Outdoors
The way to Tillman Ravine in Stokes State Forest begins on a narrow path through a dense stand of towering bare-trunked red and white pines planted by the Civilian Conservation Corp in 1932, soon followed by Eastern hemlocks over 160 years old with high, delicate foliage with only spots of greenery among their mulch of needles and bark. The path heads down to the ravine and undulates along Tillman Brook where ferns and wood asters accompany the walker. Tree species change along the stream’s path with an attendant carpet of offspring: ash, beech, oak, hickory and sugar maple.
Though a season of low rainfall affects the stream’s virility, it still rushes and tumbles over rock slabs and boulders in the narrow and relatively young ravine before it joins The Big Flat Brook. In some spots, the shallow water exposes the stream’s bottom, forming islands of moss, sedges, wild impatiens and other water lovers. There are garden vignettes everywhere in Tillman Ravine such as Nature’s Asian-style gardens of moss-covered tree trunks, rocks and earth. Wintergreen, ferns and baby tulip trees, as pretty as any planted garden, cover rock outcrops, while vertical gardens of ferns and moss on the roots of wind-thrown, uprooted trees would be any gardener’s envy.
Fallen trees across the brook entice the agile adventurer and nooks and crannies in rock and water offer much to explore, though several wide boardwalks are easy bridges. Across the stream, the embankment rises with lanky native Great Rhododendron, a.k.a. Rhododendron maximum, reaching their branches over the water. In June their lush trusses of white and pink further by blossoms feed the eyes and soul.
Visitors can stop for a rest near the brook’s famed “Teacup,” a swirling, watery pothole surrounded by boulders like a scene from a primitive movie.
The trail turns uphill and away from Tillman Brook for a while where the soil has eroded to expose hemlock roots on its surface. Seeing this, one can imagine the futile attempt to plant even a small plant under a tree, being oblivious to its mass of woven roots under the soil. Further down, the trail becomes almost enclosed by beech saplings, then dramatically opens to a clearing showcasing a rhododendron.
The 525-acre Tillman Ravine is one of 43 New Jersey state-designated Natural Areas, established by law to protect its flora, fauna (especially the threatened barred owl), and its “ecologically significant” habitat including exposed anticlines, a geological feature showing layers of rock depositions that have been pushed above the surface and folded into an arch.
Steep slopes and sandy soil make for fragile terrain, easily eroded by weather and water and further by visitors. The Wisconsin Glacier dumped its hoard of scraped up rock and sandy soil as it retreated North 10-12,000 years ago. Glacial deposits formed Tillman Swamp which weakened and fractured the rock as its rushing water eroded and formed the ravine. Shale, conglomerate and sandstone comprise the rock, which has been subjected to several mountain-building events, one reason why Tillman Ravine is protected. Walkers will enjoy seeing the moss-covered uplifted formations and climbing through a few, but stay on the trail please. And while you’re here, keep a look out for the endangered Timber Rattlesnake.
As the trail flattens out and becomes soft dirt again, it moves away from the brook and is separated by long, wide stone walls built by former landowners, Nicholas Tillman and Lydia Dimon, now buried in the 1800s cemetery across the road at trail’s end. Before white settlers, the land belonged to the Lenape, who apparently gathered here to discuss important matters among the noisy, sound-proofing waterfalls. Here Tillman Brook slows down to a gentle trickle and the young of heart can hop the rocks or simply wade across. A few big old sugar maples dot the land as do shagbark hickory. It’s an adventure in a beautiful place protected by law but now at the mercy of quite invasive species such as the almost ever-present Japanese stilt grass.
Tillman Ravine is exquisite. Take a walk on the wild side this spring for a little serenity, beauty and easy adventure.
Allamuchy State Park
Together, Allamuchy Mountain and Stephens State Parks comprise 9,200 acres of park lands in Morris, Sussex and Warren Counties.
Appalachian Trail
Now, my own soon-to-be adventure on the Jersey AT demanded to be done. I told them my hiker buddy and I, both women in our 50s, aren't hikers, never camped out nor tossed food over tree branches to keep it away from hungry, wild animals.
Appalachian Trail Short Hikes
With a little planning and a map or two, the New Jersey section can be conquered one day at a time in seven modest day-hikes.
Autumn Meadow Walks
A walk in an autumn meadow -- make it simple and bring just your senses. Look at the vibrant golden and purple wildflowers and luminous oranges of butterflies like the Buckeye and Monarch. Smell crisp and pungent aromas of Mountain Mint and Wild Bergamot seed heads. Listen to the song of our state bird, the Gold Finch. Or bring some gear like a camera and binoculars, perhaps a magnifying glass or loupe to bring your findings into close focus. Whatever your approach, make sure to take a slow ramble this fall.
Bald Pate Mountain, Washington's Crossing, Howell Farm
Just a few miles south of Lambertville lies an area ripe for weekend adventure and exploration. Components of local, national, and natural history are well represented, as well as brilliant prospects for craft seekers, hikers, mountain bikers, horseback riders, and picnickers.
