.

HIKE DISTANCE:  1.75 miles
Hiked in conjunction with Forest Resource Education Center trails, about a 5 mile drive away.

THE HIKE:

The trail starts at the gate next to the kiosk.  It is blazed with either yellow or white NJCF markers, yellow paint blazes or blank orange or yellow plastic diamonds - all the same trail.  The trails are very pretty and interesting going through a variety of forests and along the river.

Fancy bird McMansion.

The trails had all been cleared of Sandy blowdowns - how nice and much appreciated!  (Getting really, really tired of climbing in/through/under/over/around blowdowns...)

South Branch Metedeconk River

Benches at scenic river overlook.

The new Spur Trail - starts out with green markers then when it loops back around the markers are blue.

Some mallards that weren't expecting a hiker and flew away.

HIKE SUMMARY:
(NOTE:  Trail blazes are a combination of white or yellow NJCF markers, yellow paint, or orange and yellow diamonds [either blank or with an arrow] on the Silver Stream Trail.  The Spur Trail is blazed in green then changes to blue.)
[  0.00]  Continue beyond gate from parking lot
[  0.05]  Turn right when trail splits
[  0.10]  Cross footbridge with two more coming up
[  0.45]  Trail enters pretty pine forest then crosses footbridge
[  0.60]  Two benches at overlook above South Branch Metedeconk River
[  0.70]  Descend steps to boardwalk along river, turn left at end of boardwalk when bridge goes right
[  0.75]  Turn right on green-blazed Spur Trail
[  0.90]  At fork keep right and cross creek
[  1.00]  Trail veers to the left to loop back around and markers change from green to blue
[  1.15]  Rock hop creek and blazes are green again; keep left and follow along right side of creek
[  1.20]  Keep straight on green when green also goes left completing loop
[  1.35]  Turn right on white/yellow Silver Stream Trail, cross footbridge and keep right
[  1.55]  Cross boardwalk
[  1.65]  Keep straight when trail also goes left completing main loop
[  1.75]  Back at parking lot

Forest Resource Education Center, NJ

ABOUT THE PARK:
Forest Resource Education Center - NJ Department of Environmental Protection

DIRECTIONS:
GPS Coordinates 40.082913, -74.328559

View Larger Map

The parking lot on Pine Acre Drive off of Bowman Road is large but overgrown.

TRAIL MAP:
FREC Trail Map - NJ Department of Environmental Protection

HIKE DISTANCE:  6.9 miles
Hiked in conjunction with the Silver Stream Trail, about a 5-mile drive away from this hike.

THE HIKE:

The yellow-blazed trail starts out as a continuation of Pine Acres Drive.

The trail becomes a typical Pine Barrens packed sand/pine needle trail.

Sunrise in the Pine Barrens.

The white-blazed Project Learning Trail with ...

... lots of informational kiosks along the way.

The red-blazed Forest Discovery & Firewise Trail

The Swamp Loop Trail with no swamp, at least none that I could see.

FREC Interpretive Center

Toms River

Scenic blue-blazed trail along Toms River.

The blue trail continues around a pond...

... to the white-blazed trail which leads to ...

... the NJ Forest Tree Nursery.

No bees around today.

This trail is not on the map but there is a blue-blazed trail.  I was not able to figure out if it is one and the same trail because ...

... the trail started out blazed with a green leaf on white then after a mass of blowdowns ...

... it was suddenly blazed blue and ran along Toms River for a bit before ending at a gravel road intersection.

A right turn on the gravel road leads to a bridge then turn right after the guardrail and head down to ...

... the blue-blazed trail along the other side of Toms River.

At the end of the blue trail a boardwalk leads to an overlook deck at Toms River but the views along the trail are better.

Pretty moss along the white trail through a surprisingly hilly section.

Mountains in the Pinelands.

Back on the yellow trail.

HIKE SUMMARY:
[  0.00]  Start on yellow-blazed trail which is a continuation of the road to the parking lot
[  0.10]  Keep left on yellow at fork
[  0.25]  Keep left on yellow at fork
[  0.55]  Bench on left and a few more benches coming up
[  1.00]  Turn left at T-intersection on wider woods road
[  1.15]  At triple blaze where yellow continues straight and turns right, turn right on yellow
[  1.60]  At triple blaze where yellow goes either way, turn left on yellow
[  1.80]  Keep right when trail forks just before paved road;  cross road
[  1.85]  Turn right on white when yellow goes straight
[  2.05]  Turn right on red at fire prevention kiosk
[  2.10]  Turn left on red when yellow goes straight; cross park road

[  2.25]  Turn right on blue swamp loop trail
[  2.35]  Keep left on blue at fork
[  2.50]  Turn right on red when blue loop ends
[  2.70]  Turn right on white when red goes left; continue on gravel road, cross bridge
[  2.75]  Turn right on blue just the other side of the bridge at split in the guardrail, blue follows bank of Toms River
[  2.95]  Cross footbridge then at pond keep to the right around the pond on white (map shows trail as blue)
[  3.10]  Turn right on white at end of pond
[  3.20]  Turn left on white just before tree nursery fence
[  3.30]  Cross gravel road, turn right at sawmill
[  3.40]  Turn left on white on gravel path leaving gravel road
[  3.60]  Shitake mushroom station on right, bee hives on left, turn right opposite sugar shack on the sugar shack trail blazed with green leaf on white (not on map but might be the same as the blue trail since it appears to turn to blue near the river)
[  3.70]  Trail now blazed blue
[  3.80]  At parking lot with porta potty turn right on white which is a gravel road
[  4.00]  Cross bridge and immediately turn right down to Toms River then left to follow the blue trail along the bank of the river
[  4.10]  Turn right on boardwalk to overlook deck; retrace
[  4.20]  At watershed kiosk keep straight on white
[  4.30]  At intersection turn right on yellow
[  4.75]  Turn right on yellow when unmarked goes left towards a gate, keep left at next fork
[  5.10]  Keep straight at intersection
[  5.30]  Cross paved road
[  5.70]  Yellow turns left on wider woods road; keep straight on woods road when yellow also goes left
[  5.90]  Turn right on yellow leaving woods road
[  6.90]  Back at parking lot