December 19 - 26

Hark the Herald!

The High Point monument; photo from the Carol M. Highsmith Archive, Library of Congress.

A winter landscape and ancient holiday traditions blend to evoke a sense of wonder, reflection, and renewal as the winter solstice officially greets the new season on Saturday, December 21.

Tripod Rock on Pyramid Mountain

The annual solstice seems to have inspired ancient people to observe the year's shortest day with carefully aligned markers on a sight-line that points to the sun's low point in the sky. The most famous of these is Stonehenge in England, but there are local monuments that may have had a similar function. On the Pennsylvania side of the Delaware River, overhanging rocks form a shelter perfectly placed to observe the sun rise out of the center of the Water Gap on the winter solstice. A large obelisk protruding from the earth near Hainesville in Sussex County might have been similarly used. And three “sighting stones” near Mt. Bethel in Warren County seem to align with the winter solstice sunrise. Along the shore of Mountain Lake in White Township is a large flat rock outcropping on which legend claims the Lenape stood in ceremony to “bring up the sun”. And the 170-ton Tripod Rock resting on top of Morris County’s Pyramid Mountain suggests use as a "calendar site" long ago.

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The Owls Have It

Snowy Owl. (Brian E. Kushner, Cornell Lab of Ornithology)

During the winter months fewer people venture outside to explore the forests. What many don't realize is that this season opens up a whole new opportunity for the nature lover. Since the canopy of leaves is gone, there is visibility for spotting owls. Owls draw us in with their big, soulful eyes and luxuriously soft-looking feathers, and we appreciate how that spark of interest can be nurtured into the type of informed appreciation that leads to conservation action. These amazing birds have earned their moment of fame and the platform it provides for education. Wisdom on the fly!

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Watershed Moments

Pohatcong Creek flows past the historic Hixson-Skinner Mill near Springtown.

Geologic record helps understand the human history and impacts of settlement and lifestyles in each of our watersheds, which take on regional characteristics of their own, connecting communities by a shared vital resource. The intrinsic appeal of their landscapes is enhanced by a heaping portion of openly accessible recreation facilities, either publicly owned or privately managed with the visitor in mind.
Following Pohatcong Mountain, another of the many Appalachian ridges that run through Warren County, the Pohatcong Watershed lies parallel and between those of the Musconetcong River to the south and the Pequest to the north. Follow the river!

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Yuletide Carols

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December 12 - 19

The Holly and the Ivy

Louise Hyde's beautiful and unique evergreen wreaths, sprays and arrangements are among the items available at Well-Sweep Herb Farm's Christmas gift shop.

Symbolic connections with nature come alive when Christmas is on the horizon. Enduring emblems of the season, holly, ivy, and your Christmas tree symbolize resilience and vitality, flourishing even in the darkest, coldest months of the year when most of the natural landscape lies dormant.

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Fun and Function

Wilbur's Country Store is stuffed with great ideas for Christmas like fabulous Christmas puddings and cakes, crackers, biscuits, Taylers Christmas Tea, and Kipling's mince pies - all with a British touch of charm, heritage, and humor. And there are Yankee candles, wind chimes, pet-themed gifts, preserves, and much more to be found in a rustic barn complex between Newton and Blairstown. 735 Route 94, Newton 07860, 908/362-8833

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Go with the grain

Loaves and baguettes at the Bobolink Dairy and Bakehouse include (counterclockwise from right): Garlic duckfat ciabatta, local baguettes, cranberry walnut breadstick, rosemary epi, heirloom Fife, medieval baguette, Flax Armadillo loaf, rustic olloaf, Petit levain, cranberry walnut loaf.

There is now a proliferation of literature telling us to avoid wheat altogether, but the great news is that the nutritious and varying flours can be baked into nutritious and varying breads, season by season, loaf by loaf. It just requires that food makers relinquish their expectation that flour be exactly the same from harvest to harvest. See how its done, and look forward to an informative trip to Bobolink Dairy and Bakehouse, where Nina Stein White and her staff have produced millions of healthy and delicious breads! and where they also produce grass-fed beef and make artisanal cheeses is also the place where 369 Stamets Rd, Milford (Hunterdon County), 908/86GRASS. Or order online!

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Pit Stop

The gouges and cuts that scarred the earth made way for early industrial commerce in Northwest New Jersey.