Big Skylands Country
Warren County's Scott's Mountain, so named since at least 1885, is known locally as Montana Mountain, named for the small hamlet that sits on its scenic plateau. Nearby Merrill Creek Reservoir, with its vast open waters and network of wooded trails, is deserving of any excursion up the mountain. The trip back down into and through the Pohatcong Valley is equally rewarding for students of history and devotees of the outdoors, especially in autumn when you might even spot flying pumpkins.
Blair Creek Preserve
Under the shade of oak, hickory, maple and beech, a rutted, over-grown driveway leads to a little cabin by a lake deep in the woods in Stillwater.
Botanical Spell Along Patriot's Path
Plan to spend a day on this easy path from garden to garden. Get to know the richness and pleasures of their natural and cultivated diversity.
Branchville Country
On the way North through Sussex County on Rt. 206, there's a tiny, old-time borough called Branchville. Just one-half square mile large, it is packed with history, old buildings, new business and interesting people, and where contemporary meets traditional. Surrounded by mountains and glacial lakes, farms, wineries, campgrounds, state parks and forests,
Centered on Rediscovery
Ridge and Valley Conservancy is a non- profit organization whose mission is to preserve and protect natural areas within the Appalachian Valley and Ridge.
Delaware and Raritan Canal State Park
Today the canal's route provides a 67 mile corridor of recreation and wildlife that invites your pleasure by foot, bike or canoe.
Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area
After years of struggle, controversy and benign neglect, ways to offer interpretive looks at the rich history of the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area are finally becoming reality.
Delaware Water Gap Trails
The famous notch that characterizes Warren County's western skyline is where the Kittatinny Mountains have given way to eons of gentle persuasion by the Delaware River, creating one of the most majestic of New Jersey's natural features between Mount Tammany and Mount Minsi in Pennsylvania.
Denville Detour: Jonathan's Woods and More!
Even today, if you needed a natural hideout--a really good one--Jonathan's Woods could work. This six hundred plus acre pocket of undeveloped property, lies not far from one of Morris County's busiest highways: Interstate Route 80. And yet the tract offers unexpected isolation. You could, as they say, get lost here.
Forest Flowers of Musconetcong Gorge
Broadly speaking, the most diverse forest ecosystems are ones with the fewest human interventions dating from modern times. Untouched land in New Jersey is rare if not non-existent. Musconetcong Gorge Reservation has a special mix of natural and human history that makes it a rewarding botanical site in the late spring months of May and June.
Geocaching
Tech-savvy outdoors enthusiasts have found a new way to spice up their never-ending quests for adventure.
Guiding Lite
New to New Jersey and want to find out what it's all about? Lived here forever and want to find out more? Don't do it yourself, a guide can do it better!
Hacklebarney State Park
Hacklebarney State Park is 892 acres of glacial valley, with gorges carved by the Black River and two tributaries that feed it, the Rinehart and Trout Brooks. There are over 5 miles of trails.
Hard Facts and Solid Stories
Nearly everywhere you look there are rocks; big ones, little ones, sometimes fields of them. Curious explorers cannot help but wonder why some have drawn enough attention in days gone by to have been given names of their own.
High and Mighty
From the top of Mount Tammany the trees lining the Delaware River have shrunk to resemble props for a toy train set. Intent on finding the next hand and foot-hold in the metaquartzite cliffs along the Kittattiny Ridge, climbers work their way skywards. They don't look down.
High Point State Park
I found my thrill walking the Monument Trail in High Point State Park recently. The path along the forested mountain top at the top of New Jersey at 1,800 feet offered me palettes of color and texture that only the shallow-soil ridges of High Point can. Golden vistas of New York, Pennsylvania and Sussex County await the woodland explorer seeking gorgeous views and an enchanting w
Highlands Trail
When complete, the trail will link the full distance of the Highlands from end to end, a 150 mile footpath network for the more than 1.1 million acres of this distinct physiographic province.
Hiking Groups
Organized group hikes carry a certain appeal for those looking for new challenges or guidance getting started.
Hunterdon County Hikes
Although it may not match the drama of the Delaware Water Gap or the legend of the Appalachian Trail, Hunterdon County has plenty of diversity to offer hikers wishing to explore the unspoiled areas of the Skylands Region.
Hunterdon County Rail Trails
When I first began leading long distance day hikes, I sought out routes along abandoned railroads beginning in northern Hunterdon County. While Hunterdon's system of rails was not as intricate as farther north, where mining was more prevalent, the county was home to many spur lines used to transport passengers and products to charming villages and hamlets.
Ice Hiking
One doesn't usually think of New Jersey's Kittatinny Mountains in the same breath as glaciers and icy slopes of higher mountains. Some years this changes in January and February when ice climbing routes come "into condition" on Mount Tammany and on many waterfalls in the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area.
Jenny Jump State Forest
Jenny Jump State Forest stretches between the four Warren County Townships of Frelinghuysen, Hope, Liberty, and Independence some 12 miles southeast of the Delaware Water Gap
Karamac Kandy
A former railbed just north of the Delaware Water Gap provides another short but satisfying taste of days past in a beautiful setting.
Kittatinny State Park
It is, except for the completion of a few bridges, now possible to hike a continuous distance of nearly 50 miles on public trails through Sussex and Warren counties on the Paulinskill Valley Trail.
