Ceres Park, NJ - Back Lot

ABOUT THE PARK: 

Ceres Park - Mantua Township

This actually refers to the smaller section of the park off of Main Street.  The part referred to as "Back Lot" is the larger section off of Pitman Road.  The two sections are separated by Chestnut Branch.  From what I read on mountain bike forums, there used to be a connecting bridge around 2007 but it seems that is gone now.  Others who have crossed over from one side to the other apparently use the Route 55 overpass.  I hiked this as two separate sections, driving from one to the other.

DIRECTIONS: 

GPS Coordinates 39.74518, -75.16056

Back Lot Parking off of Pitman Road

TRAIL MAP: 

Trail map from the kiosk is of very little use.  The trails are not well-blazed, if at all, and there are many intersecting trails.

Ceres Park Trails - Trailforks  (best to use an app that shows the trails)

This hike is the red track.

HIKE DISTANCE:

Hiked together, all a 5 - 10 minute drive apart:

Tall Pines State Preserve, NJ - 3.5 miles

Ceres Park, NJ - Back Lot - 4.0 miles

Ceres Park, NJ - 1.5 miles

THE HIKE:

Starting at this sign from the parking lot intending to do a perimeter loop.

Sometimes it is blazed yellow, sometimes not.

A creek crossing.

Going around the perimeter you can see many winding mountain bike trails down below.

A quick peek at Pitman Golf Course before heading back into the woods.

At Route 55 where some cross over Chestnut Branch to the other side but not us, we turned back.

The trail follows along Chestnut Branch and it is quite scenic.

I have seen tracks crossing here to the trail on the other side but again, not us, so we continued on.

We ran back into yellow briefly.

Yellow just ends in the middle of a stretch of trail.

Holmdel Park, NJ - Ramanessin/Bayonet Farm/Bell Works

ABOUT THE PARK: 

Holmdel Park - Monmouth County Park System

Bell Laboratories Holmdel - National Park Service (what it was)

Bell Works New Jersey - Bell Works (what it is now)

DIRECTIONS: 

GPS Coordinates 40.365418, -74.183774

Ramanessin Section Parking

TRAIL MAP: 

Holmdel Park Brochure and Map - Monmouth County Park System

HIKE DISTANCE: 7.1 miles

THE HIKE:

Taking the Ramanessin Trail to the left.

Ramanessin Brook

Entering Bayonet Farm

Turning left on a trail to Bell Works.  This trail did not exist when I hiked here 10 years ago.  Bell Laboratories was Lucent at the time but has since become Bell Works, a complex of offices, retail and dining open to the public.  There is a path around Zen Lake that I wanted to check out.

Heading back to Bayonet Farm.

Following the edge of a field to Holmdel Middletown Road then following the field parallel to the road to ...

... an opening to the road.

Turning right where there is an old cemetery a few steps ahead then a very short road walk around the bend up ahead to a break in guardrail.  First the cemetery.

Very old graves from the 1800's.

Two Revolutionary War soldiers.

After following around the bend in the road, right at the break in the guardrail.

This leads to the Ramanessin Brook Greenway Nature Trail where we turned left.

Unfortunately a huge blow down blocked the path so we could not make it all the way to the end.

Heading back.

Taking the Steeplechase Trail.

Balloon #7 of the year.  Remember when it used to be around #100 this time of year?  Hopefully that means people have wised up and aren't releasing as many balloons.

Nearing the parking lot there are some unmarked footpaths that are much nicer than the woods road back to the parking lot.