Before you're inundated with holiday commitments, take advantage of the opportunity for a walk that can reveal more than you can imagine in the barren woods. With a little research your town might transform from a collection of ordinary suburban neighborhoods to one of great historical significance! Explore the site of the Elizabeth Mine in Rockaway, one of a number of iron ore operations that comprised the Mount Hope Mine, which produced about six million tons of iron ore and, from its forge and furnace, cast iron products such as Revolutionary War cannonballs.

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Million Dollar Highway

Seen from Promontory Rock, Mt. Tammany rises across the river in New Jersey.

Lost history of the Delaware Water Gap area comes to light along a short drive along the Delaware River north of Portland, PA, where the long-awaited re-opening of PA Route 611 has finally come to pass. A few stops along the way to get out and walk a bit reveal some of the area's old resort sites, all now gone. Of the lost resorts, the largest and most lavish were on the Pennsylvania side of the river.

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Sunday School

As the holidays progress, consider the church as the predominant link in our history. The history of worship in Morris County is older than the county itself, which prior to its establishment in 1739, had been home to settlers in the eastern regions since 1695. Settlements in the western portion came soon thereafter, in the early 1700s. And the building of churches began. Many of today's congregations in the western part of the county can claim a heritage traced to the Roxiticus congregation, circa 1738. A Sunday afternoon drive reveals extraordinary beauty in these grand country churches. More...

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Fa la la la la la la la la!

December 5 - 12

Calendar of Advents!

Find a beauty at Evergreen Valley Christmas Tree Farm!

Dedicated groups all over Northwest New Jersey, often known as "friends", are busy this season hosting special holiday events at a wide range of downtowns and historic sites. Following are a few of the many opportunities to rev up that good old holiday spirit. Holy Santa, Christmas is three weeks away!

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December 5-8, the Manor House at Skylands Botanical Gardens, will be decorated floor to ceiling for this year’s theme, ‘A Gilded Age Holiday,’ a glittering, extravagant display of imagination and delight. It’s a warm and welcoming start to the holiday season with a totally different look every year! There are also great holiday ideas at the Gift Shop, and a delicious array at the Holiday Café. Free. 20 Morris Rd. Ringwood; 973/962-9534

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The Chickering Grand Piano at Acorn Hall

Celebrate Deck the Halls! as Acorn Hall and Macculloch Hall dress up in holiday grandeur and open for visitors on Saturday, December 7, This holiday fundraiser supports both historic sites, highlighting the magic and wonder of Christmas past and feature holiday music on Acorn Hall’s 1872 Chickering Grand Piano and Thomas Nast’s most famous Christmas scenes at Macculloch Hall. $25.

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The Friends of Jacobus Vanderveer House celebrate Colonial Christmas outdoors Saturday, December 7 with live holiday music, a surprise holiday pull, and Colonial Reenactors. The Jacobus Vanderveer House will be open for tours for a suggested donation of $10 per group. 2:30 - 5:30pm. River Road Park, 3055 River Road, Bedminster. 908/396-6053

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Join the Gallery 23 artists for some light refreshments and holiday cheer at this Saturday's (December 7) Holiday Open House, and shop for unique gifts in one of the only cooperative arts galleries in Northwest New Jersey. Choose from a huge inventory of paintings, photographs, jewelry, fine woodworking, wooden toys, pottery, stain glass, quilting, handmade ornaments, cards and more. 10am - 4pm. 23 Main Street., Blairstown 908/362-6865

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Docents will discuss Victorian Christmas traditions during a candlelight tour of the main floor at Shippen Manor on Sunday, December 8. Pre register for hourly tours, 1, 2 and 3pm. 8 Belvidere Ave., Oxford. 908/453-4381.

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Enjoy a Walpack Christmas next weekend (Dec. 14-15)at the Rosenkrans Museum and the Walpack Methodist Episcopal Church in the historic village of Walpack Center along Old Mine Road in the Delaware Water Gap NRA. Both buildings will be decorated for the holidays and staffed with volunteers from the Walpack Historical Society.  Come and experience Christmas traditions and exhibits from a late nineteenth-century rural farming community.

