Sourland Mountain Preserve

Ever since we moved to our new house last year, I've been wanting to check out the nearby Sourland Mountain Preserve, and we finally got a chance to!



Sourland Mountain Preserve is a 4,000 acre preserve located in Hillsborough. For more information about the park and to get a trail map, visit the Somerset County Park Commission here.

The preserve has a couple major trails and then a few connector trails that you can take to visit other areas or make your hike shorter or longer.  Our plan was to take the 5-mile Ridge Trail around the outer limits.  From the trailhead, we started moving up the eastern portion of the trail.  It had a pretty steady incline up to Devil's Half-Acre Boulders.  The trail had an outcropping of rocks and roots through this entire climb, so we definitely had to watch our footing.

Just a small portion of Devil's Half-Acre Boulders

Once we passed the boulders, the trail mellowed out a bit and we were able to move a lot quicker.  Even though there were a lot of cars in the parking lot, we only came across a group of Boy Scouts and it was really quiet most of the way.  That's something that always surprises me when we hike - even though I know we're in the middle of a pretty populated area, it can feel entirely isolated and peaceful.

Unfortunately, the trail conditions weren't the best the day we went (it had rained a lot the night before, so it was pretty muddy), so instead of doing the entire Ridge Trail, we took advantage of a connector trail that basically bisected the preserve.  Coming down a pipeline, this trail had a pretty good view of the area and was somewhat steep - going downhill can be just as hard as going uphill sometimes!

Connector Trail

We ended up doing almost 3 miles, and we're definitely planning on going back and hitting the rest of Sourland Mountain Preserve!

Six Mile Run

We took advantage of a break in the heat one Sunday morning to check out Six Mile Run in Franklin Township, Somerset County, New Jersey.  There are three parking areas for the park, which is part of the D&R Canal State Park, and we started at the Canal Road lot.


For a trail map, click here.

Our original goal was to hike to the parking lot at the eastern end of the trail, on Route 27, and then come back.  We started on the Blue Trail, and I immediately loved it.  It moved from forest to wide open fields and back, and it was just so peaceful and lovely.  The trail was very winding, almost curling back on itself several times.  This area is also really popular with mountain bikers, and there were quite a few of them on the trail that day.

However, after being on the trail for a really long time and still not coming to the intersection with the Red Trail, our plan changed.  I feel like either the map wasn't super accurate or I had completely misjudged the length of the hike.  

When we finally reached the fork in the trail, we met up with some bikers we had come across a couple times.  They told us if we made a sharp right turn on the Red Trail, it would take us almost straight back to the parking lot, in half the time it took us on the Blue Trail.  This isn't marked on the map, so I'm glad they confirmed it for us.  And since we had been out there for almost 2 hours already, we took that option! 

The Red Trail was so scenic, overlooking the creek.  Although it had a couple big dips (very popular with the bikers), it wasn't a hard trail at all.

Overall, our hike was almost 6 miles, and we barely covered half the park.  I would love to go back someday and start at the other end, to see the rest of the area.

Duke Island Park

Duke Island Park is a beautiful park in Bridgewater, Somerset County, New Jersey.  We liked it so much that we actually visited this park twice over Labor Day weekend!


To get more information about the park and download a park map, visit the Somerset County Park Commission here.

When you first enter the park, you see these lovely wide open spaces.  There is a large playground for kids and some ball fields.  Several large covered patios house picnic tables, which would be perfect for a barbeque.  The park also hosts concerts at its bandstand.

Raritan Power Canal

 The park really is an island, bordered by the Raritan Power Canal and the Raritan River.

Raritan River

There are two main types of trails in the park.  A dirt and gravel path lies along the canal, and a paved bike path neighbors the river and travels through some of the park interior.

Canal Trail

Bikeway

This park is perfect for taking a long walk or bike ride - the trails are flat and the park is so picturesque!

Duke Farms

Duke Farms in Hillsborough, New Jersey, is one of our favorite places to visit!


To learn more about Duke Farms and get a map, visit their website here.  The Duke family purchased land in the area to create an estate and farm, but they eventually turned it into a public park, and today, "Duke Farms is a leader in environmental stewardship and inspires visitors to become informed stewards of the land. It is a place of education, enjoyment and research that enhances the environmental health of the region."