Marble Mountain
Trails along the Delaware River lead to the Ice Cave†and a vista overlooking the narrows north of Phillipsburg and Easton.
Merrill Creek Recreation Area
Visitors have the chance to help in environmental studies by merely carrying a turtle or lending a fish on the end of your hook.
Mohican Outdoor Center
Mohican provides a base of operations for a wide range of trail work projects carried out by AMC in cooperation with the National Park Service.
Natirar
Natirar offers hiking, horses and fishing outdoors, events, exhibitions and concerts, a museum and interpretive center.
New Jersey High Country
From impressive rock walls to the scattered glaciated boulders that dot the landscape, there's a little something for everyone out here, whether you're a first-timer or a seasoned wall rat.
On the Banks of the Wild Six
When the Jersey sky hangs white in summer haze, head to the woods at Six Mile Run in Franklin Township, Somerset County.
Paradise Lost, and Found at Blue Mountain Lakes
The pristine aura at Blue Mountain Lake yields scant evidence of the ambitious development for which it was created. Ironically, the land on which the community was built is still, to this day, a wilderness escape.
Path to Discovery
Strolling along the Paulinskill Valley Trail is a fine way to spend a summer day. With access points and parking spaces in many places along this 27-mile soft dirt-cinder path, you can stroll at leisure or pick up the pace as you wish.
Paths of Green, Fields of Gold
A visit to Fairview Farm, headquarters for the Raritan Headwater Association, is captivating. There are six miles of trails, a pond, butterfly garden and restored 1800’s era barn complex.
Pequest Pilgrims
Immerse yourself in the season's beauty, the region's heritage, and a spectrum of natural features along this forty-mile loop that parallels the Pequest River through its upper reaches,
Pochuck Valley
The trail is skinny and unobtrusive with scattered benches good for watching hawks and herons.
Pyramid Power
The story of one of the Northwestern New Jersey’s largest and more improbable natural treasures, a fist shaped swath of land designated in 1987 as the Pyramid Mountain Natural Historic Area, nearly 1,500 acres of wooded terrain dotted with brooks, swamps, glacial deposits, rock outcroppings glens and vistas.
Rail Trails
Since my grandfather first took me hiking on the old DL&W line through Warren County, I have had an affinity for exploring the paths left along these rights of way,
Rock A Bye Rail Trail
The Rockaway Valley Railroad was about 25 miles long and lasted for about 25 years.
Round Valley Recreation Area
My family and I have enjoyed many hours boating on the reservoir and exploring the terrain.
Sparta Mountain Wildlife Management Area
The Sparta Mountain Wildlife Management Area (WMA) lies in Sussex County off Route 517 and Glen Road near the Town of Sparta, and along the Highlands Trail.
Steep Devotion
Whatever your plans in the great outdoors, make hiking in the Delaware Water Gap part of your adventure. The Gap offers trails for all hikers from novice to expert. Come with a sense of wonder, a willingness to explore, and you may find a trail blazed just for you.
Stokes State Forest
On the north side of Branchville near the top of New Jersey is a 15,482-acre playground known as Stokes State Forest.
Stokes State Forest Family Hikes
The Forest does have its own charm and quiet presence that you and your family won't want to miss.
The Hills Are Alive
The Hill and Dale Preserve in Tewksbury is the most recent purchase of the New Jersey Conservation Foundation (NJCF), an organization dedicated to saving and protecting New Jersey's important lands and natural resources for all to enjoy.
Tracks of Our Tears
The 9/11 National Memorial Trail links with the Paulinskill Valley Trail in Knowlton Township and is marked by a restored three-sided stone fireplace left from a demolished nineteenth century farmhouse.
Trails, Tracks and Taverns
Old roads and new trails in and around Hunterdon County’s Jugtown Mountain offer scenic options for fall explorers as they wander through historic districts, old hamlets, wooded roads, environmental preserves and county parks. The more you look, the more you see!
Union Forge and the Taylor Steelworkers Greenway in High Bridge
The Hunterdon County Borough of High Bridge would on its face appear little different than any of the other many municipalities in New Jersey. However, the sign which welcomes those who pass through this sleepy little town with the words "Settled in 1700", implies a long abiding heritage: a story of the workers who helped shape the history and destiny of the United States.
Warren County Hkes
Hiking may be Warren County's favorite sport. Certainly the county offers the largest variety of hikes in New Jersey, including a panorama of magnificent vistas, intriguing history, and abundant wildlife.
Warren County Natural Resource Areas
Though not well-known, these places provide pristine destinations for family jaunts, hikes full of historical fabric, even the excitement of cave exploration.
Waterfall Hunting
There are waterfalls scattered throughout the Skylands region, but nowhere so plentiful than in the Kittatinny Mountains, where streams find their way down steep slopes to the Delaware River.
Wawayanda State Park
As wild as its name, the land of "winding, winding water" is home to Indian shelters and some of the best bear dens in NJ, a lake to swim and boat on, great gobs of pudding stone to climb, rock to scramble, ledges for leaping, primeval forest, 20 miles of Appalachian Trail and so much more
Wet and Wild
Newfoundland, West Milford offer preserved deep forests, brooks, ponds and unspoiled landscapes throughout the Pequannock Watershed.
