THE PARKS...
Allaire State Park
Phone - (732) 938-2371
Website - http://www.state.nj.us/dep/parksandforests/parks/allaire.html
Admission Fee - Yes, Memorial Day to Labor Day but for trail use you can park outside the main lot
Directions - Farmingdale, Monmouth County; from the Garden State Parkway take Exit 98 and follow the well-marked signs to the park. From I-195 use Exit 31B.
The Park
James Peter Allaire was born in Nova Scotia in 1785 where his family, loyal to the crown of King George III, fled in exile during the American Revolution. The Allaires returned to New York City in 1806 and the 21-year old James Allaire opened a brass foundry. In 1822 Allaire came to the wilds of New Jersey and bought the 5,000-acre Monmouth Furnace to supply his engine works. The isolation of his new Howell Works caused him to build a self-sufficient village around it. The ironworks thrived until 1850 when Allaire retired. Legendary newspaper editor Arthur Brisbane bought the property as a retreat and maintained much of the old village. His estate deeded 800 acres to the State of New Jersey and the park today covers more than 3,000 acres.
The Walks
Thanks to the Manasquan River the trail system is a bit disjointed; to reach all of it you need to drive to various parking lot trailheads on either side of the water. From the parking area at the Allaire Village you can access a 4.5-mile walking trail that tours the historic building and joins up with the stacked loop Red Trail at the Nature Center. The Yellow Trail slips out of the village and explores the Manasquan River floodplain. The canine hiking is easy on these wide, pedestrian-only trails and the pace is relaxed away from the village. Allaire State Park is laced with sand roads and an abandoned railroad have been converted into multi-use trails. Jump on any of these well-marked pathways for hours more of comfortable canine hiking in the northernmost reaches of the Pine Barrens.
Where The Paw Meets The Earth: Paw-friendly sand and dirt
Workout For Your Dog - Flat, easy trotting
Swimming - The Manasquan River is about 30 feet wide but only averages about two feet deep
Restrictions On Dogs - No dogs in the campground
Something Extra
The Pine Creek Railroad in the park dates to 1953 and is the oldest continuously operating steam preservation railway in the country. Narrow-gauge trains like this hauled bog iron more to the furnace and moved finished goods out to market.
Bass River State Park
Phone - (609) 296-1114
Website - http://www.state.nj.us/dep/parksandforests/parks/bass.html
Admission Fee - Yes, in summer
Directions - Tuckerton, Ocean County; the state forest is six miles west on Stage Road. From the Garden State Parkway South take Exit 52 or North take Exit 50 and follow brown signs.
The Park
When Governor Edward Stokes instigated the purchase of 597 acres of woodlands along the Bass River in 1905, New Jersey had its first state forest. The Civilian Conservation Corps set up camp in the forest in 1933 and stayed for a decade building roads, bridges and various shelters and cabins. They also impounded two streams to create 67-acre Lake Absegami, the park’s feature attraction.
The Walks
Although the Bass River State Forest covers 26,700 acres, the marked trails are all short and are centered at the park office. The feature trail is the one-mile Absegami Trail that winds through a small Atlantic white cedar bog. Some of this trip is across a wooden boardwalk. Some of the best canine hiking is across the street from the park office on the Pink and Green trails. These adjacent loops, partly on wide sand roads, travel beneath thick pines for 2.2 and 3.2 miles, respectively. This is easy going for your dog on soft surfaces. The Bass River State Forest is also the southern terminus for the pink-blazed Batona Trail that runs through Wharton State Forest and Byrne State Forest for 50 miles. The wilderness path through the Pine Barrens was begun in 1961 and fully linked the three state forests in 1987.
Where The Paw Meets The Earth: Soft dirt and pine straw
Workout For Your Dog - Mostly level ground all around
Swimming - Lake Absegami is a doggie swimming hole in the off-season
Restrictions On Dogs - No dogs in the campgrounds
Something Extra
Fire is a way of life in the Pine Barrens - an average of one fire a day occurs here. In 1930 one wildfire burned a record 267,000 acres. In 1936 the Bass River Forest ignited and, in a fire that lasted four days, three Civilian Conservation Corps were killed when the winds shifted while they were setting a backfire. Two State Fire Wardens also perished in the blaze. A memorial to the men who died stands along the Pink Trail at the spot of their camp. It was dedicated in 1976 and ironically the next year four volunteer firefighters from the Eagleswood Fire Company were killed when their engine was burned over on a fire several miles from this memorial, and in 1982 a plaque was added for them.
Batona Trail
Phone - None
Website - None
Admission Fee - None
Directions - The trail runs through Lebanon, Wharton and Bass River State Forests where information on finding a parking lot can be found. Some commonly used starting points are on Routes 563 at Evans Bridge, 542 at Batsto Village at Route 72 at Four Mile.
The Park
The Batona Trail is a wilderness trail that begins at Ongs Hat to the north and ends at Lake Absegami in Bass River State Forest. The original 30 miles of the Batona Trail were routed and cleared through white cedar and pitch pine forests by volunteers in 1961. Today the total length of the trail is 50.2 miles with many road crossings that make different lengths of canine hikes possible. The distinctive pink blazes on the Batona Trail were selected by Morris Burdock, then president of the Batona Hiking Club and chief advocate for the building of the trail.
