Pennington Loop Trail, NJ

ABOUT THE PARK: 

Pennington Loop Nature Trail - NJ Trails Association

DIRECTIONS: 

GPS Coordinates 40.33294, -74.78492

Parking at Kunkel Park

TRAIL MAP: 

Pennington Loop Nature Trail Map - NJ Trails Association

Note that the trail colors indicated on the  map are incorrect. There is only one blue-blazed trail as shown below.  The rest of the trails (yellow and orange) exist but are unmarked.  There is no green trail, it is marked in blue.

HIKE DISTANCE:  3.4 miles

Hiked together with Woosamonsa Ridge Preserve - 2.6 miles (10 mile drive)

THE HIKE: 

From the parking lot, a grand entrance to the Pennington Loop Trail.

The trail starts out unmarked.

After rock hopping a creek ...

... the blue-blazed Pennington Loop Trail begins.  I kept to the right to go around counterclockwise.

Coming up on ...

... Baldwin Lake.  I crossed the dam on the right ...

... to it's end on the other side of the lake ...

... then retraced to continue on into Baldwin Lake WMA at the sign on the left. A short distance in blue turns left (would be coming back to that later) and to the right is the woods road along the lake.

Wood Ducks

At one point a fox darted across the trail right in front of me, too fast to snap a shot.  On the return route I saw him go around a bend up ahead and missed that, too.

The woods road along Baldwin Lake comes out on Main Street at a parking area.

To form a loop you can presumably turn left then into the residential area to come back out on the blue trail but I prefer the woods so I retraced.

The parking lot consists of a turn around loop and I would guess you park on the grass to the left?  There would only be room for a couple of cars.  The Kunkel Park lot was a much better choice.

At the intersection with blue with the dam on the left, I turned right to continue on blue.

What is shown as a yellow trail on the map (actually unmarked) is to the left.  It is not as well-defined as blue but it doesn't go near the residential area so I turned left.  

It's passable, just a lot more narrow.

This trail comes back out on blue where I turned left.

After rock hopping back across the creek I stayed left on unmarked heading back to Kunkel Park.

Stony Brook, pretty dry at this time.

A grand exit from the trail back into Kunkel Park.

Right across the grass back to the parking lot.

I don't eat eggs but heading to Woosamonsa Ridge Preserve I passed a couple of egg stands.  My son prefers free range farm eggs so I bought a couple of cartons for him since I had a cooler in the car.

Woosamonsa Ridge Preserve, NJ

ABOUT THE PARK: 

Woosamonsa Ridge - Friends of Hopewell Valley Open Space

DIRECTIONS: 

GPS Coordinates 40.34051, -74.83558

TRAIL MAP: 

Woosamonsa Ridge Preserve Map - New Jersey Trails Association

HIKE DISTANCE:  2.7 miles

Hiked together with the Pennington Loop Trail - 3.4 miles (10 mile drive)

THE HIKE: 

The kiosk arrows show the trail going either way but that actually is not the case.  To the right the trail goes a short distance to Woosamonsa Road.  The white trail actually starts to the left of the kiosk.

Passing by the red trail on the left; I'd be returning on that red trail.

Passing the yellow trail.

There were a couple of minor creek crossings but everything has been dry lately.

The white trail ascends to ...

... a bench at the top for a break.

Continuing on white ...

... to left on blue to loop around back to this point, take blue again, then head back on red.  It looks very overgrown at this intersection but that is only in the sunlight.  The trail soon clears out.

The blue trail follows along Jacob's Creek.

At the end of blue, right on red.

Red runs into white, staying on white to continue the loop clockwise.

Back on the same blue trail as before.

At red where I turned right previously, now left on red to return.

Being watched.

Red runs into white where I turned right ...

... back to the parking lot.