Wildcat Ridge Wildlife Management Area
Tucked between Rockaway Township's town of Hibernia and Split Rock Reservoir lies a large portion of Wildcat Ridge Wildlife Management Area, one of New Jersey's many multi-use WMAs
Wildflower Hunting at Jenny Jump
Native perennial wildflowers bloom briefly, anywhere from one to four weeks, depending on the species. That means a regular visit to particularly robust nature preserves can reveal different wildflowers blooming each time. Jenny Jump State Forest has a magical variation in elevation and terrain that makes it a rewarding site for spring forest flowers.
Wildlife Management Area Hikes
Discover over 305,000 acres of little known forests, meadows, streams, and lakes collectively called Wildlife Management Areas - all public property, all owned by the people of New Jersey.
Winter Hikes
The Winter season has its own wonders that merit braving the cold. In fact there are intrepid hikers that don't take to the trails until the branches are bare, in search of vistas from ice formations to sun glistening on a freshly fallen snow.
Worthington State Forest
Few of the hikers, campers, canoeists, and nature lovers that visit Worthington realize that industrial pumps are responsible for the preserved wilderness and natural wonders that they enjoy there. Charles C. Worthington, a prominent and very wealthy New York socialite, sportsman, fisherman, and skilled rifleman, assembled this park in the late nineteenth century. He called it Buckwood Park.
Worthington State Forest
Situated along the river, within the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area, Worthington State Forest comprises almost 6,000 acres extending about seven miles along the Kittatinny Ridge.
A General Guide To Fishing
Fishing is indeed a passion for many, but the sport is also an ideal activity for regular dads, moms and kids. In fact, women hold the state records for both smallmouth bass and brown trout, both out of Round Valley Reservoir in Hunterdon County. And, of course, kids and fish go way, way back.
A Nod To Vince
Around a slight bend in the stream, the current fell over a jumble of roots, flattening out for a few feet into a run a bit deeper than the riffles below it. Like a Haiku written by Basho that moment when a nine-inch rainbow rose to take the fly will remain with me for some time.
An Angler's Spring
I do not require a calendar to announce the arrival of spring. For me, the first day of spring is that afternoon when I once again find myself along the bank of Bonnie Brook, my little cane rod grasped in my hand.
Bass Fishing
With a twitch of the rod tip, an explosion on the surface and a set of the hook, I was into one of New Jersey's feistiest gamefish, Micropterus dolimieui, the smallmouth bass. A fine two and a half pound specimen - a prize on any water - I returned it to the water from which it was born nearly a decade befo
Carp Fishing
Carping is often used as synonym for complaining. But to an angler, in particular, a fisherman from Great Britain, the word denotes someone who is dedicated--no, devoted--to the fine art of seeking and catching what some Americans foolishly call "Trash Fish". Carp! You see, more people fish for carp in the world than for any other species. But here in America, anglers are not too anxious to seek out this commonly found critter!
Double Header
For the third time in as many minutes the trout rose under the shadow cast by the low-hanging branches of a maple tree. The subtle disturbance could easily be mistaken for a minnow or pumpkinseed, maybe a nymph breaking the surface to emerge into an adult mayfly.
Early Spring Fly Fishing
It's the puzzle that draws me back to the stream as much as anything else. The trout are there. I can see their rise forms, concentric circles expanding outward from where a fish has taken a bug, but are they feeding on mayflies, caddis or stoneflies, or maybe it's flying ants, perhaps beetles in season?
Fall Fishing
As summer cools to an autumn brisk, fish regain their ambition. With a reinvigorated neighborhood, they need to conserve less oxygen, leaving plenty of power to pursue their main objective in life: to get bigger!
Fishing From A Belly Boat
I walk from the shore down the wooden planks to the dock, lugging my old belly boat over one shoulder, carrying fins in one hand and a nine-foot graphite fly rod in the other. In my chest pocket is a small box that contains a few Woolly Buggers and other large streamers tied especially for the big bass of this pond
Fishing on Lake Hopatcong
Anybody can be a fishing boat captain for a day. Go to a bait and tackle shop and rent a boat and engine. Bring clip-on down riggers, a thermometer to find the right temperature and a portable depth finder to pinpoint locations and you are a big game fisherman like on Lake Ontario or anywhere in the world. Or try marshmallows, hot-dogs, or shiners under a bobber from a boat ramp or bridge. Either way you will quickly find something at the end of the line. And the surprises never end...
Fly Fishing
In recent years fly fishing, a sport which has been practiced in the United States since pre-revolutionary days, has enjoyed increased popularity.
Fly Tying
Fishing for trout with flies is like solving a puzzle. The current, the fish, the bugs under the surface and in the air all seem indecipherable. The clues are there however, and the code can sometimes, although by no means always, be broken.
God's In Heaven
In this time of twenty-four-hour news cycles, divisive politics, never-ending wars, and exotic viruses, I find myself returning to Bonnie Brook during these precious few weeks of spring, when the woodland flowers are in bloom, the earth's young are still filled with wonder, and the trout of Bonnie Brook are once again willing to come out and play. For this remains a time when God is in heaven and for a brief time all's once again right with my world.
