Pequannock Watershed, NJ - Four Birds Trail and North Morris Greenway

ABOUT THE PARK:
Pequannock Watershed - City of Newark
I could never find any information about the North Morris Greenway previously but Trailforks now shows a complete trail.

PERMIT REQUIRED FOR HIKING IN THE PEQUANNOCK WATERSHED. 
See THIS hike for permit details.

DIRECTIONS: 
GPS Coordinates 41.030103, -74.454096

Parking pullout on Green Pond Road just north of where the Four Birds Trail crosses over.

TRAIL MAP: 
Jersey Highlands Trails Map 125 - NYNJ Trail Conference
 

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HIKE DISTANCE:  8.9 miles

THE HIKE:

Turning right on Green Pond Road from the parking pullout then left at the storm drain.

Looking back at the parking pullout from where the Four Birds Trail crosses over.

With a heat advisory starting at noon, we were on the trail at 6:15 AM to get our hike in before it got too hot.

White-blazed Four Birds Trail

Lots of dirt bike activity but we didn't actually encounter any until almost the end of the hike.

The trail ascends so we were getting the climb out of the way during the coolest part of the morning which wasn't all that cool at 70 degrees with high humidity.

We would be returning from the unmarked woods road on the left but for now, straight ahead on white.

Once the trail leaves the route the dirt bikes use, it becomes a narrow footpath.

At the top where the trail tuns right to follow the ridge ...

... some partial views of Charlotteburg Reservoir.

The Four Birds Trail continues along the ridge ...

... to a more open overlook of Charlotteburg Reservoir.

Continuing on the Four Birds Trail.

I Googled this when I got home to find it is a fully grown green-striped mapleworm which will become a rosy maple moth.  Inset of rosy maple moth and information from University of Michigan Museum of Zoology.

Some more partial views of Charlotteburg Reservoir along the way.

A yellow-breasted chat who would not stop scolding us until we were off of its turf.

The red marker is from the Marty Donofrio Trail that existed back in 2012 when Shawnee and I hiked it.

It is shown as an unmaintained trail on the 2016 edition of the map and indeed, it is not maintained and is now impassably overgrown but the markers are still there.

Coming out on the North Morris Greenway rail bed at Timberbrook Pond.

Back in May we tried to go around Timberbrook Pond on the rail bed but it was flooded out a short distance along.  We turned right to see if we could get any farther now.

Timberbrook Pond

Where the rail bed had been completely flooded out in May, there were just a few muddy spots now so on we went.

At the end of Timberbrook Pond there is a mount of dirt where the rail bed ends.  According to the track on Trailforks, the North Morris Greenway continues along one of the side trails to the right that we had passed.  That's for another day.

Taking a break at the end of the rail bed.

Retracing back the way we came.

Passing where the Four Birds Trail crosses over and staying on the North Morris Greenway.

An old bridge we had just crossed over.

Balloon #40 of the year.

After a long dry stretch, a long wet stretch.

Charlotteburg Reservoir comes into view on the right.

Taking a break along Charlotteburg Reservoir and it was getting HOT!

This teeny little guy wasn't even an inch long.

The first woods road on the left will ascend steeply to the overlook we had been at earlier in the hike.  Not doing that in this heat so on to the second woods road.

And here is where a dirt bike then an ATV passed (both illegal here), the only ones we saw during this hike.  We never encountered any other hikers.

Just before this flooded out section, left on the second woods road.

Balloon #41 of the year.  That's 14 from the Pequannock Watershed just in the past several months.

We stayed on the unmarked woods road ...

... then right on the Four Birds Trail to retrace.

It was 90 degrees by the time we finished the hike, hotter than that at home where Brodie decided he wanted to nap in the sun?  I made him come inside in the A/C.