Hiking in South Jersey

Hiking on the beach?

There’s much more to do than just lay out and get a tan.

My boyfriend lives on Long Beach Island and it’s been quite a boring winter with all of the snow and not much to do outdoors.  Now that the weather has finally warmed up we have decided to explore the surrounding areas.  A few days ago we came across the Manasquan Reservoir Perimeter in Monmouth County New Jersey.  The trail itself has many entryways and we decided to begin by walking through the environmental center.  In the center there is a video from the Eagle Came where you can watch of a birds nest being built by a bald eagle.  I wish I had known to bring binoculars because at the environmental center there is a short trail around the building where they would have come in handy.

Wetlands and shore lines

 MTV's Jersey Shore doesn't do this place justice.

Once we left the environmental center we had a choice to go left and stay on the trail or go right and take a short detour around a small wetlands area.  We decided to go rights and we were very happy we did.  The wetlands area is full of beautiful plant life and wildflowers.  Since we went in early spring we were able to see a lot of the flowers in full bloom.  The detour took up about a mile out of the way and rejoined the main hiking trail a quarter of the mile from where we started. 

 

April showers bring lots of May flowers.

All those heavy rainstorms were defiantly worth it.

The trail itself is about a five-mile long loop (not including the brief detour around the wetlands).  The trail is marked well with mile marker posts, although the numbers go backwards if you begin at the environmental center like we did.  The trail itself is mostly on a wide gravel or dirt path.  Dogs are allowed on this trail although they need to be kept on a leash.  Due to the heavy rainstorms over the past few weeks the flowers were in full bloom and we were able to see lots of frogs and turtles in the various pools alongside the trail.  We were told to keep our eyes open for eagles’ nests but we weren’t able to find any.  Eaglets are hatched around mid February and care for their young through September so we decided we will defiantly be making another trip to this trail around that time and we will definitely remember the binoculars.

"Hiking" in Poughkeepsie NY

A bridge across the Hudson River

Vising my sister turns into walking across water

My little sister goes to school in Poughkeepsie, NY at Marist College.  She is involved in the Marist Dance Ensemble and had her recital this past weekend.  Driving to her school I noticed a pedestrian walkway bridge and decided I would check it out after her show.  I asked her about it and she told me it was a two-mile walk to the end of the bridge and back and is quite scenic.  Getting to the bridge from her college was an easy drive because there are a lot of signs directing you to the bridge.  Finding a parking spot, on the other hand was not as easy.  Once my car was parked and I had my sneakers on and camera in hand I took off for my hike.

A walkway of history
Why would there even be a bridge here?

Leading up to the actual pedestrian bridge is what I will call and introductory walk.  The walkway leading up to the bridge was lined with picnic tables, and small sheds.  At each shed were posters explaining the history of the pedestrian bridge.  From these posters I learned a lot about the history of the bridge.  At 6,767 feet the Walkway Over the Hudson is the world's longest pedestrian bridge and that the Walkway is 212 feet about the Hudson River, a fact my boyfriend Mike who is afraid of heights wasn’t too thrilled to read.  The bridge was first used as a railroad bridge across the Hudson River.  It was first used in 1889 and at the time was the longest bridge in the world.  In 1974 a fire damaged the bridge and rendered it useless.  In 1992 Walkway Over the Hudson began its efforts to provide public access to the bridge and broke ground on the project in 2007.  In 2009 Walkway Over the Hudson State Historic Park opened to the public.

Cross Bridge Winds

After reading about this history Mike and I began our walk across the bridge.  For the first part of the walk there are fences on either side of the bridge making it difficult to see the beautiful view.  After some thought I realized those fences were most likely places there to prohibit people from dropping things off the edge of the bridge onto cars passing below.  Once we were on the portion of the bridge over the water the sights were beautiful.  You are able to see the breathtaking view of the Hudson River and the mountain range on both sides.  There are a few viewing stations as well as additional posters with more information about the bridge and it’s transformation from a railroad bridge to a pedestrian walkway.  The hike itself, if you can even call it that, is about 2.5 miles walking from one end of the bridge to the other and back with mostly level terrain.  Bicycles as well as rollerblading and skating are allowed.  You may not get a great exercise but the views are spectacular. 

A Brief Encounter with a Giant Bird

A Blue Heron

How seeing one started my affinity for hiking

Since I can remember I have been going on hikes.  The first one I can remember was when I was around six years old.  My dad and I had gotten up early on the weekend to spend some time together.  My younger sister was just born and I was still adapting to no longer being the baby of the family.  I don’t remember a lot of the details about the hike, but one this I will never forget was seeing a Blue Heron.  A Blue Heron is a large bird with a wingspan that stretched longer than my dad’s height.  My dad had been an avid bird watcher all of his life and documented many of the birds he has seen over the years in the back of his Audubon bird book.  Since I was the first one to spot the bird my dad let me document it in the back of his book despite my sloppy handwriting.  Since that day I have taken hundreds of hikes, by myself with friends and family and most recently with my black lab puppy Walter.

Hiking in the Dirty Jerz

New Jersey isn’t one giant landfill

I live in New Jersey in a beautiful natural preserve known as the Sourland Mountains.  I usually like to hike early Saturday mornings.  If I get to the parking lot by 7:00 am I don’t have to worry about keeping Walter on a leash.  There is a park ranger walking around some days.   She will give you a lecture about keeping your dog on a leash if you are spotted, but this can usually be avoided by arriving early in the morning.  I start off by letting Walter run through the small pound at the end of the trail.  He is a lab and is naturally drawn to water.  It’s a bit murky in the early spring, but after a few April showers the water clears up and he really has a great time.  We then begin our five-mile hike. 

The Sourlands

Hiking one of New Jersey’s treasured natural preserves

The trails are well marked with different symbols for the different trails.  There are a total of three trails: one mile, three miles and five miles.  The hike is a lot of up-hill walking so you will want to wear proper shoes to avoid slipping on your way down.  Along the trail you will notice some small bridges built and maintained by a local Boy Scout troop.  Before beginning your hike there is a small shed where you can pick up a map of the mountains as well as information about the history of the mountain.  The park is well maintained and protected by the Sourland Planning Council.  Below you will find a link to their website giving you more information about what they do to protect the Sourlands and a bit of local history.  Hope you enjoy the area as much as Walter and I do.

The Sourland Planning Council