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At next weekend's (Dec. 13-15) Moravian Christmas, the Hope Historical Society will celebrate with lantern walking tours, a Moravian candlelight service, festival of trees and food, and nativity scenes. Hope 908-475-5361

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The Foster-Armstrong House dresses up for the next three weekends (through December 21) for Old Fashioned Holidays, with decorated rooms on the first floor, five beautiful Christmas trees, historical displays, Santa in the hallway with a Gingerbread Bakery, Snow People in the Montague Room, and more from the Montague Association for the Restoration of Community History. 320 River Road. Montague.

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November 26 - December 5

Family Gatherings!

Having family and friends for Thanksgiving weekend? Wondering what to do with them come Friday? Here are a couple suggestions, all of which avoid messy mall parking and that faceless big-box MaulMart syndrome. Keep an eye on our calendar and Think Skylands for the Holidays!

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Historic Shopping Opportunities

Visitors enjoy exploring the many rooms of the historic Manor House and taking photos on the spectacular three story spiral staircase.

During this Saturday's Holiday Event at Lusscroft Farm (Nov. 30, 10am - 4pm), three historic buildings will be open- the Manor House, the Carriage House, and the former Manager's Dwelling (Christmas Cottage). Tour the festively decorated Manor House, learn the history of Lusscroft, enjoy the model train display and live music by the Skylands Dulcimer String Band in front of the massive fireplace. Talented crafters and interesting vendors will fill your holiday shopping list, and you’ll enjoy scrumptious lunch items at the Food Truck by Chefdnj. Check the website for schedules and more information.
After establishing important innovations in modern dairy farming in the early 20th century, the 1,050-acre historic farm became a nationally renown research center until 1970. The event is presented by the all-volunteer, non-profit Heritage and Agriculture Association, Inc., in cooperation with the NJ DEP/Division of Parks and Forestry, working together to restore the buildings and grounds at Lusscroft. $5 admission to the Manor House (under 18 free) helps ongoing restoration efforts. Lusscroft is located in the northwest corner of Sussex County at 50 Neilson Road in Wantage.

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First Choice!

Take a tour of the farm!

Get a jump , and first choice, on your Christmas green at Evergreen Valley Tree Farm where the gates open for the Christmas season on Friday, the day after Thanksgiving. The farm will be open from 9am to 4pm Wednesday through Sunday until December 22. Thousands of trees stand at attention, awaiting your review. Walk through the fields, breathe the fresh air, choose and cut! Family-run on preserved farmland, Evergreen Valley is located at 71 Jackson Valley Road in Washington Township, just off of Route 31. Click or call 908/835-0557.

Christmas tree farmers plan years in advance, provide year-round care, and invest time, labor, and love into a crop which takes 7-15 years from planting to harvest. Opting for a real Christmas tree for your holiday decor helps the local environment, local economy, even rural landscapes. Cutting your own Christmas tree can be a memorable event for your family.

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Handmade Holiday

Embark on a festive journey through creativity and craftsmanship at Peters Valley School of Craft! The gallery at Peters Valley has transformed into an enchanting winter wonderland brimming with new work from incredibly talented artists. Over twenty new artists will display their stunning creations in the gallery during the event, offering a one-of-a-kind holiday shopping experience with something special for everyone on your list, from From unique jewelry to exquisite home decor. Activities and demonstrations by various artists will take place on weekends through December, 12pm-4pm. If for some reason you can't make the trip through the beautiful Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area to 19 Kuhn Road. in Layton, you can access the artists' work on line.

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Attention AgriShoppers!

Perfect for the foodie, Bobolink Dairy & Bakehouse has assembled some of their finest, most sought after cheese and bread selections and packaged them in beautiful presentation gift baskets ready for your holiday gift giving. The baskets, which come in various styles and sizes, are filled with tasty morsels sure to please the most discerning palate along with a re-usable bread basket and colorful kitchen towel for an everlasting memory of the gift. You can order gift baskets on line or pick them up at local markets or at the farm with sufficient lead time. 369 Stamets Rd, Milford (Hunterdon County) 08848, 908/86GRASS

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November 20 - 27

Mines, Metal and Men

There is a thread of heritage and industry that began in the New Jersey highlands centuries ago, before America officially started.
Exploring the past, rather than reading about it, is enchanting. It is the ultimate virtual reality to feel the things that have happened right where you're standing. You can't touch the experience with any video, documentary or Disneyland. Turning off onto a county highway becomes a tour through some of the richest history in America when you really know where you are. And by making personal discoveries about our heritage we find more meaning in what we encounter day to day.