Home Waters
I must step around the delicate bluets that dot the trail beside Bonnie Brook. On either side of the path, dandelions rise from wild tufts of grass. Sprinkled through the unkempt carpet of green and yellow are blue-and-white violets that add to the festive feeling of the afternoon.
Hybrid Bass Fishing
Pound for pound, the hybrid striped bass rates right up there with the best of the fresh water fish when it comes to putting up a good fight once hooked. Pound for pound, the walleye is hard to beat for table fare, with some fishermen calling it the best tasting fish of them all. Fortunately for those anglers in this part of the state who like some muscle on the end of their line and tasty fillets on the table, there are plenty of both fish around due to vigorous and well-planned stocking programs. These fish are there ... but you're going to have to work for them
Ice Fishing
The first fishable ice (three inches or more) usually forms by sometime in mid to late December. Then you can head out onto the fishable coves on such impoundments as Lake Hopatcong, Lake Wawayanda, Swartswood Lake, Paulinskill Lake, Cranberry Lake, Lake Musconetcong, Budd Lake, Mountain Lake, or any other frozen body of water in where you can gain public access.
Musky Fishing
Muskies? In New Jersey? You bet! Quality muskie fishing can be found in many Garden State waters. More muskies are being caught today than ever before.
October Trout
While July may be a month for tall glasses of lemonade and August a time for corn on the cob with melted butter dripping down the sides, September is a month of transition. Summer may be over, but fall has yet to truly begin. Although humidity still clings to the leaves and gnats continue to plague the gardener, schools are once again open. In most states, the end of the month brings with it the official close of the fishing season.
Opening Day
Most years, I'd remain at home during opening day; for me fishing has never been a team sport. But it has been an especially long winter, and so instead, I pass by the diner and drive out of town.
Riffle Runners
If you fish, you probably remember your first encounter with a smallmouth bass. The memory of the fury at the other end of the line never completely fades.
Round Valley Recreation Area
My family and I have enjoyed many hours boating on the reservoir and exploring the terrain.
Shad Fishing
The restless army enters the river proper in smaller divisions; schools clustered densely at the center of the run with advance brigades in front, followed by platoons hanging back at the rear. Their mission is simply to swim, females following males to nesting locations along a journey that, for some, can continue for more than 300 miles.
Spring Fishing
I’m seated on a trunk of a pin oak that fell across the width of the stream. The run above it rushes along the edge of the far bank, a portion of which has collapsed around the exposed roots of the tree. For this small brook, the run is considered a long one.
Still Going Fishin'
Four knee surgeries, three stents in my chest, a back that screams when I remain upright for too long, and more birthdays and pounds than I care to count have drastically altered my fishin' style as I close in on my 80s.
Summer Surprise
I saw a flash of white as the maw of a very big trout opened and then closed around the helpless fly. I could feel the power of that fish when I pulled back on the bamboo rod. And then there was nothing. When I reeled in my line, I found that my fly was gone.
There And Back Again
There is another type of fishing, one that can be employed on smaller streams such as Bonnie Brook. Along these secret rills, I can cast to trout without coming upon another angler. In these narrow ribbons of water, hidden under shadows cast by hardwood and conifer, I've come to appreciate what Thoreau described as "... these jewels... these bright fluviatile flowers, made beautiful, the Lord only knows why, to swim there!"
Three Great Reservoirs
Fishermen love these huge man-made lakes with a passion, as do campers, birders, boaters and folks out for a good hike. Within twenty miles of one another, Merrill Creek, Spruce Run and Round Valley can satisfy either the most avid outdoorsman looking for trophy fish or the casual daytripper in the market for a nice view.
Tight Lines in Warren County
Every state-stocked fish in New Jersey was born and raised in clean, fresh water from Warren County ground where the lakes and rivers hold plenty trophy-size monsters.
Trout Fishing
When snows melt and the grasses and daffodils push up through the softened ground of New Jersey's Skylands, it's time to think trout. For many outdoors folks, thawing snow signals the beginning of trout season. Sorting and cleaning tackle and shopping to replace items gone missing last season, all serve to build anticipation.
Vernal Equinox
In a hemlock forest surrounding a little stream, snow remains packed, although receding, the stream's current running high and cold, coltsfoot spreading over an exposed shoal, a touch of yellow to brighten the otherwise bland landscape.
Winter Tactics For The Delaware River Angler
On a cloudy, raw February day, the air thermometer read 28 degrees, never to rise above freezing. In five hours, we boated 11 large smallmouth bass on hair jigs, with two exceeding four pounds. The Delaware River angler need not hibernate!
A Paddling Poupourri
New Jersey is well known for its canoeable rivers, but nowhere in New Jersey is there a greater diversity of canoeing/kayaking experiences than in the Skylands.
Canoeing the Delaware River
The main stem of the Delaware, 331 miles from Hancock, NY, to its mouth at Cape May Point, NJ, is the longest free-flowing river in Eastern United States.