The Walks
The Batona Trail is easy walking on paw-friendly sand for most of its length. Despite the over-whelming flatness of the surrounding countryside, there are undulating elevation changes on the trail itself. Any dog could walk end to end with no problem, if that was the goal. The high point on the trail is Apple Pie Hill, soaring 209 feet above sea level (there is a fire tower you can scale - the steps are too open for dogs - and literally scan the east-to-west entirety of New Jersey from Atlantic City to Philadelphia). A superb canine hike is the four-mile walk here from the Carranza Memorial. For the most part, however, there are no vistas beyond what you see around you - cedar swamps and millions of pine trees. In season wild blueberries and huckleberries can be gobbled along the trail.
Where The Paw Meets The Earth: Packed sand roads and sandy soil
Workout For Your Dog - Long walks on sandy will do the trick
Swimming - The route of the trail is well-lubricated by tea-colored streams and an occasional pond
Restrictions On Dogs - None
Something Extra
Mexico’s greatest aviator, Emilio Carranza Rodriguez, crashed and died in the Pine Barrens in 1928. A memorial, paid for with pennies collected by schoolchildren, marks the location of his death, along the Batona Trail.
Brendan T. Byrne State Forest
Phone - (609) 726-1191
Website - http://www.state.nj.us/dep/parksandforests/parks/byrne.html
Admission Fee - None
Directions - New Lisbon, Burlington County; From the NJ Turnpike, take Exit 7 and follow Route 206 south to Route 38 east, to second traffic light, then turn onto Magnolia Road (Route 644). Follow Magnolia Road until you come to the Four-Mile Circle. From the circle take Route 72 east, at mile marker 1 make a left. There is a forest entrance sign on your left as you turn in. Take the first right and the office is on the left.
The Park
It is hard to imagine this vast 32,000-acre forest was stripped, barren land a little more than a century ago. The Lebanon Glass Works, from which the forest takes its name, set up shop in 1851 and within 16 years had devoured every stick of timber for miles in every direction. With its supply of wood depleted the furnace was shut down and abandoned. The state began buying the land that ultimately became Lebanon State Forest in 1908 (and Brendan T. Byrne State Forest a century later) and once again the sandy soil is blanketed with stands of pine, oak, maple, gum and Atlantic white cedar.
The Walks
Ongs Hat, at the western tip of the park, is the northern terminus for the Batona Trail and about 9 miles of the 49-mile route slice across the lower edge of the state forest. The Batona can be used to create large canine hiking loops with other forest trails. Another good walking choice is the Cranberry Trail which runs 5 miles to Pakim Pond. Pakim Pond, from the Lenni-Lenape word for “cranberry” was once used as a reservoir for an adjacent cranberry bog, now a swamp. For the more adventurous canine hiker there are over 20 miles of wilder-ness trails and if your restless spirit is still not sated it is easy to get off the grid here: Lebanon State Forest features 400 miles of unpaved roads.
Where The Paw Meets The Earth: Packed sand and soft dirt
Workout For Your Dog - Miles and miles of flat trotting
Swimming - Many small ponds and creeks
Restrictions On Dogs - None
Something Extra
Atlantic white cedar - prized in shipbuilding for its water-resistant wood - once dominated thousands of acres here. Decimated by years of logging, the state has worked diligently to reforest several cedar swamps in the Lebanon State Forest. The 735-acre Cedar Swamp Natural Area at the headwaters of Shinns Branch is one such diverse habitat.
Cattus Island County Park
Phone - (877) 921-0074
Website - http://www.co.ocean.nj.us/parks/cattus.html
Admission Fee - None
Directions - Toms River, Ocean County; from the Garden State Parkway use Exit 82 - Route 37 East/Seaside Heights. Take the jughandle to Fischer Boulevard and head north. Turn right at the fourth light onto Cattus Island Boulevard. The parking lot is on the left.
The Park
At the turn of the 20th century, John V.A. Cattus, a New York importer, purchased the property to use as a hunting and boating retreat. In 1914, he became the charter Commodore of the Barnegat Bay Racing Association.Private owners bought Cattus Island in 1961 but before it could be developed the New Jersey Wetlands Act of 1970 saved it for open space. The county began construction of the trail system in 1977.
The Walks
A paved and unpaved road runs for one mile down the spine of the 500-acre Cattus Island peninsula. Two main trails loop across the road and a smaller loop radiates off it near the end for a total of five miles of walking paths. Come here for relaxed canine hiking on level paths through the maritime forests and salt marshes. The Island Loop snakes around for a little more than two miles under a wooded canopy. Stop along the way at a bird blind to check on activity at one of several osprey poles in the marshes. At the parking lot is the 1.7-mile Maritime Forest Loop that is a landlocked exploration for your dog. The Hidden Beach Loop at the end of Cattus Island uses a boardwalk to cross onto a small island of forest. The Boy Scouts have sculpted a paw-friendly trail of wood shavings and soft dirt that makes an ideal destination for a canine hike.
