Perrineville Lake Park, NJ

ABOUT THE PARK:
Perrineville Lake Park - Monmouth County Park System

DIRECTIONS:
GPS Coordinates 40.223757, -74.472647

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I did not park at the Agress Road lot, which is the main parking lot, because I would pass my car during the hike and I try to avoid that.  This lot is on N. Rochdale Avenue at the far western side of the park but is not shown on the map.

TRAIL MAP:
Perrineville Lake Park Map - Monmouth County Park System
This map shows the Quail Run Trail and an access trail to the Assunpink WMA, neither of which I could find.
Perrinville Lake Park, NJ at EveryTrail


HIKE DISTANCE:  6.6 miles

THE HIKE:

Rocky Brook Trail starting from the N. Rochdale Avenue lot.

Raccoon tracks - and there where highways of them in the snow!

Sometimes the trail goes through woods ...

... and sometimes along fields.

The Birds.  Loud birds!  Two groups had already flown away so the tree was loaded with them before this picture.

The loud flock was made up of brown-headed cowbirds ...

... and red-winged blackbirds, their early arrival an indication of the return of spring. 

The trail goes through a pretty area with no traffic noise.  It feels much more remote than it really is.

Some areas were free of snow...

... deep, frozen snow in other parts.

The frozen pond starting to thaw.

Somebody did not read the "Keep Off the Ice" sign.

A tree farm just outside the park.

The hike crosses this power cut several times.

Coming up on Agress Road.

Cross over and turn right towards the parking lot.

Agress Road Lot

Turn left at the lot on the Lakeside Loop Trail.

Another (or the same?) gathering of brown-headed cowbirds and red-winged blackbirds.

Perrineville Lake

Part of the Lakeside Loop Trail is an old farm road.

Coming back out on fields.

Back to the Agress Road lot.  That is why I did not park here - don't want to see my car again until I am finished.

Turn right at the parking lot and start retracing the Rocky Brook Trail.

I've seen robins around all winter but there were tons in this park and they seemed to hang together in pairs.  Another sign of spring!

Crossing back over Agress Road.

Passing the pond.

It was warming up and the snow was melting into a muddy mess.

Enjoying some of that warm sunshine.

Back on the last field to the parking lot.

Bass River State Forest, NJ - Plum and Yellow Trails

ABOUT THE PARK:
Bass River State Forest - NJ DEP

DIRECTIONS:
GPS Coordinates 39.624202, -74.425294

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Turn right into the large parking lot just before the beach parking on the left and park near this entrance.  The trail starts right around the corner to the right in this picture.

TRAIL MAP:
Bass River Trail Map - NJ DEP
Bass River State Forest - Plum and Yellow Trails at EveryTrail


HIKE DISTANCE:  6.3 miles

THE HIKE:

The red trail starts from the entrance of the parking lot.  There are also some old green blazes.

From the red trail, take the silver Absegami Trail.

The Absegami Trail through a cedar forest.

The Absegami Trail ends at the park road.  Cross over to continue on the red trail to the pink trail which will cross Stage Road ...

... and join up with the Plum Trail.

The plum trail turns left just beyond the White Pine Plantation sign.

Following along the edge of the White Pine Plantation.

Yes, that would be the Garden State Parkway and the traffic noise does get quite loud the closer you get.

Veering away from the GSP on a sand road ...

... crossing back over Stage Road ...

... then through a power cut back to the GSP.

Plum again veers away from the GSP on a sand road.

Something skittered across - a spider in February after brutally cold temperatures and snow storms.  He must have felt it was in the 60's out and could not wait to come out of hibernation.

The plum trail finally leaves the sand road and becomes a more pleasant path.

Not another soul around so we took our break in the middle of the trail.

Plum ends at yellow.

More sand roads.

Then an even wider and less attractive sand road where there seems to be lots of traffic although there wasn't any when we were there.

Eager to get off that sand road and on to a trail - she knows where to go!

Although you would probably want to continue on yellow to blue, we decided to take some of the unmarked woods roads where there seemed to have been recent clearing.

We came out at a circle on the park road and bushwhacked over to blue, which is the trail you would end on up having taken yellow to the end.

Went to check things out over at the boat launch area.

The boat launch with some ice remaining in the water.

A path continues on to Lake Absegami ...

Where a bunch of hooded mergansers took off except for this pair - there was a reason for this.

Lunch

Sorry, not sharing.

The water must have still been quite cold but it was a rare 65-degree winter day so why not?

We continued on blue taking unmarked side trail down to the lake and back.

So much nicer than sand roads!