Delaware and Raritan Canal State Park
Today the canal's route provides a 67 mile corridor of recreation and wildlife that invites your pleasure by foot, bike or canoe.
Delaware River Islands
Islands of the Delaware are markers for the miles traversed on a float down the river, and for centuries of human history along its banks.
Different Strokes
The journey begins in a neighbor's garage. He wipes the cobwebs off two personal flotation devices while you stare at a long, ungainly thing with stained, leaf-strewn seats.
Float the Wild Side on the Wallkill River
Follow the tiny but mighty Wallkill River on its 88.3-mile journey north through eastern Sussex County into New York State. From out of Lake Mohawk, it spills over a dam then becomes a stream unseen by most, running through town parks, woodland, and past parking lots and businesses. It's dammed in Franklin to form Franklin Pond, the town's reservoir, and, in Hamburg, is stocked with trout before it flows through the Wallkill River National Wildlife Refuge and into New York.
Guiding Lite
New to New Jersey and want to find out what it's all about? Lived here forever and want to find out more? Don't do it yourself, a guide can do it better!
Kayaking on Cranberry Lake
My kayak has become my favorite mode for reaching wildness, taking me places otherwise inaccessible. I can paddle into spots that are only a few inches deep and explore those hard-to-get-to sections of a river or hidden cove on a lake. One of those wild places that I never get tired of exploring is Cranberry Lake in Byram.
Paddling on the Musconetcong River
Despite the Musconetcong's generally benign reputation, there are actually critical changes as it flows a little more than thirty miles along Warren County's southern border to the Delaware River through an ever-changing landscape.
Round Valley Recreation Area
My family and I have enjoyed many hours boating on the reservoir and exploring the terrain.
Campground Events
Campgrounds have developed their own internal subculture of special events o spice up campers' weekends.
Fall Camping
Campgrounds make a perfect home base for most outdoor fall activities such as leaf peeping, bird and wildlife watching, hunting and fishing, simply because they've got "location, location, location."
Seasonal Camping
Many families make a Skylands campground their own vacation home, renting seasonal sites or bringing their own RV to rest at a lovely- and well-serviced- spot somewhere up in the New Jersey countryside
YMCA Camps
What began in London in 1841 by a farmer-turned-drapery salesman on a bent for Bible-study has become the largest not-for-profit in the world open to all people in need
Back Road Bounty
Tucked away in the seemingly endless landscape of ridge, valley, and wooded hillside of Warren County is an incredible bicycle-friendly network of quiet back roads linking together small towns and historic villages, repurposed rail trails creating pastoral off-road adventures, and miles of single track trail tracing through the rocky upland forests
Bicycling in Northwest New Jersey
Northwest New Jersey offers a variety of specific trails and open road routes
High and Mighty
From the top of Mount Tammany the trees lining the Delaware River have shrunk to resemble props for a toy train set. Intent on finding the next hand and foot-hold in the metaquartzite cliffs along the Kittattiny Ridge, climbers work their way skywards. They don't look down.
Motorcycle Trips
The gorgeous bike blew through Hunterdon County like a magic carpet, chuffing like a happy tiger.
Back Home on the Range
It's not an everyday occurrence to meet people who live their lives with empathy and respect for all living creatures. It is good fortune and heart-warming to meet them, and the experience can instill hope and the desire to reach out to those less fortunate, human or critter.
New Jersey State Fair
A real country fair, the home pride of generations worked closely with the land is everywhere to be seen: in the good food, good works, and good times that are the true bounty and community of the rural, agricultural heritage of Sussex County.
Playing the Horses
Divided into four to six chukkers (or sets) that last seven and a half minutes each, polo requires extraordinary athleticism. The real stars, however, are the horses, or "ponies."
Skylands By Saddle
Through warm summer months and into fall, you can explore rivers, streams, fields, and hills and enjoy remote views and vistas-all from the saddle. Across the Skylands region, a horse can take you where no car can?faster and sometimes farther afield than your own two feet. Exercise? Certainly. But also the pleasure of working with a 1,000-pound companion who can handle the footwork.
Warren County Farmers' Fair and Balloon Festival
Make time for the 86th Annual Warren County Farmers’ Fair and Balloon Festival, July 27-August 3, 2024. A Family Tradition!
High and Mighty
From the top of Mount Tammany the trees lining the Delaware River have shrunk to resemble props for a toy train set. Intent on finding the next hand and foot-hold in the metaquartzite cliffs along the Kittattiny Ridge, climbers work their way skywards. They don't look down.
Hot Air Ballooning
The sky is still above you, yet you are very much a part of its landscape. There seems to be no breeze, but you would not be getting far without it.
The Thrill of Flight at Local Airports
It's easy to overlook the rich aviation history in New Jersey's northwest corner. Way before Silicon Valley and the dawn of the computer age, guys in basements and industrial labs in the Skylands worked on the hot tech of the day? flight Located in and around early Skylands airports, they helped move airplanes from mainly experimental and military enterprises into the heart of American commerce and lives.
