Ringwood State Park, NJ - White Trail and New Jersey State Botanical Garden

ABOUT THE PARK:
Ringwood State Park - NJ Department of Environmental Protection
New Jersey Botanical Gardens

DIRECTIONS:
GPS Coordinates 41.11915, -74.23845

Parking Lot C

TRAIL MAP:
North Jersey Trails Map 115 - NY/NJ Trail Conference (The white-blazed trail has been rerouted since earlier versions of the map - the 2017 edition shows the reroute.)
New Jersey State Botanical Gardens Map

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HIKE DISTANCE:  6.7 miles

THE HIKE:

Facing the kiosk at the far end of the parking lot, there is an unmarked trail starting in the left corner and another unmarked trail in the right corner.  I took the trail from the right corner which starts off as an uphill eroded woods road and ends up ...

... at the white trail.

The white trail is used heavily by mountain bikers so be on the lookout and be ready to step off trail. 

There must have been a bike race going on but I never got caught up in it.  I did go right on red briefly to an overlook that I had been at many years ago.

A little bit of an overlook to the left at the end of a short path.

Trees have grown a lot since I was here last so not much of a view with leaves on the trees.

Continuing back on white.

I noticed the white trail was not following the same route as the map I had but I stayed with it anyway.  I had printed out the free version of the NYNJTC map, and it turns out this version is outdated.  It wasn't until I got home and looked at my 2017 edition of the North Jersey Trails map that I saw the reroute shown correctly.

Weyble Pond

Would have never seen this little guy had he not jumped off the trail ahead of me.

I was hoping to eventually meet up with a trail along the ridge which I could see from the white trail because I was heading in the wrong direction.

Indeed, white crosses over an unmarked woods road.  I turned left on the woods road.

Heading back along the ridge.

A little bit of a summer view.

Blue comes in from the right and the woods road now becomes the blue-blazed Pearson Ridge Trail.

Shortly after crossing the pipeline cut ...

... watch for green crossing over and turn left.  The green trail is for hikers only.

Green crosses back over the pipeline cut but ...

... a right turn up the pipeline cut leads to a nice overlook.

A woods road to the left at the over look leads right back ...

... to where the green trail crosses over; right on green to continue.

It was 9:00 AM on the dot when I remembered why I don't come here very often.  There is a shooting range in Ringwood State Park that opens at 9 so from that point on there is sound of incessant gunfire that does not make for a pleasant and relaxing hike.

Glasmere Ponds - the pond to the right of the trail and ...

... the pond to the left of the trail.

At the top start looking for a side trail to the right which leads to ...

... an overlook.

Zooming in to the Castle at Skylands Manor down below.

Shawnee and I had hiked this part of the trail in February almost 4 years ago and it was a sheet of ice.

February 2014 - what a difference!

Green ends at white and slightly to the right is a mowed grassy path that leads to ...

... the New Jersey State Botanical Gardens.

I always love running into artists painting a scene - something I could never do.

Heading along Crabapple Vista to...

Four Continents Statues

From the statues veering left leads to a gravel road that leads to ...

... Parking Lot C to the left and up ahead a short distance where the hike started.

On the way home I stopped at a shelter and almost left with a dog.  At the very last minute the person helping me found out that this particular dog has separation anxiety and that won't work for me since I do have to leave my house to work so I left without her.  St. Hubert's a very nice and spotless shelter with an army of amazing volunteers who provide daily interaction.  The animals in their care all get adopted no matter how long it takes so I was not leaving her to an uncertain future.  And my search for a dog continues.