Jugtown Mountain Preserve
Directions
Take Route 78 west to exit 11. Proceed on Route 173 west for about 2 miles. Turn right onto Mine Road. The entrance to the park is on the left just beyond the Bethlehem Township Building.
If coming from County 635 [Charlestown Road], turn east on Mine Road, the only direction possible; the park entrance is about 2.5 miles on the right.
GPS Coordinates: 40.662814, -75.026370 [408 Mine Rd, Asbury, NJ 08802]
Park Overview
Yes, the name does have something to do with liquor and Prohibition, at least according to the park’s web site. Apparently it was an appealing place where moonshiners could hide their containers in rugged ledges.
Trail Overview
The Preserve has two major loop trails; some portions cover steep terrain. There are viewpoints overlooking the Musconetcong Watershed, which also offer lookouts to view migrant and resident hawks and vultures.
Use the Web Map link on this site to view a trailmap.
Park Description
The Jugtown Mountain Preserve, located on the peak of Musconetcong Mountain, is part of one of the principal ridges of the Highlands. Although many associate the name with hiding containers of liquids in mountain crevices from authorities during the 1930s, the history of the preserve is in mining dating back to the late-1860s. The Swayze Mine was one of the top three producers of magnetite ore. Rock pits and ore dumps remain to this day.