Golf Lessons
Golf is for everyone: for men and women, girls and boys, including individuals with handicaps. It can be a great family activity. But golf can be very frustrating. Like anything else worth doing, it takes time to learn. Here are a few places that can help you "get it
Along the Old Mine Road
In the 1600s Dutch miners discovered copper ore in a beautiful ravine located about seven miles north of the Delaware Water Gap. To access the ore and to transport it to Kingston, New York, they constructed a road, now known as the Old Mine Road. Primitive by present standards, it was a major undertaking in its day, and legends of the road and its Dutch miners have persisted for over two centuries
Along the Vintage North Jersey Trail
A portion of the western part of Warren County, along the Delaware and Musconetcong rivers and their tributaries, has been designated by the federal government as a wine grape-growing region. Take a leisurely ride from one Warren County winery to another and find out what happens with those grapes!
Bald Pate Mountain, Washington's Crossing, Howell Farm
Just a few miles south of Lambertville lies an area ripe for weekend adventure and exploration. Components of local, national, and natural history are well represented, as well as brilliant prospects for craft seekers, hikers, mountain bikers, horseback riders, and picnickers.
Beguiling Bridges
Bridges beguile with their simple beauty. A bridge's context and charm can make your passage delightful.
Big Skylands Country
Warren County's Scott's Mountain, so named since at least 1885, is known locally as Montana Mountain, named for the small hamlet that sits on its scenic plateau. Nearby Merrill Creek Reservoir, with its vast open waters and network of wooded trails, is deserving of any excursion up the mountain. The trip back down into and through the Pohatcong Valley is equally rewarding for students of history and devotees of the outdoors, especially in autumn when you might even spot flying pumpkins.
Both Sides Now
Follow the narrow, twisting back roads along both shores of the Delaware River -- from Phillipsburg south to Milford in New Jersey, and Upper Black Eddy back north to Easton in Pennsylvania -- through countryside rich in local history and lore, old hamlets of which little trace remains, past quaint homes and natural wonders along the way.
Fall Foliage
The annual fall foliage bloom is dependent primarily on moisture and the first frost, but peak leaf viewing in Northwest New Jersey normally occurs somewhere around the first full week of October.
Fall Foliage In Sussex County
Sussex County is a leaf peeper's paradise. You can spare yourself the time, road miles and money of a New England journey and enjoy brilliant colors and friendly, rural charm in New Jersey's Great Northwest.Sussex County contains six State Parks and one State Forest, accounting for almost 1/3 of the county's land mass.
Glory Days of Autumn
Northwest New Jersey's scenic beauty is never greater than during the glory days of autumn. A riot of color transforms the landscape; old villages and quaint hamlets, surrounded by yellow birch and red maple, become even more picturesque.
Hard Facts and Solid Stories
Nearly everywhere you look there are rocks; big ones, little ones, sometimes fields of them. Curious explorers cannot help but wonder why some have drawn enough attention in days gone by to have been given names of their own.
Hardscrabble: A Hike Through The Hollow
Journey down to the northwest corner of Bernardsville, to a road named Hardscrabble, and explore trails that crisscross through a National Park and a wildlife sanctuary, both of which offer wildlife and landscapes of wooded hillsides, open meadows, and streams.
Hunterdon County Arboretum in Fall
Foliage in Northwest New Jersey is different than that of New England because of our wide variety of trees. Where can you find the most diverse panorama of tree species? An arboretum of course!
Mr. Adventure
I meet Terry Lee and his Harley Davidson three-wheeler ifor a ride to important places of historic worth, sentimental value and natural beauty that together makes a great day trip in Warren County.
Park Place: Montague and High Point
One autumn day you are likely to find yourself headed to New Jersey's northernmost corner in search of fall adventure. You may be guided by way of either of two well-known parks that converge at the top of the state in the township of Montague, and although few visitors care what zip code they' re in, some exploration beyond the park borders can be quickly rewarded.
Pequest Pilgrims
Immerse yourself in the season's beauty, the region's heritage, and a spectrum of natural features along this forty-mile loop that parallels the Pequest River through its upper reaches,
Reservoir Relaxation: Split Rock,Taylortown and Boonton
A trio of Morris County reservoirs, each less than ten miles from the next, dot opposing sides of a triangle that frames sharply contrasting environments. An autumn visit to each or all promises ample leaf peeping vistas, woodland or urban hikes with water views and flashes of Revolutionary and Civil War history.
Roads Best Traveled
The historic and scenic river towns of Easton, Portland, Columbia, Belvidere and Phillipsburg all merit in-depth exploration of their own, but this forty-eight-mile loop tour emphasizes the old roads connecting them.
Rock and Roll Highway
Interstate Route 80 can be a scenic tour through an ancient glacial lake, across a glacial morraine, over the New Jersey Highlands into the vast Valley and Ridge province. Enjoy your next ride on the Christopher Columbus Highway with a new perspective!
Rumblings in the Railroad Earth
The Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad's construction of a line that altered the contour of both the landscape and culture of Northwestern New Jersey has been a source of wonder since the first shovels hit the ground near the turn of the last century.
Rumblings in the Railroad Earth
The Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad's construction of a line that altered the contour of both the landscape and culture of Northwestern New Jersey has been a source of wonder since the first shovels hit the ground near the turn of the last century.
