Hike of the Week 02/24/04

WHERE: South Mountain Reservation

FEATURES : This loop hike includes a panoramic viewpoint, a scenic waterfall, and a stroll along a pleasant stream.

LENGTH: About five miles.

DIFFICULTY: Moderate.

TIME: About four hours.

MAP: South Mountain Reservation trail map (available from the Essex County Department of Parks, Recreation, and Cultural Affairs, (973) 268-3500 x238)

DOGS: Permitted on leash.

HOW TO GET THERE: Take Interstate Route 78 to Exit 50B (Maplewood, Millburn) and continue north on Vaux Hall Road for 0.7 mile. After crossing a temporary bridge, turn left onto Millburn Avenue. In 0.5 mile, the traffic is routed to the right, onto Essex Street. After passing the Millburn railroad station, turn right onto Lackawanna Place. At the next intersection (Glen Avenue), turn right and then make an immediate left into the Locust Grove parking area.

  To reach the trailhead by public transportation, take the NJ Transit Morristown Line to the Millburn station. (From Bergen County, you can take a train on the Main Line/Bergen County Line to Secaucus Junction and transfer there to a Morristown Line train.) From the western end of the platform at the Millburn station, walk north along Lackawanna Place to Glen Avenue, then cross Glen Avenue and enter the park at the Locust Grove parking area.

DESCRIPTION: From the end of the parking area, follow the yellow-blazed Lenape Trail, which bears right onto a gravel road leading to a picnic area. The trail continues through the picnic area, then bears left and begins to climb the First Watchung Mountain on a wide path. It bears right at a fork (do not follow the light-green-blazed trail that turns left here), then turns right at a T intersection (marked by a chain-link fence) onto a woods road, continuing to climb. At the top of the ascent, follow the yellow blazes as they turn left, leaving the road, and continue on a footpath to the paved Crest Drive (closed to vehicular traffic), where they turn left along the road.

  As the road curves to the right, the New York City skyline may be seen to the left through the trees on a clear day, with the towers of the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge visible in the distance to the right. Just ahead - before reaching a plaque on a boulder commemorating a Revolutionary War battle that took place near here - the trail turns left, leaving the road, and descends to an observation platform with stone pillars at the site of Washington Rock, from which George Washington surveyed the countryside during the American Revolution. The view from here is to the southwest, with Millburn and the NJ Transit railroad tracks visible below, and Watchung Reservation - the continuation of the Watchung range beyond the Millburn-Springfield gap - ahead in the distance. This is a good place to take a break.

  When you're ready to continue, turn left and follow the Lenape Trail, which descends on a footpath. Soon, you'll notice an unmarked side trail to the left that leads to a fenced overlook over an abandoned quarry. A short distance beyond, the Lenape Trail crosses a bridle path and enters a remote, less-used area of the reservation. After a short descent, it crosses a small stream, with the Maple Falls Cascade - where the stream plunges down a 25-foot sluiceway of exposed basalt - to the left, downstream.

  The trail now follows a relatively level footpath. After crossing another bridle path, it turns sharply right at Lilliput Knob and reaches Beech Brook Cascades - where two brooks converge - about two miles from the start. Beyond the cascade, the trail begins a gradual climb, paralleling a brook in a shallow ravine to the right. After bearing left and crossing a bridle path, the trail climbs to reach Mines Point - named for exploratory pits dug by copper prospectors circa 1800. Here, the trail bears right and heads north, first climbing gently, then descending to reach Ball's Bluff where, to the left of the trail, old stone pillars are remnants of a picnic shelter built in 1908.

  Now descending steadily, the Lenape Trail crosses a bridle path and soon begins to parallel a stream. After crossing the stream, it turns right onto an eroded road. It climbs to the top of a rise, then bears left, leaving the road, descends a steep slope, and turns right along a stream. In a short distance, it reaches the base of Hemlock Falls, a scenic waterfall, and crosses a footbridge over the stream. Stone steps lead to the top of the waterfall, and benches afford an opportunity to rest and enjoy the beautiful setting.

  From the falls, the Lenape Trail heads west along a woods road that parallels the stream. It soon reaches a junction with a wide bridle path, marked by a signpost for the Rahway Trail. The Lenape Trail turns right at this junction, but you should turn left and follow the unmarked bridle path heading south. Several paths branch off to the left, but continue ahead along the bridle path that runs parallel to the Rahway River, to your right.

  In about half a mile, you'll reach an intersection where a road comes in from the right. Turn right, onto this road, for a very short distance. Just before reaching the bridge over the river, you'll see the white-blazed Rahway Trail to the left. Turn left here and follow this trail, which will lead all the way back to the starting point.

  For much of the way, the white blazes run between the bridle path (to the left) and the river (to the right). At one point, in a rhododendron grove, they briefly join the bridle path, then continue ahead when the bridle path bears left. The trail will join the bridle path briefly several more times, so look carefully for the white blazes. You'll pass to the left of Campbell's Pond, where a large abandoned building - which once served as a pumping station for the City of Orange - may be seen along the river.

  After passing Diamond Mill Pond, the Rahway Trail turns left, away from the river, and it ends at the Locust Grove parking area, where the hike began.

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