Where The Paw Meets The Earth: Soft natural trails and roads
Workout For Your Dog - Flat and easy throughout the park
Swimming - The swimming for your dog in Barnegat Bay and Silver Bay is as good as it gets
Restrictions On Dogs - None
Something Extra
The Cattus Island Butterfly Garden was created in 2005 with plants selected to attract a wide range of native butterlies not commonly seen in New Jersey backyards. While most plants lure butterflies with the promise of sweet nectar, others play host to butterfly larvae. The best time to catch butterfly activity is on a bright summer’s day.
Clayton Park
Phone - (609) 259-5794
Website - http://www.monmouthcountyparks.com/parks/claytonpark.asp
Admission Fee - None
Directions - Upper Freehold,Monmouth County; from I-195 Take Exit 11 (Imlaystown/Cox’s Corner) and head south on Route 43 that will soon reach Route 526. Turn left and make an immediate right on Davis Station Road (there is a small park sign).Go through the village and after one mile make a left onto Emley’s Hill Road and follow to the parking lot on the left.
The Park
For most of the 20th century Paul Clayton shunned modern farming methods, working his fields by hand with his five horses growing potatoes, tomatoes, grains and corn until 1971 when he retired at the age of 87. For years he turned down lucrative offers to harvest the trees on his property along Doctor’s Creek. Instead he sold his 176 acres to Monmouth County in 1978 for a price below market value. The county has since doubled the size of Clayton Park to its current 421 acres of hardwoods.
The Walks
Clayton Park is a true jewel for New Jersey canine hikers with about eight miles of sandy dirt paths traipsing through airy stands of towering beech, black oak and tulip poplar. The trail system is neatly divided into two stacked-loops by a wide ravine so you can bring your dog for a satisfying loop of less than one hour or carve out a longer hiking day. You will start on the Bridges Trail that rolls around ridges and through valleys; the ups and downs go down easy on these well-maintained paths. If you choose a big canine hiking day you will penetrate deeper into the core of the Clayton forest on the 1.5-mile Old Forge Trail or finish the Bridges loop by skirting farm fields. Either way you will spend time along the wetlands of Doctor’s Creek that will eventually drain in the Delaware River.
Where The Paw Meets The Earth: Soft natural trails
Workout For Your Dog - Moderate climbing around wooded hills
Swimming - Look for a small pond along the Bridges Trail
Restrictions On Dogs - None
Something Extra
Clayton Park is one of the best spring wildflower sites in central New Jersey. In the open understory look for jack-in-the-pulpit, trout lily, wild geranium and even the seldom seen trillium and wild ginger in April and May. Come back in mid-summer and enjoy spotted jewelweed with its tiny blood-red droplets.
Corson's Inlet State Park
Phone - (609) 861-2404
Website - http://www.state.nj.us/dep/parksandforests/parks/corsons.html
Admission Fee - None
Directions - Ocean City, Cape May County; from the Garden State Parkway use Exit 82 - Route 37 East/Seaside Heights. Take the jughandle to Fischer Boulevard and head north. Go right at the fourth light onto Cattus Island Boulevard; parking lot is on the left.
The Park
Corson’s Inlet was established in 1969 before every last inch of Jersey shorefront became developed. With its undisturbed sand dune systems and marine estuaries this is one of your last opportunities to experience the Atlantic oceanfront in New Jersey as it was before people discovered the shore.
The Walks
There aren’t many places where the hiking public is invited to walk across protected ocean dunes but Corson’s Inlet is one. Even rarer still is to find a dune system that permits dogs and again Corson’s Inlet is the place - from September 16 through March 31. The main trail (Yellow) leading away from the small parking lot beside the Rush Chattin Bridge between Ocean City and Strathmere and its two spur paths (Orange, then Red) all lead to the beach that can be used to create loop hikes on the hook-shaped peninsula. All canine hiking is on deep sugar sand and the trails are just long enough to be enjoyable without becoming laborious. If you come to Corson’s Inlet in late September or October on a hot day make sure to bring plenty of fresh water for your dog. Even though the trails aren’t long there is little shade among the dunes.
Where The Paw Meets The Earth: Sand
Workout For Your Dog - Yes, with ocean swimming and running in sand
Swimming - If the excitement of the Atlantic surf is too intimidating try the expansive crescent beach along the inlet with its calm, inviting waters
Restrictions On Dogs - No dogs between April 1 and September 15
Something Extra
America’s second-worst fire took place on a steamship called the General Slocum on New York’s East River in 1904 - more than 1,000 people perished. The steamer was salvaged and put back into service as a barge called the Maryland that sank off Corson’s Inlet on December 11, 1911. Buried beneath several feet of shifting sand searchers believe they have located the infamous General Slocum but there has been no definitive recovery.
Double Trouble State Park
Phone - (732) 341-6662
Website - http://www.state.nj.us/dep/parksandforests/parks/double.html
Admission Fee - None
Directions - Bayville, Ocean County; travelling south on the Garden State Parkway take Exit 80 and turn left to Double Trouble Road. Follow to end in about four miles and cross the road into the park. Heading north use Exit 77 and turn left to park entrance in 1/4 mile.
