Rahway River Parkway, NJ

ABOUT THE PARK:
Rahway River Association - RahwayRiver.org
The only information I could find regarding this trail, a cleared and blazed trail in my own back yard that I never knew existed until I just happened upon it, was in this article, the portion copied below.

JP Seebode is a junior at Union Catholic High School in Scotch Plains. For his project, he and his team improved the Rahway River Trail in Clark and Winfield Park for walkers, hikers and fisherman. Improvements included trail clearing, tree planting, and installing erosion control measures.

Railroad ties and gravel were used to provide safety along the trail as well as ease the walking conditions for those using the trail.

It's an urban trail but amazingly secluded feeling and teaming with wildlife.  What an awesome trail to have right where I live.  So very grateful, JP Seebode!

DIRECTIONS:
GPS Coordinates 40.628339, -74.284486

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Parking along Union County Parkway at Jacksons Pond.

TRAIL MAP:

This is my rough sketch with the trail in green.

This GPS track is from 6/6/13.  The trail beyond the picnic pavilion has become overgrown and impassible.
Rahway River Parkway Trail at EveryTrail

EveryTrail - Find the best Hiking near Newark, New Jersey

HIKE DISTANCE:
The trail measures 2 miles one way for a total 4-mile out-and-back hike.
Jacksons Pond Dam to Bloodgoods Pond Dam - 1.2 miles
Bloodgoods Pond Dam to end of trail - .8 miles

THE HIKE:

Jacksons Pond Dam at Valley Road and Union County Parkway

I believe the one in the middle is a duck/goose hybrid.

From the parking lot facing Jacksons Pond, turn right and continue between the Rahway River and Union County Parkway ...

... to the beginning of the trail blazed with white squares.

I have never seen this many turtles on one log!

It's very scenic along the river and for the most part the trail follows the river in a small gorge so it's easy to forget how populated this area is.

At the bottom of this descent is a small creek to cross.  It's shallow and there are plenty of rocks to the right to cross over on.

Some Sandy blowdowns - along this section they are easy enough to get over or around.  Gah!  How did I miss that empty cigarette pack?  Will have to pick it up the next time unless somebody beats me to it.

Great Blue Heron

Red-winged Blackbird

At times the trail comes up on the road briefly but goes back down to the river again.

At 1.2 miles the trail comes out at a parking lot...

... with Bloodgoods Pond Dam on the left.

Cormorant in Bloodgoods Pond

The trail continues along Bloodgoods Pond.

Just a short bit of road walking before going back into the woods.

There are blowdowns in this section that are more difficult to get through and around.

The trail continues to the left of the picnic pavillion.  From this point to the end, there are currently lots of thorny vines blocking the trail.

Some clear sections, too.  This part is noisy with the Garden State Parkway just on the other side of the Rahway River.

At 2 miles, the end of the trail and turn around point at a small parking pullout, just before Raritan Road and exit 136 of the Garden State Parkway.

American Goldfinch

Female Cardinal

Two turtles sitting in a tree.

Male Mallard Duck

Almost every surface sticking out of the water had at least one turtle on it.

Nesting swan with nesting Mallards on the left and nesting Canada geese on the right?  Yes, that is how close the homes are in this area.

An egret, and a turtle, of course.

Looks like some irresponsible person dumped their goldfish or koi in the river.  This guy had to have been 1 1/2 - 2 feet long.

Pequest Wildlife Management Area, NJ

ABOUT THE PARK:
The Pequest Trout Hatchery and Natural Resource Education Center - NJDEP
Pequest Wildlife Management Area Trail - Traillink.com

DIRECTIONS:
GPS Coordinates 40.851538, -74.933236

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Parking at the eastern end of the old rail bed in Townsbury - parking is on either side of the road, right at the river.  Head west on the rail bed for this hike.  (This picture is to the east.)

TRAIL MAP:
Trails of the Pequest - NJDEP

This is my VERY rough sketch map of the trails from the Pequest map as they relate to the old rail bed (brown) which is connected by the paved road from Route 41 to the nature center and trout hatchery.

HIKE DISTANCE:
7.5 mile lollipop from the eastern end of the rail bed looping around all of the colored trails and back along the rail bed

THE HIKE:

This isn't a manicured rail trail - there are still old railroad ties everywhere and the surface is rough, but clear to hike through and it's very quiet and peaceful with hardly any other people except for fishermen at the river.

The rail bed parallels the Pequest River for a bit and there are some fishermen access trails down to the river.

More old railroad stuff along the trail.

Some gorgeous flowers (Bloodroot, per NJ Urban Forest) around 2 PM - I'll show them again later as seen on the way back at 6 PM - quite a difference!

One paved road crossing but it appears to be a driveway.

A bridge crossing shortly before the road to the hatchery.

 Crossing the Pequest River on the bridge.

Entrance to the hatchery at Route 41 - turn left here and walk on the paved road ...

... crossing another bridge ...

... over the Pequest River.  Be sure to look up as you approach the hatchery ...

Ospreys EVERYWHERE!

Continuing along the paved road to the hatchery.  This road is currently closed on weekends so no traffic at all.

The nature center and hatchery.

I was not able to find where the marked trails started so I continued out the exit, crossed over Pequest Road and followed a dirt road through fields

with a cool bird house

and that met up with the red trail at the black bear interpretive sign.

Various blazes of the red trail.

Pequest Valley

Pond

On the yellow trail.

Views of the Delaware Water Gap while descending the yellow trail in a power cut.

 

 

A bridge over a creek on the red trail.

Back to the pond having completed the yellow trail loop.

Straight ahead from the pond up and over a very short, steep hill ...

... should lead straight to the blue trail?  Not a blaze in sight until ...

Confirmation we are on the blue trail.

The blue trail arrives at some open views before heading downhill ...

... through a bulldozed area with again not a blue blaze in sight.

Even my trusty trail dog who can always sniff out the trail when it's not that clear was somewhat confused.

Followed the bulldozer tracks ...

... to turn blazes just before Pequest Road.

The trail crosses over old stone farm walls.

The trail comes out at the intersection of Pequest Road and Jane's Chapel Road.  It is unclear where to proceed but turns out the trail continues straight past the Pequest WMA sign as a mowed grass path.

No blazes throughout this area so you have to kind of guess which way to go at forks but I did happen upon blue turn blazes a couple of times so must have been going the right way. 

At this field I followed the field around to the left and ended up back at the hatchery road where there were more ...

Heading back to the rail bed ...

Just a few blowdowns on the rail bed that were easy enough to get over - or under - depending on your preference.

Remember those pretty flowers from earlier?  They were now all folded up, tucked in and ready for bed.

Down at the river via a fisherman's path

HIKE SUMMARY:
coming soon