Schooley's Elusive Spirit
A tour along Schooley's Mountain back roads through parks, lore, and legends.
Sussex County Vistas
Northwest Sussex County is New Jersey's wild land. It reaches the primitive core of our beings. Its landscape is largely untamed, only the hand of the plow turns its soil. It's a land whose beauty inspires the imagination and motivates creative fulfillment. Its colorful history is living.
The Lackawanna Cutoff
Following this route takes you along one of the most innovative endeavors of the early part of this century and through some of the prettiest countryside in the northeast!
The Thrill of Flight at Local Airports
It's easy to overlook the rich aviation history in New Jersey's northwest corner. Way before Silicon Valley and the dawn of the computer age, guys in basements and industrial labs in the Skylands worked on the hot tech of the day? flight Located in and around early Skylands airports, they helped move airplanes from mainly experimental and military enterprises into the heart of American commerce and lives.
Trails, Tracks and Taverns
Old roads and new trails in and around Hunterdon County’s Jugtown Mountain offer scenic options for fall explorers as they wander through historic districts, old hamlets, wooded roads, environmental preserves and county parks. The more you look, the more you see!
Trickle Down
Follow the Spruce Run on its way from the top of Schooley’s Mountain to the reservoir that bears it’s name.
Van Campen Inn and Fort Shapanack
The Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area (DWGNRA) covers a 40-mile stretch from the Delaware Water Gap to Port Jervis, NY. Interesting and scenic old roads can be found throughout the area, but none possess more mystery and legend than New Jersey’s Old Mine Road
View from the Tourne
Rising beyond the eastern shore of the Rockaway River, a Passaic River tributary, stands the Tourne, a modest mountain known for its rocky terrain and spectacular New York skyline views.
Western Highlands: The Scenic Route
The Byway reveals scenic, historic, archaeological, cultural and natural intrinsic qualities of the Vernon and Highlands area. There are two parts to this scenic puzzle: a straight line from Route 23 to Warwick, New York, and an adjacent loop in Vernon.
Wet and Wild
Newfoundland, West Milford offer preserved deep forests, brooks, ponds and unspoiled landscapes throughout the Pequannock Watershed.
Back Country Skiing
The purest form of back country skiing marries the skills of cross country and downhill telemark skiing (done at ski areas) in a joyous union that allows the skier to ski anywhere there is snow. For eastern back country skiers the consummation of this marriage is climbing hills to ski down through forested slopes untracked by other humans.
Cross Country Skiing
Nordic skiing represents an easy glide through woods and gentle valleys surrounded by the sparkling serenity of freshly fallen snow.Equipment is simple, straightforward and inexpensive, with little risk of injury.
Dog Sledding
Sled dog racing is a great spectator sport. No snow potatoes allowed! Onlookers are recruited as sled holders and dog handlers. Others just come to learn more about dogs.
From the Paulinskill to the Iditarod
Blairstown's determined adventurer, Kim Darst, uses a motorless, dog-powered ATV to exercise and train her team of more than a dozen Alaskan huskies on the Paulinskill Valley Trail.. She hopes the training will adequately prepare them to complete Alaska's Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race. If she succeeds, her team will be the first from New Jersey ever to do so.
Ice Fishing
The first fishable ice (three inches or more) usually forms by sometime in mid to late December. Then you can head out onto the fishable coves on such impoundments as Lake Hopatcong, Lake Wawayanda, Swartswood Lake, Paulinskill Lake, Cranberry Lake, Lake Musconetcong, Budd Lake, Mountain Lake, or any other frozen body of water in where you can gain public access.
Ice Hiking
One doesn't usually think of New Jersey's Kittatinny Mountains in the same breath as glaciers and icy slopes of higher mountains. Some years this changes in January and February when ice climbing routes come "into condition" on Mount Tammany and on many waterfalls in the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area.
Snowboarding
Sussex County native Danny Kass brought national attention to the Skylands Region in the 2002 Winter Olympics when he won a silver medal for snowboarding. For those in the area who knew nothing about the sport, it suddenly became interesting.
Snowshoeing
Not only does snowshoeing provide a cardio packed punch of a workout, it is also a lot of fun! Snowshoeing is easy to learn, inexpensive compared to other winter sports, and poses little risk of injury. Try a tundra trek this winter!
Telemark Skiing
Improvements in equipment are making Telemarking more versatile and attractive to winter sports lovers. And, as Alpine skiing and Snowboarding become passé, suddenly the old way is the new way. Telemark is cool.
Winter Hikes
The Winter season has its own wonders that merit braving the cold. In fact there are intrepid hikers that don't take to the trails until the branches are bare, in search of vistas from ice formations to sun glistening on a freshly fallen snow.
Winter Outdoors
Looking for a new relationship? Well, how about you and Northwest New Jersey; Perfect Together? The landscape is frigid and quiet, yet stunningly attractive. Somebody's got to take some action here. If you don't do it, somebody else will!
Winter Tactics For The Delaware River Angler
On a cloudy, raw February day, the air thermometer read 28 degrees, never to rise above freezing. In five hours, we boated 11 large smallmouth bass on hair jigs, with two exceeding four pounds. The Delaware River angler need not hibernate!