The Park
Sawmills have operated at this site on the Cedar Creek, processing dense stands of Atlantic White Cedar into shingles and shipmasts. Over time cranberries were planted in the swamps vacated by the harvested trees. In 1909 the entire area became the Double Trouble Cranberry Company. The name supposedly comes from problems with the dams used to sustain the bogs. One theory has two wash outs in a single spring rainy season inspiring the name and another traces it to two separate leaky holes gnawed in a dam by muskrats. Today the park centers around Double Trouble Historic Village, a cluster of 14 surviving structures from the late 1800s.
The Walks
The park preserves more than 8000 acres of natural Pine Barrens habitat but you will experience just a tiny slice of it on just a single trail in Double Trouble State Park. The 1.5-mile Nature Trail leaves on an old sand road along a series of cranberry bogs. You leave the open area around the ponds with a sharp right turn into a dark avenue of Atlantic Cedar. The trees were once thought to be limitless in the Pinelands when the sawmills were running full force. You and your dog will have experienced what lies beyond in millions of acres of the Pine Barrens in a short, exceedingly pleasant outing.
Where The Paw Meets The Earth: Sandy dirt
Workout For Your Dog - Long, flat hikes possible
Swimming - Ponds, canals
Restrictions On Dogs - None
Something Extra
The cranberry is a native American fruit that was harvested naturally in the Pine Barrens for centuries. Commercial production began around 1835 in New Jersey and today only Massachusetts and Michigan grow more cranberries, named because its flower resembles a craning neck. The restored cranberry sorting and packing house at Double Trouble park is the finest of its kind from the 19th century. The bogs are still producing and if you come in the fall you can see thousands of the buoyant berries bobbing on the surface; at other times of the year you will have to make do with looking at a few harvest escapees washing against the shoreline.
Fort Mott State Park
Phone - (609) 935-3218
Website - http://www.state.nj.us/dep/parksandforests/parks/fortmott.html
Admission Fee - None
Directions - Pennsville, Salem County; from Exit 1 of I-295, take Route 49 East to Fort Mott Road. Turn right onto Fort Mott Road and travel 3 miles. Park is located on right.
The Park
Fort Mott was envisioned as part of a three-fort defense of Philadelphia that dangled across the Delaware River. Following the Civil War, work began on 11 gun emplacements but only two were completed when the fort was abandoned in 1876. In preparation for the Spanish-American War in 1896, Fort Mott, named to honor Major General Gershom Mott, a native of Bordentown, was completed and outfitted with three 10-inch and three 12-inch guns. The fort remained active until 1943, although during its last two decades the guns were dismantled and shipped elsewhere. In 1947 the State of New Jersey purchased Fort Mott as an historic site and opened the state park on June 24, 1951.
The Walks
Fort Mott features a walking tour through the 19th century defensive position that enables your dog to ramble through the gun batteries and ammunition magazines and to clamber on top of the massive protective parapet. This concrete wall was built of concrete poured 35 feet thick with an additional 60 feet of earth piled in front. Landscaping made the fort look like a big hill from the Delaware River. In additon to this unique dog walk there is a groomed trail that winds through twelve-foot high swamp grasses to Finn’s Point National Cemetery, the final resting place for 2,436 Confederate soldiers who perished in a Civil War prisoner of war camp at Fort Delaware.
Where The Paw Meets The Earth - Grass and concrete and gravel
Workout For Your Dog - Easy moving around
Swimming - The beach at the Delaware River is a super place for dogs to swim
Restrictions On Dogs - None
Something Extra
Your dog has the chance to wander into gun parapets, bunkers, cells and other wondrous nooks and crannies.
Higbee Beach WMA
Phone - (609) 628-2103
Website - http://www.njfishandwildlife.com/ensp/higbee.htm
Admission Fee - None
Directions - Cape May, Cape May County; from Route 9 south, turn onto Route 626. Cross the bridge and turn right onto New England Road (Route 641). The road deadends at Higbee Beach into a wildly rutted dirt parking lot.
The Park
Higbee Beach, the last remaining dune forest along the Delaware Bay, was acquired by the State of New Jersey in 1978, thwarting plans to build a campground here. The Higbee Beach Wildlife Management Area today is jointly administered by the state and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. For years Higbee Beach was known as the area’s “nude beach” but now your dog is the only visitor legally allowed to hit the beach without a swim suit.
The Walks
You can’t beat the canine hiking at Higbee Beach for diversity. From the parking lot at land’s end on the Cape May Peninsula you have your choice of open fields, woodlands or dune forest. Of course, your dog will want to sample all three. The sandhills are not covered with windswept grasses as is seen along most of the Jersey shore but with resilient red cedars and holly trees. There is about a mile of trails meandering through this dunesland. To stretch those leg muscles there are several miles of more trails behind the dunes in the woods and fields of the wildlife management area that reaches all the way to the Cape May Canal.
