Tag Archives: Partial Views

Views obscured by trees. May improve when leaves are down.

Hiking/Walking, Kids

School Daze (Schooley's Mountain Park)

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This is a charming hike with views, rock formations, and a cold water stream that tumbles through a steep, bouldery gorge. Here you have the option to park at the bottom (on Fairview Avenue), and walk up 500-700 vertical feet, or park at the top (off Schooley’s Mountain Rd) and eliminate most of the climbing. Experienced hikers can find some challenging trails, while beginners will enjoy the nicely graded and graveled converted woods roads near the top. Both can make their way to the principal viewpoint. (Rated Experienced to Beginner depending on where you go; driving time is 1 hour 20 minutes from downtown. Kids will enjoy the views, the rock formations, and the dramatic Electric Brook).


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Activities, Birding, Fishing, Hiking/Walking, Historic Site

History’s for the Birds (Jockey Hollow & Scherman Hoffman Sanctuary)

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Much less well known than Valley Forge, Jockey Hollow was where Washington’s army spent the winter of 1777, following its victories in Trenton and Princeton. There’s a beautiful, Intermediate hike through some of the National Park that preserves the area, and part of the NJ Audubon Society sanctuary. It climbs a ridge, passes the camp site of the NJ Brigade, and descends into the headwaters of the Passaic River, here a small wild trout stream. (Driving time is about 1:15 from Trenton via 206/I-287; rated Intermediate for elevation change though the hike is fairly steep in spots)


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Activities, Fishing, Hiking/Walking, Kids

To the Point (Point Mountain Preserve)

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The Point Mountain Preserve is one of the nicest hikes in NJ. Yes, it’s over an hour from Trenton, but it’s well worth the trip. Why? It’s a bit more challenging, and frankly fun, than most NJ hikes, and takes you through diverse habitat including corn fields, woods, a trout stream, and an ancient rock fall. Kids will love the scrambling and the views. (Driving time is about 75 minutes, Rated for Intermediate to Experienced hikers depending on the trail selected)


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Activities, Birding, Hiking/Walking

Cushy It’s Not (Cushetunk Mountain Preserve)

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Cushetunk offers two different hiking options. If you park at Old Mountain Road in Lebanon, it’s an intense 2.4 mile loop hike that includes a fairly strenuous scramble along a 0.9 mile ridgeline and an elevation gain of about 450 feet. If you park on Mountain Rd, in Whitehouse Station, the hike is about 7.5 miles and 1,100 cumulative vertical feet. (Driving time is about 70 min, Rated for Experienced hikers for elevation gain, rugged footing, and poor blazing)


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Activities, Birding, Hiking/Walking

Go East, Go East (Eastern Trails of Baldpate Mountain)

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Lovely trail section of the Baldpate trail system, recently re-blazed with drainage improvements. Less steep than Summit or Switchback trails, but lovely in its own right. We suggest loop hike: Kusar Mountain to Copper Hill (either branch, western harder and wetter), to parking lot, then return via Kusar Mountain, which starts near high tension wires.


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Activities, Hiking/Walking

Variety is the… (Musconetcong Gorge Preserve)

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The preserve is great fun, with a fantastic loop hike at its core, which you can extend in various ways. There’s about 600 feet of cumulative elevation gain: some of the climbs are quite steep. There are also a couple of stream crossings. Usually you can just hop over stones to cross, but in high water, you may get your feet wet. (Driving time is about 75 minutes, though the drive, mostly on Rt. 29 is beautiful and stress free; Rated for Experienced hikers because of elevation gain and steepness)


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Activities, Hiking/Walking, Kids

Vertical Elevation Gain (Sourlands Preserve)

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The Sourlands is one of the few hiking spots close to Trenton where you can experience reasonable elevation gain, second only to the Ted Stiles Preserve at Baldpate Mountain. Yes, it is about 40 minutes away (compared to Baldpate’s 20 minutes) and in the Sourlands you gain up to about 350 vertical feet on the steepest trail (compared to Baldpate’s 425). But, the Sourlands have miles of reasonably challenging forest-hiking trails to enjoy… There are trails suitable for all levels of walkers from Beginner to Advanced. Beginners can do some short loop hikes near the parking lot, while Intermediate hikers have miles of trails in the southern section with moderate grades. (Driving time is 40 min; Rated Beginner to Experienced depending on where you go)


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Activities, Hiking/Walking

Most Aerobic Walk (Switchback Trail at Baldpate Mountain)

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The Switchback Trail delivers 425 vertical feet by itself, and you can achieve a cumulative elevation gain of nearly 1,000 vertical feet (well, OK, 950) by combining it with other trails. There’s no other walk of which I’m aware that delivers anything like that much vertical elevation gain within an hour’s drive of Trenton. Congrats to the Mercer County Park people for doing this. (Driving time is about 20 minutes; Rated Experienced for elevation gain)


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Activities, Cycling-MT, Fishing, Hiking/Walking

Last of the Tohickons (Tohickon Valley Ridge Hike)

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Just 45 minutes from Trenton, across the river in Bucks county, is a spectacularly-scenic ridge-hike along Tohickon Creek. This is a moderately strenuous walk… most of the climbing (a couple of hundred vertical feet) is in the beginning along a well-graded road. To truly enjoy the hike, explore the side trails along the valley. (Driving time about 50 minutes; Rated Intermediate to Experienced, depending on how adventurous you feel in exploring the side trails)


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Activities, Birding, Cycling-MT, Hiking/Walking, X-C Skiing

So Close, Yet So Far (Baldpate Mountain (Overview & Summit Trail))

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Utterly beautiful. 12 miles of hiking trails with up to a 400 foot elevation gain. 20 minutes from downtown Trenton. Need I say more? This is the jewel of the Mercer County Park system, and one of the nicest small parks in all of NJ. (Driving time is about 20 minutes; Rated beginner to Experienced depending on where you go).


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