Duke Farms is a beautiful place to walk around, with 18 (!) miles of paved, gravel, wood-chip, and grass trails.  There are several man-made lakes and structures scattered around the property.

Besides walking, there are other ways to get around Duke Farms.  A tram picks passengers up near the visitors center and travels around the estate, with other pick-ups/drop-offs at various points.  It's a nice way to tour the park.  Visitors can bring their bikes and Duke Farms also provides a Bikeshare service.  For $5, you can rent a bike for two hours.  This is a great service for condo-dwellers like us who don't have room to keep bikes at home!  It's so much fun to zip around Duke Farms on a bike.

As many times as we've been here, we still discover new things to see, as well as visiting old favorites, like the Orchid Range with its beautiful garden of flowers and the Old Foundation, with its awesome views of the Great Meadow.  There's even a small sculpture garden in the repurposed Hay Barn!

Looking down into the Great Meadow

Orchid Range

Washington Valley Park - West

We recently made our way back to Washington Valley Park in Bridgewater, New Jersey, to check out the western portion of the park and the reservoir.


You can get a trail map by visiting the Somerset County Park Commission website here.

We took the White Trail to the Middle Brook Trail and followed along the reservoir to the end of the trail at the dam.  This trail was pretty flat, but narrow at times.

White Trail

Reservoir

Middle Brook Trail

After we made our way back to the parking lot, we went a little ways along the Red Trail.  The Red Trail was rockier than the White Trail, with some slight ups and downs.  Our total hike was 2.5 miles.

Red Trail

We found the western portion of Washington Valley Park to be more crowded than the eastern portion.  There were many people fishing along the shores of the reservoir, and several mountain bikers passed us.  I'm looking forward to coming back and discovering more of the Red and White Trails and trying out the Blue Trail!

Washington Valley Park

We recently checked out Washington Valley Park in Bridgewater, New Jersey.  The park is split into two different sections, and for this hike, we stayed in the eastern portion.


For more information about the park and to get a trail map, visit the Somerset County Park Commission here.

We parked in the lot at the end of Miller Lane and took the paved path (Yellow Trail) down to the hawk watch.  After the hawk watch, the trail is no longer paved.  We then hiked down to Buttermilk Falls.  From there we took the Yellow Trail north along the East Branch Reservoir up to Gilbride Road.

Buttermilk Falls

East Branch Reservoir

 

From Gilbride Road, we took the Orange Trail south along the East Branch Reservoir.   We took another section of the Orange Trail back up. 

 

To get back to the parking lot, we took one of the interior Yellow Trail routes.  Between the two trails, we hiked a little over 3 miles.  It was a nice area, with lots of changes in elevation, but some of the trails were very rocky, so we had to be careful.  I'm always surprised by places like these, that seem so quiet and pretty and remote, when we're right in the middle of suburban Somerset County.  I definitely think this is a place we would visit again, and maybe next time we'll visit the western portion of the park and the Washington Valley Reservoir!

Glenhurst Meadows

My husband Tom and I definitely have our favorite places to walk or do some light hiking, but I heard about a place not too far from our house, so we tried it out one weekend.

Glenhurst Meadows in located on Mountain Avenue in Warren Township, New Jersey.  A map of Glenhurst Meadows can be found on the Warren Township website.

The trails here range from 1/4 mile to approximately 2 miles (there is a trail map in the parking lot at the site).  We chose the Green Path, the longest trail which snakes around the edges of the property.  The trails are not terribly well-marked, but they are obvious.

 

 

These nature trails are flat (no hills here) and fairly easy to walk, although some parts were extremely muddy when we visited.  There are two large ponds at the rear of the property, and the Passaic River forms the northern border.

 

 

The Wagner Arboretum lies to the west of Glenhurst Meadows; there are supposed to be trails connecting the two, but honestly, we couldn't find them.

 

All in all, it was a pretty place to take a morning walk.  Considering the muddy trail conditions, I'm not sure how soon we'll be going back, but I'm glad we at least tried it once.