Where The Paw Meets The Earth: Mostly sand with some dirt paths
Workout For Your Dog - Plowing through the sandy dunes will qualify
Swimming - The best in New Jersey on the Delaware Bay
Restrictions On Dogs - None
Something Extra
The beach next door to Higbee is the similarly dog-friendly Sunset Beach, famous for its Cape May Diamonds. The “diamonds” are actually pieces of quartz crystals that have been eroded from the Upper Delaware River and been polished by a 200-mile journey of churning and jostling that can last a millennium or two. The stones, that can be cut and faceted to do a passable imitation of a diamond, are found in abundance here because the tidal flow bounces off a unique concrete ship that rests offshore. The Atlantus was built to transport soldiers during steel-short World War I. The reinforced-concrete ship worked but the recovery of post-war steel supplies made her obsolete and the Atlantus was being towed to Cape May to serve as a ferry slip when an accident dumped her on a sand bar where she remains today.
Island Beach State Park
Phone - (732) 793-0506
Website - http://www.state.nj.us/dep/parksandforests/parks/island.html
Admission Fee - Yes, higher in summer
Directions - Seaside Park, Ocean County; from the Garden State Parkway use Exit 82 - Route 37 East/Seaside Heights. Once on the island make a right onto Route 35 South to the park entrance.
The Park
Henry Phipps, compatriot with Andrew Carnegie in U.S. Steel, purchased the island in 1926 with visions of a grand shore resort but the stock market crash halted his assault after erecting a handful of rambling houses. The Phipps estate sold the property to New Jersey in 1953 and the park opened to the public in 1959. Island Beach State Park protects 10 miles of dunesland that have survived virtually untouched as they have always been.
The Walks
There are a series of short nature trails (less than one mile) as you drive down the main park road to its end at Barnegat Inlet but once your dog gets that whiff of salt air in her nose, she may not be in any mood to tarry. Get to the beach! This is one of the few places in New Jersey you can enjoy the Atlantic Ocean with your dog in the summer. Parking is limited, however, and if you don’t arrive early enough you will be shut out. In the off-season this is not a problem so don’t confine your visits to the novelty of summer at the beach with your dog. There is some shade for your dog in the dunes and the thickets behind the dunes when it is hot but make sure you bring plenty of fresh water. From the last parking lot to the southern tip of the island is a hike of over one mile on the piles of white sand.
Where The Paw Meets The Earth: Sand everywhere
Workout For Your Dog - Long hikes on soft sand are tough
Swimming - Ocean swims are why you come
Restrictions On Dogs - No dogs in the swimming areas or near shorebird nesting areas
Something Extra
Henry David Thoreau wrote about beach heather after visiting Cape Cod in 1849, describing how local residents called the low-growing mossy plants “poverty grass” because it grew where nothing else did. Island Beach State Park is home to the greatest expanse of beach heather in New Jersey. In late May the heather balds, as patches of the plant are called, explode in a carpet of yellow in the secondary dunes.
Mountain Lakes Preserve
Phone - (609) 924-8720
Website - http://www.princetontwp.org/mtnlakes.html
Admission Fee - None
Directions - Princeton, Mercer County; take Route 206 North out of town. Look for the sign for Mountain Avenue and exit into the jughandle. Cross over 206 and the parking lot is immediately on the right.
The Park
In the 1880s the Margerum family constructed a system of earthen and concrete dams to create the two namesake lakes and began selling ice. Look closely and you can see foundations of large barns used for ice storage on the western slopes of the lakes. The bustling ice business continued until 1930. The original park was created in 1987 when the Friends of Open Space helped purchase a 70-acre private estate. Additional parcels of land were welded onto Mountain Lakes to create Princeton’s “Central Park.” The eastern section includes part of the Tusculum estate, home of John Witherspoon, who added his name to the Declaration of Independence.
The Walks
There are seven miles of rambles with your dog here spread across three distinct segments of property, each with its own personality. The blue-blazed James Sayen Trail system circumnavigates the mountain lakes on dirt and mown grass trails that are easy-going for any dog. In the northern end of the park reached with some mild climbing into the John Witherspoon Woods, drops into an old-growth forest that has sprung up in a boulder field created by a volcanic intrusion that formed Princeton Ridge. Your dog will find the going a bit more challenging through this section. Returning to the parking lot through Community Park North you descend into a nicely-spaced scented pine grove before crossing a grass-covered sewer line into a garden area to finish your canine hike.
Where The Paw Meets The Earth: Soft dirt and rocky patches in the northern stretches
Workout For Your Dog - A hilly piece of property
Swimming - There is easy access for dogs into the mountain lakes for playful canine aquatics
Restrictions On Dogs - None
Something Extra
In the Pettoranello Gardens in the Community Park North section a natural slope by the lake has been fashioned into an ampitheatre. Among other events, the Princeton Rep Company puts on an outdoor Shakespeare production in the summer.
Musconetcong River Reservation
Phone - (908) 782-1158
Website - http://www.co.hunterdon.nj.us/depts/parks/guides/MusconetcongGorge.htm
Admission Fee - None
Directions - Holland Township, Hunterdon County; Travel west on I-78 to exit 7 and proceed to route 173 west. On route 173, drive 1.3 miles to route 639. Turn left on to Route 639 and travel 4 miles. At the stop sign, bear left on 519, then turn left and cross the Musconetcong River, staying on Route 519. Take the next left onto Dennis Road, a gravel road, and go 0.2 of a mile to the parking area located on the left side of the road.
