Description

The park -- located in a transitional zone between New Jersey's southern and northern vegetational types -- has four marked hiking trails, blazed in yellow, green, blue and red, respectively. (A white-blazed multi-use trail is also suitable for hiking.) This hike will follow the green trail, which is the longest and most interesting of the park's trails, proceeding for most of its route through a protected natural area. The green trail is sparsely blazed for much of the way, but there are green blazes at all intersections and important turns in the trail.

All four trails begin at the large trail map at the northern end of the parking area. Soon after the start, the trails fork. Bear to the left and follow the blazes downhill along a wide path. At the next intersection, the yellow trail continues straight ahead, but you should turn left, following the green, blue and red blazes along a narrower path. After crossing the first of many wooden bridges you'll encounter on this hike, the trail heads uphill to the park's Interpretive Center. You will want to stop here to view the informative exhibits and obtain a trail map.

Continue ahead along the trail through the hardwood forest. You will soon reach a spot with a view over a salt marsh to the right of the trail, but the view is largely blocked by vegetation in the late spring and summer. Continue downhill to cross a wooden boardwalk, then climb a set of wooden steps. At the top of the steps, the blue trail leaves to the right, but you should bear left, following the green and red blazes, then turn right at the next T intersection.

The trail now passes through an area with some pitch pines, the species typical of the southern New Jersey Pine Barrens. It then descends wooden steps to cross a bridge over a ravine and continues through a wet area on wooden planking. Soon, the trail crosses a sandy road known as Perrine's Road. Just beyond the road, the red trail leaves to the left, but you should continue ahead on the green trail.

In a few minutes, the trail reaches the top of a rise, descends rather steeply along a fence, skirts a beautiful stand of tall phragmites, and descends wooden steps to cross a fresh-water swamp on a long boardwalk. Benches are provided near the end of the boardwalk (where the boardwalk has been built around several large red maple trees), and you may wish to use this opportunity to take a break and contemplate this tranquil setting. At the end of the swamp, the trail climbs wooden steps and bears right. Soon, it goes down to cross another boardwalk which passes through a white cedar swamp, with the thick needles of the cedars forming a dense canopy overhead. Here, a layer of clay beneath the surface traps the water and prevents it from draining off.

Continue ahead at the end of this unusual swamp, avoiding an unmarked trail to the left. The trail now passes through deciduous woods, crossing a boardwalk over a wet area. Soon, you will cross Museum Road, another sandy road. Just beyond, look for several large 150-year-old white pine trees on the right side of the trail. The trail now climbs over exposed tree roots, ascends wooden steps, and bears left at the top of the rise. It descends gradually, turns right to cross a ravine on a wooden bridge, and continues ahead on a level path.

After descending on an eroded path through a shallow ravine, the green trail bears right, as an unmarked trail joins from the left. Just beyond, you will notice a depressed area to the left of the trail, with several cinder blocks visible between the trail and the depressed area. This is all that remains of a park museum, built in the 1950s but never used. The building -- after which Museum Road is named -- was demolished soon after it was constructed.

Turn right at the next T intersection (the left fork leads to Museum Road, visible ahead). The trail skirts a swampy area to the left, then -- just beyond a huge oak tree to the left of the trail -- turns left and proceeds across a densely vegetated low area on a sandy path that resembles a stream bed. After crossing a stream on bridge, the trail bears right and soon reaches a boardwalk over a wet area. You will notice some dead trees in a pond to the left. These trees were killed by siltation from development outside the park that has settled into this low area. The trail continues over several more stretches of boardwalk and then reenters a hardwood forest and begins to climb, finally emerging on Perrine's Road.

Turn left and follow the road past the entrance to Gordon Field, a group camping area (restrooms are located here). About 150 feet beyond the field, the green trail turns right at a wooden arch and -- along with the red trail -- follows a footpath into the woods. It skirts the field to the left, then bears left and descends to Museum Road. Turn right on this road and follow it, past a turnoff to the Interpretive Center, back to the parking area where the hike began.