New Jersey Sights I - High Point State Park
Written: Oct 30 '00 (Updated Nov 22 '00)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Great hikes, close proximity to the NY metro area.
Cons: A bit too "touristy".
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| NetDanzr's Full Review: Stokes State Forest |
Located in the extreme northwest corner of New Jersey, the High Point State Park is well worth visiting. It contains great hiking trails, lakes and camping facilities. It allows people to hike, mountain bike, ride horses, swim and fish. And above all, it provides for a great weekend getaway from the busy metro area.
Getting there.
From the New Your metro area, you have basically two ways to get there. I'd recommend you take the Interstate 80 up to exit 34, get there onto Route 15 North, and from there onto Route 519 North. Once you hit Route 23, turn left, and you should reach the park shortly. The other possibility, seemingly shorter is to take 80 West, get onto 287 North and then 23 West. However, I'd recommend the first option, for two main reasons. First, Route 23 has quite a lot of lights, and half of it is just a one-lane street, so you might get into traffic jams easily. Second, Route 15 and then 519 will take you through the most picturesque New Jersey farmland I have ever seen.
Once there,
go first to the visitor's center and take the map of the park and a plastic bag for your trash. The map is one of the better I've seen. From there, follow the directions to the park area. You might either turn north and go towards the monument, or south, where most of the park lies. Your decision will depend on how do you like to hike.
Hiking.
I'd recommend you park all the way on the top by the monument. Frankly, the site looks pretty ugly, and so you would not feel any accomplishment walking up there. There's nothing to see, just a big parking lot and a stone monument. From there, the only hiking trail (and the only one that goes in a circle) is the Monument trail. It is 3.7 miles long but easy; a causal hiker should make the circle in less than 90 minutes. Actually, this is a nice trail to follow with your whole family, especially if you want to make your kids tired. The best way is to go north first - the trail begins on the far end of the parking lot. Just be aware, please, that you will go down the hill mist of the time - prepare on a rather steep final segment.
This trail, at is lowest point (around the first bridge if you went north first, second if you went south first) comes close to the Cedar Swamp area - a great place to go though in the late fall or winter. There are several other trails that go through that area.
For more accomplished hikers, I'd recommend to get of the Monument trail onto the Steenykill trail (just follow the blue markings). This one is only 0.7 miles long, but designed as harder. If you go of the Monument trail, however, it will be a piece of cake, as it goes steep down in a series of big steps. You will arrive at the Steenykill Lake. In late fall, the lake will be entirely deserted, and it is great just sit there, listen to the forest and relax.
From there, follow the road around the lake, until you hit the Old trail, a 0.5 miles joke of a hiking trail. Still, this is the shortest way to Lake Marcia, which has its own beach open in the summer, and a very nice path around it. Once you hit the other end of the lake, you hit the Monument trail again, and start walking up the hill. If you still have some energy left, this hike will consume all of it, as it is very steep climb on a gravel road.
Overall, this route is a great introduction to the High Point Park. It is about 8 miles long, combining forest trails, a bit of a swamp, two lakes, a road and a piece of a rocky path. However, this is also a rather populated part, so all the trails are well kept, and animals are avoiding them.
If you are like me, however, and enjoy some solitude and like to be closer to the nature, you should head to the southern portion of the park. This part offers several more trails, including the Appalachian Trail (this one goes also through the northern part, but it is shorter and again more populated.
In the southern part, there are several trails, but unfortunately all of them are straight, offering no circular motion, so that you don't have to return to your car the same way. That is, all except one. The Iris trail is one of my favorites. Not too flat and not too hilly, this trail is 4.3 miles long, relatively unkept and visited by others just rarely. Often, you'll see deer here and is you are lucky, even a bear. As other trails in this area, the Iris trail is straight. However, it starts and ends at the Appalachian Trail, so all you have to do is to take that one on your trip back. Due to the shape of the Appalachian Trail, the whole trip is about 10 miles, which an accomplished hiker should do in about 2 hours. If you still feel like it, there is another trail of the Appalachian Trail, the Blue Dot trail, which is just 0.4 miles long, and leads to a nice, relatively secluded lake.
My take.
The High Point State Park is one of the better ones in New Jersey, especially for hiking. It has some beautiful environments, and the view from High Point is simply gorgeous. However, there are some things to be aware of. As I said before, there is a big parking lot right on the top. So be prepared to run into families there, having picnic, with their children trying to beat each other to the top of the hill. This is definitely not a relaxing area; it is nice to see to tell about it, but I'd advise you to keep south of Route 23.
Also, do not expect much of the monument. It is rather ugly and unnecessary. I still don't see a point of having this stone monster standing there.
On the other hand, the view is beautiful, especially in early fall, when all the leaves turned bright yellow or red. Look especially to the west - you will see a sea of green and yellow and red and brown, and the Delaware River in the middle of it. It is a view to behold.
Overall, the High Point State Park is a great place for a one-day hike. From New York, it takes about 90 minutes by a car to reach, and so it is a great one-day getaway. You even have a choice of where to stay and hike but if it is clear, please do me a favor and go to High Point at sunset. The view is simply breathtaking.
Update: When I wrote this review, it has been placed in the New Jersey directory, as no State Parks and State Forests sections existed. The review has been later mistakedly moved to the "Stokes State Forest" section, even though it belongs to the "High Point State Park" section. I apologize for that.
Recommended:
Yes
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NetDanzr
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Location: Chatham, NJ
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