The Park
There are two tracts of land in this park encompassing over 1,100 acres. The Musconetcong Gorge land was originally owned by the Warren Glenn Paper Mill that started production in 1873 and still operates today as Fibermark Inc. Point Mountain, at 935 feet the third highest spot in Hunterdon County, was added to the park in 1995. The name refers to the prominent crest that the silhouette of the property projects.
The Walks
The Nature Trail at the Gorge is a scenic amble that leads into the mossy ravine. It was the result of an Eagle Scout Project and the path is smooth and well-maintained - a joy for any paw. Continue on the Railroad Trail for more easy canine hiking but extended time in the Gorge will necessitate a climb to the Ridge Trail. Point Mountain is reached with a steep and rocky scramble up the Ridge Trail to the Overlook Trail. You can then make a big loop of over two miles to return to the Musconetcong River or retrace your steps back down. Looping around the parking area is the bounding Riverwalk Trail that indeed spends plenty of time along the sycamore-edged streamside. This jaunt also has its share of open field canine hiking.
Where The Paw Meets The Earth: Natural surface trails
Workout For Your Dog - Turn up the energy dial here
Swimming - The Musconetcong River will keep your dog cool
Restrictions On Dogs - None
Something Extra
Along the trails at Musconetcong Gorge every now and then you will pass flat, open areas that appear out of place in the lush woods. These are “charcoal landings” where mill workers would stack timber for conversion into charcoal.
Parvin State Park
Phone - (609) 358-8616
Website - http://www.state.nj.us/dep/parksandforests/parks/parvin.html
Admission Fee - None
Directions - Pittsgrove, Salem County; six miles west of Vineland on Route 540, just east of the intersection with Route 553.
The Park
The first landowner of these diverse pinelands was John Estaugh, husband of Elizabeth Haddon, who lived in present-day Haddonfield. Estaugh was granted 2,928 acres on March 31, 1742, by the Proprietors of West Jersey. Development began in 1796 when Lemuel Parvin purchased the property with the intention of operating a sawmill. He created Parvin Lake by constructing an earthen dam across Muddy Run on its journey to the Maurice River.The State of New Jersey’s stewardship began in 1930 with the acquisition of 918 acres of forest and the 108-acre lake. During the Depression of the 1930s the Civilian Conservation Corps established a camp at Parvin, building campgrounds and cabins and carving trails. In 1944, German prisoners of war from Fort Dix were housed in Parvin while working on local farms and food processing plants. The POWS were captured from German Field Marshall Erwin Rommell’s marauding Afrika Corps. Many of the facilities built by the Civilian Conservation Corps are still in use in the park today.
The Walks
A variety of loops and linear trails slice across Parvin State Park’s 1,135 acres, about evenly divided between a recreational area and a natural area. The canine hiking is easier in the recreational area with its wide, packed-sand trails; paths narrow in the oak-pine forests, cedar swamps and laurel thickets of the natural area. These scenic woodlands on the fringe of the Pine Barrens are home to 40 known types of trees and 61 different woody shrubs as southern United States ecosystems collide with northern species at the southern tip of their natural range. All the hiking with your dog is on nine named trails, totalling more than 15 miles, and is easy-going for any dog.
Where The Paw Meets The Earth: Soft dirt and maybe mud
Workout For Your Dog - Mostly level terrain
Swimming - Excellent dog paddling in the attractive Parvin Lake and the smaller Thundergast Lake
Restrictions On Dogs - No dogs in beach area or campgrounds
Something Extra
For the dog who favors entering the water with a well-executed belly flop there are boat docks available, including a wide wooden pier stretching 25 yards into Lake Parvin for Dock Diving practice.
Sourland Mountain Preserve
Phone - None
Website - http://www.somersetcountyparks.org/activities/parks/sourland_mt.htm
Admission Fee - None
Directions - Hillsborough, Somerset County; from Route 206 (South Broad Street), turn onto West Park Avenue. Make a left onto Wescott Avenue. After passing under high tension wires, make an immediate right turn onto the lane that leads to the park.
The Park
Sourland Mountain is at the northeast point of a ridge of sedimentary and igneous rock that was deposited between 150 and 180 million years ago and stretches to the Delaware River. It is hard to believe walking the thickly wooded mountainside but this was once a treeless farm. After picking your way through the boulders strewn across the Preserve it is easy to imagine that the name “Sourland” comes from the farmers who abandoned growing crops in favor of grazing cows but it actually is believed to derive from the term “sorrel-land” to describe the reddish-brown colored soils.
The Walks
Sourland Mountain features three blazed trails, the star being the 5-mile Ridge Trail. The trail pushes uphill away from the parking lot - not too strenuously but expect to see your dog start panting - until it reaches a picturesque cluster of boulders. The elevation gain is about 300 feet. After this the trail flattens out and is a comfortable walk with your dog in airy woodsland on a wide path. The Ridge Trail can be aborted with a walk down a cut-away for a pipeline. This is the only open-air hiking at Sourland Mountain and you can enjoy the views on the way down. On a clear day it is possible to see New York City. If the 300-foot climb seems more hike than your dog is looking for, you can still enjoy Sourland Mountain. The Maple Flats and Pondside trails break off from the Ridge Trail before heading up the mountain. The two form a stacked-loop trail that together totals less than two miles.
