Mahlon Dickerson Reservation and Weldon Brook WMA, NJ

ABOUT THE PARK:
Mahlon Dickerson Reservation - Morris County Parks
Weldon Brook Wildlife Management Area - New York New Jersey Trail Conference
Ogden Mine Railroad Path - Traillink.com

DIRECTIONS:

GPS Coordinates 41.007758, -74.586135

View Larger Map

TRAIL MAP:
Jersey Highlands Trail Map 126 - New York New Jersey Trail Conference
Mahlon Dickerson Reservation Trail Map - Morris County Parks
Mahlon Dickerson Reservation and Weldon Brook WMA, NJ at EveryTrail


HIKE DISTANCE:  6.5 miles

THE HIKE:

Walk to the kiosk in the parking lot then beyond the yellow gate on the yellow-blazed trail.

Saffin Pond at sunrise.

The teal diamond-blazed Highlands Trail joins in from the bridge at Saffin Pond.

Yellow continues and teal leaves to the right crossing over Weldon Road.

The Highlands Trail through the woods.

A tiny little frog.

Climb through a power cut.

Power cuts seem ugly at first glance but there is beauty to be found.  The bees seem to be asleep on the flowers.  Yes, we hike that early.

There is even somewhat of a view at the top!

The first woods road to the left from the power cut as shown on the NYNJ Trail Conference map is overgrown but the second left at the communications tower leads to this gate into the woods.

Unmarked woods roads through Weldon Brook WMA.

Old stone farm walls in the woods.

The woods road goes through a pretty swamp...

... but this is the crossing.  Figuring it would be too difficult for Shawnee, I intentionally approached from this side so we could retrace from here.

Yes, she agrees it is too difficult and is already heading back and checking to be sure I am, too.

A tiny little red eft hiker on the trail.

Grasshopper

Back through a section of power cut ...

... and back into the woods on the other side of the power cut.

Woods road through the woods to...

The Ogden Mine Railroad Path

Swamps on either side along the rail bed.

In one of the swamps, a beaver lodge with a belted kingfisher - did not even know she was there until I uploaded the picture.

A kiosk just before Weldon Road.

Cross Weldon Road to the parking lot.

HIKE SUMMARY:
[  0.00]  Walk through the parking lot to the kiosk and take the yellow trail through the yellow gate
[  0.60]  Right on teal diamond when yellow continues straight; cross Weldon Road; short distance beyond gate turn right on teal diamond
[  1.30]  Turn right in the power cut
[  1.50]  Continue straight in power cut at top of hill when a woods road leaves to the right
[  1.90]  Entering Weldon Brook WMA in power cut
[  2.00]  Continue straight at top of second hill (woods road to the left becomes too overgrown)
[  2.20]  Left at fork just beyond communications tower paved access road on right
[  2.30]  Continue through silver gate on woods road leaving power cut
[  2.40]  Keep right at fork
[  2.60]  Keep right at fork
[  2.70]  Blue blaze on right but that trail meets back up with woods road in a short distance
[  3.20]  Right at T-intersection then right again
[  3.40]  Right at T-intersection (tree on left has two white circle blazes)
[  3.70]  Turn right at intersection then keep right at fork for out-and-back to swamp
[  4.00]  Swamp crossing; retrace
[  4.20]  Turn right at T-intersection
[  4.40]  When woods road veers left, turn right on path through power cut
[  4.50]  At intersection just over rise, turn right on path into woods
[  5.00]  Turn right on Odgen Mine rail bed
[  5.40]  Keep straight on rail bed when blue starts to the left
[  6.20]  Keep straight on rail bed when a trail forks to the right
[  6.40]  Cross Weldon Road
[  6.50]  Back at parking

Weldon Brook Wildlife Management Area, NJ - Yellow Beer Trail

ABOUT THE PARK:
Weldon Brook Wildlife Management Area - New York New Jersey Trail Conference

DIRECTIONS:
GPS Coordinates 41.016090, -74.614664

View Larger Map

I believe parking is on the grass across from the office park but there aren't any NO PARKING signs by the gate and enough room for 2-3 cars to park on the side without blocking the gate.

TRAIL MAP:
Jersey Highlands Trail Map 126 - New York New Jersey Trail Conference
Weldon Brook WMA, NJ - Yellow Beer Trail at EveryTrail


HIKE DISTANCE:  8.5 miles

THE HIKE:
This hike is not at all what I intended to do.  I came across a yellow-blazed trail (not on the map), also sometimes blazed with beer bottle caps, and followed that in a direction other than where I wanted to go thinking it might eventually turn.  It did not.  This is, however, a very pretty WMA so we'll just have to go back and hike what I missed another time.

The entrance.  You can either crawl under the chain on the right or...

... go to the left before the chain link fence take the trail around.

Sometimes it's a woods road, other times a trail.

Side trail to Blue Heron Lake was blocked by downed trees that are passable for humans, but would have been too difficult for Shawnee since there were multiple trees down behind the one in the front.

Got a little bit of a picture of Blue Heron Lake.

But a much better picture of the moon.

Continuing on the woods road to ...

Rose Pond

Momma Wood Duck scurrying the kids away to safety.

Wildflowers along the trail.

Sun rising through the trees. (We started at 6:30 AM.)

Hornet's Nest

Looks like mountain bikers made trails around blow downs and Shawnee is pawticularly grateful for that.  At her age going around is preferable to hurdling over

It was just before this yellow-blazed "Beer" trail that we turned left to go to Arapaho Lake but never made it because we ended up in someone's back yard.  It was too overgrown to bushwhack to the lake before the house so we had to turn back.

The yellow trail is very lovely passing through nice areas of forest.

But it also becomes very overgrown in spots.

There are plenty of blazes to follow so it's hard to lose the trail.

It does open up to a woods road...

... but where the yellow trail leaves the woods road, we decided to take a break...

...then continue on the woods road since that was the direction I wanted.  That plan failed - the woods road fizzled out into thick overgrowth.

Back to the yellow trail hoping that although it was not going in the direction I wanted, that it would eventually turn east.  It never did.

Too far in to turn back so continuing on the yellow trail.

Shortly after a creek crossing...

... the yellow trail ends at ...

... Arapaho Trail.  A left would bring us right back to Arapaho Lake, right?  Well, yes and no.  A little way in, HUGE no trespassing and private road signs.

So back the other way and turned right on Glen Road (Route 620).  There is enough room on the shoulder to walk but cars zoom by and it's not all that pleasant.

So which is it?

At least there are some interesting things to see on the road walk.

According to the map, a right turn on Angelo Drive opposite Lukoil should lead to the power cut with trails back to the WMA.  If not, I was prepared to return to Lukoil and call a cab.  Seriously!

Or maybe not.  (This was at Lukoil.)

Angelo Drive goes through a swanky neighborhood on a quiet residential street.

Doesn't matter to her.  She HATES road walking.  See that look of total boredom?

To the left, that opening, could it be?

Indeed!  The trail through the power cut!

Looking a little happier but being back in the woods would really make her day.

The power cut is actually quite pretty with all of the wildflowers.

The trail enters the woods and I should have turned left and stayed with the power cut but I thought I was already farther along the cut so I turned right.  That was wrong.

I was also distracted trying to get pictures of the turkeys!

So we bushwhacked until we ran into a woods road ...

... that took us right where we wanted to be.

Thought he was in focus.  Apparently not.

Happy dog back in the woods!

Back at the car.