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Whose Woods Are These?

What the heck kind of rock is that big brown petrified toad anyway? All those layers... it looks kind of like its growing out of the ground. How did it get here?

A walk in the woods at this time of year can reveal more than you can imagine. The beaten-down forest rewards hikers with visible reminders of a busy past, sometimes in remote tracts high in the hills. And there are less renown, but equally intriguing remnants of history lurking in the woods of Northwest New Jersey. Try walking the domain of the former Pequest Furnace near Oxford, which played a role in the Industrial Revolution along with dozens of other sites in Northwest New Jersey. The part played here is relatively obscure, pieces of a puzzle hidden in the Warren County woods. Beyond the brown wispy remnants of last summer's green field at the edge of the woods, there sits a small, gray, alien hill, a pile of what might be lunar matter or crushed-up meteor. More...

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The Essence of Fluorescence

A thirty-two-foot-long pageant of rocks at the Franklin Mineral Museum that includes many of the ninety-plus fluorescent minerals found here, comes alive under ultraviolet light.

Sparta, Ogdensburg, Franklin and surrounding Sussex County communities are most widely known for their rolling hills, farms, lakes, and back country lanes. Most visitors do not realize that oceans covered this area some 1.25 billion years before, a time when there was little life in the seas and even less on land, but when the astounding volume and variety of minerals in this area was deposited in as what we now know as the Franklin Marble. The area’s unusual geology helped shape a rich stream of historic discoveries, visionary people, successes, and failures. Today, we can follow that history along a corridor running from Sparta northward to Franklin, a fifteen-mile road trip that is fascinating, fun, and well worth taking!

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Dry Eye

The only thing remotely good about a drought is what the lack of water might reveal. On a walk along Spruce Run Reservoir's north shore, just off Van Syckle's Rd., the remnants of the historic, iron producing Union Furnace from early 1700s are now clearly visible. And in the far left of this photo you can also see an old turnpike that has rarely seen the light of day since the reservoir's construction in 1961.

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What's In A Name?

It is not difficult to track down the Andover mine's location. But beware that the property is private and that trespassing is prohibited.

As far back as the early 1700s the name Andover was used by the Penns, owners of a large tract here granted to them by the Proprietors, to refer to the whole general area in Sussex County. Over the years, various sites have borne the Andover name, including local iron mines, forges, furnaces, factories and settlements with a connection with these early iron interests. More...

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On The Way

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November 14 - 21

Flaming Out

There won’t be too many more days to get out and feel a warm breeze while enjoying the amber and gold colors of autumn’s last leaves. Some days unfold slowly, but listen carefully to catch their rhythm, and you may enjoy the tune. Can you believe it? Two weeks until Thanksgiving!

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Rock and Roll Highway

Interstate Route 80, aka the Christopher Columbus Highway, can be a scenic tour through an ancient glacial lake, across a glacial moraine, over the New Jersey Highlands into the vast Valley and Ridge province. Enjoy your next ride with a new perspective! Drive on...

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Learning Hibernia

A forgotten cemetery high above today’s Hibernia.

Tucked between Rockaway Township's town of Hibernia and Split Rock Reservoir lies one of New Jersey's many multi-use Wildlife Management Areas. These tracts of land have been set aside for a variety of public uses including hiking, nature study, photography, exploration, fishing and hunting. Some also offer great opportunity to delve into some of the more obscure aspects of the area's history. Lovers of nature, history, and geology will all find something, laced with a bit of intrigue at Wildcat Ridge.

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The Tewksbury Register

Mountainville ahead!

Hunterdon County is home to over forty historic districts on the National Register. Some of those, in Tewksbury Township, are located in some of the most beautiful and serene countryside in New Jersey. With a little historic perspective, your trip through these antique villages will become an excursion of discovery. An afternoon driving or biking along this route is time well-spent; one that you'll likely tell your friends about.

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Rock Legends

Bevans Rock House is a large rock shelter formed by a huge overhanging rock slab and was probably used by Indians for many years.