Where The Paw Meets The Earth: Rocky trails
Workout For Your Dog - Moderate pulls to the top of the hill
Swimming - You bet, see below
Restrictions On Dogs - None
Something Extra
Down below the parking lot is the best canine swimming hole in New Jersey. The pond has level, unobstructed access all the way around. It is deep enough that your dog will be swimming in two steps and it is just big enough that you can’t throw a stick all the way across. Situated right beside the trail exit, it is a perfect way to end a hardy canine hike. The only thing missing is a towel rack.
Tatum Park
Phone - (732) 671-1987
Website - http://www.monmouthcountyparks.com/parks/tatum.asp
Admission Fee - None
Directions - Middletown, Monmouth County; take Exit 114 from the Garden State Parkway onto Red Hill Road heading east. You can continue to the Red Hill Activity Center on yourleft but the better choice is tohead for the Holland Activity Center by turning left on Van Schoick Road and right on Holland Road to the entrance on the right.
The Park
Charles Tatum was a prominent glass manufacturer with factories in Keyport and Millville. He selected this land as a summer home in 1905 and his family continued to farm 170 acres here until 1973. A portion of the farm was then donated to Monmouth County and additional acreaged has since been acquired to push the current park size to 368 acres.
The Walks
Tatum Park serves up as nice a mix of open field and mixed-hardwood canine hiking as you are liable to find in New Jersey. You can start your explorations from either the Holland Activity Center or the Red Hill Activity Center but the centrally located Holland Center offers a greater variety of trail options.Two parallel trails lead away from the parking lot. If you want to start your dog with a jaunt down old farm roads and through blossoming meadows start off down the Tatum Ramble Trail and pick up the Meadow Run Trail for a three-mile easy loop. The other choice, the Indian Springs Trail is another old road that once served as the main entrance to the farm. It will eventually lead to the twisting Dogwood Hollow Trail or the Holly Grove Trail - both narrow, rolling dirts paths through vibrant woodlands.
Where The Paw Meets The Earth: Dirt paths and farm roads
Workout For Your Dog - Some easy hills on the old farm
Swimming - Your dog can splash in some old farm ponds or slender streams in the hollows of the park but little more
Restrictions On Dogs - None
Something Extra
In 1885, Clinton Heath, once a slave in North Carolina, became the first black farmer in Middletown Township. He and his wife Mary would raise 13 children and 3 foster children and their youngest, Bertha, donated an addition to the Red Hill Activity Center where you can view a permanent exhibit of the black community’s ties to the land.
Teetertown Ravine Nature Preserve
Phone - None
Website - http://www.co.hunterdon.nj.us/depts/parks/guides/Teetertown.htm
Admission Fee - None
Directions - Califon, Hunterdon County; from I-78 proceed north on Route 31 for 1.7 miles to Route 513 North. Turn right through High Bridge toward Califon for about 6.5 miles. Just past the A&P, turn left onto Sliker Road. Turn right onto Teetertown Road. Follow the left fork of the road about 1 mile to the stop sign at Hollow Brook Road. Turn left and proceed 0.1 mile up the ravine. There are vehicle pull-offs near the trailheads.
The Park
German immigrant John Teeter purchased a mill here in 1814, giving his name to the town the mill supported. In 1953, the Watchtower and Bible Tract Society of New York, Inc. (Jehovah’s Witnesses) took ownership of the site as a communal farm, calling it “Mountain Farm.” However, due to economics, the farm was considered surplus and was sold to the County in 1999. Tht same year, the adjoining 155 acres, which is now called Mountain Farm Section, was purchased adding large fields and two ponds to the diversity of the park. The preserve now totals 682 acres.
The Walks
This park offers the solitude of a densely wooded area, including a variety of hardwoods, shrubs, and animal life, and the contrast of a spectacular rushing stream winding its way through the Ravine’s dramatic rock outcroppings. A plethora of shortish trails provide great variety in open fields and diverse woodlands. An old farm serves up ponds and an old peach orchard. Be prepared for some steep hilly areas - your reward being a pleasing view of the valley.
Where The Paw Meets The Earth: Natural surface trails
Workout For Your Dog - Short but spirited hiking here
Swimming - There is access to the water at many points
Restrictions On Dogs - None
Something Extra
The house built by pioneer John Teeter still stands 150 years later and Merv Griffin once lived in it.
Washington Crossing State Park
Phone - (609) 737-0623
Website - http://www.state.nj.us/dep/parksandforests/parks/washcros.html
Admission Fee - None
Direction s - Titusville, Mercer County; from I-95, take Route 29 north. Parking is available along the Delaware River just past Route 546.
The Park
These sleepy, tree-lined banks along the Delaware River became immortalized in American mythology on the icy night of December 25, 1776 when General George Washington led a demoralized Continental Army across the river to score a surprise victory over unsuspecting Hessian troops in Trenton. Land was eventually preserved on both the New Jersey and Pennsylvania sides of the river to commemorate one of the turning points in the battle for independence.
