Hiking in the Garden State
We have been pleasantly surprised with the lushness of the forests around Keansburg. It doesn’t seem like you are far from a dense forest at any time in this region of New Jersey. This has made exploring some of the close by hiking trails so much more enjoyable. We took advantage of this, along with some amazing weather to get out there and explore some of the best hiking trails in New Jersey. Follow us along our adventures from the Appalachian Trail to the highest elevated point in the state, to exploring the trails along the Twin Light Towers to fly fishing in a pristine New Jersey river along the Ken Lockwood Gorge.
Mile: 49,323
Quote of the Blog: “Of all the paths you take in life, make sure a few of them are dirt,” - John Muir
Song of the Blog: “Appalachian Trail” - Hunter Quinn
On our first adventure to Sandy Hook’s beaches we drove past these two massive light towers placed up on a bluff overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. Amity made this spot a must do, so we made sure to get out and explore it right away. The area is known as the Hartshorne Woods Park. We found a great trail that goes around the entire park called the Hartshorn Grand Parade. The trail was really nice and wide. We walked through a dense forest that was covered in lush ivy. At times the ivy was so thick it hung down off the trees and blanketed the forest floor. Periodically the forest canopy would open and give us views of the harbor around Sea Bright, NJ and the Sandy Hook Peninsula. This being our first hiking experience in New Jersey, it was really nice to get out in the woods and do some walking.
At the end of the hike we headed over to the Twin Light Towers to check them out. We learned quite a bit about the area while exploring it. We learned that the first Wireless Telegraph in the United States was sent here, the first reading of the Pledge of Allegiance was recited here and this lighthouse has been a military fort for multiple countries throughout history. The Dutch, British and US has all held claim to this spot. During some excavating around the facilities, they found an old cannon which they are not sure if it is Dutch or English, but how cool to see. We were able to walk up into the top of the light tower to take in the views of the surrounding area. This was an amazing spot! We could see up to New York City and down along the Jersey Coast as far as our eyes could see.
The next hiking zone came in the form of the highest elevated point in New Jersey; High Point, NJ. This area in in the northwestern corner of the state. While doing my research of the area, I was able to find that the Appalachian Trail goes right along this area and allows for us to knock off two birds with one hike. We both have never hiked on the Appalachian Trail, so this was very exciting for us. I found a trail that would take us 7 miles along the AT, and would take us up to the highest point in NJ. Before we started this hike, our research informed us that there would be a lot of rocks on the trail. We encountered some rocks, but nothing that was overbearing like the rocks on Flat Iron Mountain in Arizona. This gave us a day full of hiking laughs. Along the trail, we encountered a shelter and camping area for people who are hiking the Appalachian Trail. We took a quick break and signed the visitors log book. The trail quickly gained some elevation before walking along a ridge. About a third of the way into the hike we came across a viewing deck. This gave us a really good view of the High Point State Park and the Obelisk at the top. This is a beautiful and rural area of New Jersey with nearby lake in the views. A little further down the trail, Amity began to ask me about what we were now hiking to. We had now past the highest point in the trail. I let her know we were hiking to another trailhead to get some extra miles on our hike. She made a point to identify that we were now essentially hiking to nothing to turn around and head back. I was lucky to the only sign on the trail at this trailhead that identified that we were hiking on the Appalachian Trail, which made for a great photo spot!
We then backtracked on the trail to the highest point and the obelisk. The elevation of the highest point in New Jersey is 1,813 feet above elevation. The low elevation element is comical, but the area was still mountainous with beautiful views. It was only $1/person fee to go inside and up to the top of the obelisk, so we had to head up. At the top we were told we would be able to see New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania. The stairs going up wrapped up the structure in a crazy spiral. Once we got to the top, we were able to look out a couple slot windows to see the surrounding area. The only problem was that the windows were a little too high for us to be able to see out of them and they were very dirty. Nonetheless, we were able to look out and know we had seen all three states. One of the more notable things about this structure was the fact that the outside was COVERED in Spotted Lanternflies. These are a super invasive bug from Asia that have started to take over in this area. This was the worst I have seen, and it was funny to watch people walking around stomping on them like it was a game. After some pictures, we headed back on the trail and made our way to the car. Checking the Appalachian Trail off our hiking list was awesome! We know we will have more adventures along it, but we can now say we have hiked a part of it. On our way back to Keansburg, Amity found a cool spot to check out on her favorite, Atlas Obscura!! This was an old Gingerbread Factory in some random town in northern New Jersey. As bizarre as it was, it was kind of cool to see how they brought German Architecture into such a random place, plus now that it’s closed down and slightly worn down it is extra spooky!
The following weekend we took a day to head out to the Ken Lockwood Gorge area of New Jersey. This zone we learned about while having some beers at the local brewery, Grin Brewing, from a local guy named Mike. He let us know it was a great spot to fly fish, and a really quiet trail. He was spot on with both of those bits of information. When we got down to the trailhead, we were greeted with a dump truck that was trying to back out of a one way dirt road along a river. It was super sketchy! We tried to help the driver get turned around, but she ended up just backing out. The trail was a really well maintained old service road that had been maintained as a natural preserve. The Ken Lockwood Gorge has the South Branch of the Raritan River wrapping through it. At this point this river is still pristine and crystal clear. Another big surprise to see such a beautiful area so close to the urban chaos nearby. As we walked along the river, I began to see zones that looked like they would be great fishing spots. At each of these spots Amity enjoyed reading her book and taking in the natural beauty around us. We slowly worked our way up the river for a few miles. After a couple good looking pools I was able to pull in my first fish of the day. It was a river Perch, which I have never caught before. We continued up the river for a little ways, along the way we found a beautiful Blue Herron standing in the river fishing. It was so still at first, I wondered if it was a statue. Beautiful moment to see such a cool bird on the same mission as myself! A little bit before we started work out way down river, I landed a beautiful Brown Trout. Checking off a successful fishing trip in another state is such a great feeling! The Ken Lockwood George is a magical and beautiful area of New Jersey. A place that we will not soon forget about.
We are now starting to stack up the miles walked in New Jersey. This state has a lot of natural beauty to take in. We have done a great job of taking advantage of some amazing weather to start our three months in New Jersey! With a little over half of Amity’s contract left, we have several adventures still to make and we know there will be some surprises along the way!