New Jersey’s Skylands offer beauty, awe, history, and mystery to any weekend traveler discovering the region’s mountains, lakes, fields, forests—and rocks!! Nearly everywhere you look there are rocks; big ones, little ones, sometimes fields of them resembling a Golem’s garden. But amidst this lithic profusion curious explorers cannot help but wonder why certain rocks and boulders have drawn enough attention in days gone by to have been given names of their own. Where are these special boulders anyhow, and what are their stories? More...

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November 7 - 14

Looking Back

On this November morning, many of the fields in our rural part of the state contain rows of corn stubble or the ragged remains of hay that has been harvested by this time of year. Memories can be found behind every boulder and around each bend. The clocks have turned back to Daylight Craving Time, but there is much to do

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Track of Our Tears

The 9/11 National Memorial Trail now 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. The restored fireplace now serves as a base for a memorial plaque that commemorates the four Warren County residents who lost their lives on September 11, 2001. It's just a short, and delightful, walk to the monument, well worth taking.

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Hawk Eyes

A red-tailed resident at The Raptor Trust. (photo courtesy The Raptor Trust)

A visit to the Hawk Mountain Sanctuary in Kempton, PA, during the fall raptor migration of 1964, inspired Len and Diane Soucy's special interest in birds of prey, and led to their life's work at The Raptor Trust in Millington. Although watching birds of prey doesn't have to define your life, you may find yourself with a bit of raptor fever after a taste of the annual fall migration. Some species, like the northern goshawk, golden eagle, and red-tailed hawk actually increase in numbers in November, but each species has its own window of time. You can start with this primer for watching these magnificent and magical birds. Then head for Merrill Creek Reservoir, Raccoon Ridge or several other prime spots in the region.

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Denville Detour

Jonathan's Woods. Photo by Dan Balogh.

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, speckled with high and low ferns and Indian paintbrush, crossed by slender streams and marked by sharply rising rocky outcroppings, 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!

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Southern Exposure

Part of the former the Kuser Estate on top of Bald Pate Mountain.

Just a few miles south of Lambertville lies an area ripe for weekend adventure and exploration. At Bald Pate Mountain, 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. To get there, head south from Lambertville on Route 29, enjoying glimpses of the Delaware & Raritan Canal feeder and the Delaware River along the way.

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October 31 - November 6

Closing Arguments

Trails ablaze at Blue Mountain Lake

Indian Summer is sweet and short, and Halloween means chilly days and barren limbs are not far ahead. But don't be afraid to make a choice! The road ahead is lined with good things to do and colorful panoramas linger. Pick from a multitude of daytrip itineraries and watch out for our virtual efforts to keep you informed. Treasure the journey!

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Eminent Remains

A visitor walking around the Burying Ground of the Presbyterian Church in Morristown will recognize two things right away: a lot of gravestones corresponding to Morristown street names such as Mills, Cutler, Condict, DeHart, Vail and Phoenix (to name a few); and what the ravages of time and nature can do to a place.

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Trickle Down

Spruce Run Creek is a sparkling ribbon of natural beauty whose course through rich agricultural land interspersed with hardwood and evergreen forests still embodies the area's early history and provides sanctuary for many species of wildlife. The spring rises along the ridge of Schooley's Mountain, ten miles northeast of the reservoir near the boundary of Washington Township, in Morris County, and Lebanon Township, in Hunterdon County.

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Foliated again!

Fields and forest at Stokes State Forest

On the north side of Branchville is a 15,482-acre playground known as Stokes State Forest. It's mountains of gorgeous woods and clean water, and it's mountains of fall fun.

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On the Trail

Each of the fourteen sites along this weekend's Explore Warren History Trail offers visitors a special activity. At Knowlton Township's Ramsaysburg Historic Homestead, trail-goers will enjoy the annual Riverside Fall Festival along with interpretive tours of the grounds on Saturday, November 2 (10am-4pm). Visit Ken's Famous Apple Tent to taste an assortment of locally-grown apples, as well as cider pressed on-site, and choose from an array of homemade baked apple goods at Ye Olde Bake Sale. E&R Mathez Farm will offer samplings of their delicious honey and River Valley Community Grains offer locally-grown grains, milled flour, and other items. There will be wool spinning, and kid’s activities that will include making corn husk dolls. As always, visitors can enjoy the natural allure of the property and relish magnificent seasonal views along Delaware River. The Ramsaysburg Homestead is located at 140 Route 46 at Ramseyburg Road in Delaware, NJ.

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