The Walks
There are dog-walking opportunities on both sides of the Delaware; the more historic explorations can be found on the Pennsylvania side, the more natural trails in New Jersey. Quiet paths meander through an historic village at the scene of the American disembarkment in Washington’s Crossing Historic Park. On the New Jersey side, the terrain instantly becomes rolling and wooded beyond the Johnson Ferry House where the troops landed in what is now Washington Crossing State Park. The many miles of trails are carved through a mixed hardwood and spruce forest, often times plunging into and out of wide ravines. Washington Crossing State Park can also be used as a jumping off point for hikes up and down the towpath along the 70-mile Delaware and Raritan Canal.
Where The Paw Meets The Earth: Mostly paw-friendly dirt with some crushed stone paths and a sandy dirt towpath
Workout For Your Dog - Lots of dips and rolls in the woods
Swimming - There is no good access to the Delaware River at this point
Restrictions On Dogs - None
Something Extra
You and your dog can follow the route of Washington’s troops by walking across the Delaware River on a steel bridge. The bridge affords long views of the river as well.
Wells Mills County Park
Phone - (609) 971-3085
Website - http://www.ocean.nj.us/parks/wellsmills.html
Admission Fee - None
Directions - Wells Mills, Ocean County; the park is on Route 532, west of the Garden State Parkway.Northbound, take Exit 69 and make a left going west on Route 532. Southbound, use Exit 67 onto Route 554 West and continue to Route 72. Make a right and another right on Route 532 to the park entrance on the right.
The Park
James Wells won the land that would become this county park at auction. Wells dammed Oyster Creek to build a sawmill to process the large stands of Atlantic white cedar found here. The Estlow family acquired the property in the late 1800s and built adjacent sawmills, hence the pluralistic park name. Possession of the land passed to the Conrads, a prominent local business family, in 1936. When the tax burden of the land became too onerous in the late 1970s the New Jersey Conservation Foundation took control, beginning the process that insured protection of this slice of Pine Barrens as a public park.
The Walks
The queen of Ocean County parks at over 900 acres, Wells Mills is also on the top of any list for canine hikers. The trails trip through a rich variety of habitat from cedar swamps to thick pine-oak woodlands. Most of the going is on paw-friendly sand or soft dirt covered in pine straw. But what truly sets Wells Mills apart from its Pine Barrens neighbors is elevation change. Nothing grueling but in the western part of the park the trails roll joyously up and down across small ridges and sandhills. The namesake mound of sand on the Penns Hill Trail, the longest of the park’s routes at 8.4 miles, reaches 126 feet. That white-blazed trail circles the perimeter of the park; a simliar shorter route is the green-blazed Estlow Trail at 3.5 miles. Additional loops up to 1.3 miles can be hiked near the Nature Center. All told Wells Mills maintains more than 16 miles of trails.
Where The Paw Meets The Earth: Paw-friendly sand and dirt
Workout For Your Dog - Some long hikes possible
Swimming - Spurs from the Estlow Trail reach out and tickle the shore of Wells Mills Lake for a doggie dip
Restrictions On Dogs - No dogs in the campgrounds
Something Extra
The Wells Mills Nature Center is a standout among its kind with three stories and 1400 square feet of exhibit space. Climb up to the observation deck for a splendid view of the Pine Barrens and Wells Mills Lake.
Wharton State Forest
Phone - (609) 561-0024
Website - http://www.state.nj.us/dep/parksandforests/parks/wharton.html
Admission Fee - Yes, weekends at Batsto
Directions - Hammonton, Burlington County; at Batsto Village on Route 542, eight miles east of Hammonton, and at Atsion Recreation Area on Route 206, eight miles north of Hammonton.
The Park
The area’s bog ore once supported a booming iron industry which supplied much of the weaponry for the American Revolution. Many of the indecipherable sand roads through the Pine Barrens date to that time. When the foundries followed the discovery of America’s massive upper midwestern iron ranges in the mid-1800s, the area’s economy became so depressed that Philadelphia financier Joseph Wharton was able to acquire over 100,000 acres of land here. That land now makes up the state forest - the largest single tract of land in the New Jersey state park system.
The Walks
The main hiking trail through Wharton State Forest is the Batona Trail but for dogs who feel cramped by the rigidness of a narrow 50-mile band there are more than 500 miles of unpaved sand roads in Wharton State Forest. If that is too much choice, bring your dog to Batsto Village. Thirty-three wooden structures have been restored to this bog iron and glassmaking industrial center which flourished from 1766 to 1867. There is a self-guided one-mile nature walk around the lake at Batsto Village, that includes stops at the Batsto Mansion and an operating gristmill and sawmill.
Where The Paw Meets The Earth: Soft sand on the trails and packed sand on the roads
Workout For Your Dog - Very long canine hikes possible
Swimming - The slow-moving Batsto River is stained the color of tea by cedar sap, adding to the region’s mystique; it makes an excellent canine swimming pool - or a wonderful water trail in a canoe
Restrictions On Dogs - None
Something Extra
The chance to see New Jersey’s version of Bigfoot, the legendary winged creature known as the “Jersey Devil.” The Jersey Devil is a creature with the head of a horse supported by a four-foot serpentine body with large wings and claws. He lives in the Pine Barrens and perhaps your dog can sniff one out.