New Pyramid Mountain Park Trail!

Thanks to Estelle Anderson, former Long Meadow Road resident in Smoke Rise, I recently learned about all kinds of marvelous local trail related information. For example, did you know that Pyramid Mountain Park has just added a new trail - with more in the works - and parking site?

Take Kinnelon Road south. As it becomes Powerville Road [past the Lake Rickabear Girls Scout Camp], just past the Decker-Kincaid Homestead, you may notice some big boulders on the left at the corner of Kincaid Road. Well, those big boulders mark off a parking lot and access point to Pyramid Mountain's Yellow Trail.

I stopped there on Wednesday, took these photos and picked up an updated Pyramid Mountain Trail map [see map below; bump out on the left represents the Kincaid addendum]. Unfortunately, the trail map available online hasn't yet been updated.

The trail goes a bit SouthEast, connects to the Yellow Trail with Black Dot [i.e., D on the trail map], making a nice loop and - should you want a longer trail - taking you North and eventually linking into the White Trail.

Estelle volunteers with the New York-New Jersey Trail Conference and helps maintain trails in the Central North Jersey section of the conference between Pyramid Mountain and the Farny Highlands. She mentioned several trails worth exploring in our area:

+ The Pequannock Watershed

+ The Hewitt-Butler/Wyanokie Crest Trail Loop

+ The Butler-Montville Trail - Turkey Mountain Loop and Turkey Mountain Loop #2 [BTW, the New Jersey Walk Book features a section on the Butler-Montville Trail starting at Bubbling Brook Road to the Pyramid Mountain Park Visitors Center. This is an old, old trail says Estelle.]

The other delicious detail that Estelle mentioned is that at some point in the near future, we will be able to hike from Pyramid Mountain to Buck Mountain all the way to the Split Rock Reservoir! Doesn't that sound fantastic?

In the meantime, do check out the New York-New Jersey Trail Conference site where you can plan out hikes in Go Hiking.

If you know of anyone interested in helping maintain the many marvelous trails around us, please let me know and I'll put you in contact with her.

And, when you take on any of these hikes, will you take photos and share your impressions with us here?

Thank you and Thanks, Estelle, for sharing these wonderful suggestions!




Technorati Tags: Pyramid Mountain Park Kinnelon NJ trails Boonton trails West Milford trails New York New Jersey Trail Conference Kinnelon hikes Del.icio.us Tags: Pyramid Mountain Park Kinnelon NJ trails Boonton trails West Milford trails New York New Jersey Trail Conference Kinnelon hikes