(Jenn) This past Saturday, another lovely day, we decided to try out New Jersey's mountains. I have been craving HIKING since spring hit, and I've really been having Wasatch Mountain withdrawals. We discovered a few places to hike nearby, and we decided to try Campgaw near Mahwah, NJ -- about 30 minutes away. It was beautiful! Of course, it was different from the Utah hiking we are used to.
These trails were much less-traveled (although they were well-marked and color-coded) and less steep/challenging than what we were used to (Ben was aghast to discover that the 720 ft. "peak" we reached was also the top of the ski slopes). In other words, we didn't get as much exercise as we were hoping to get. But the terrain was gorgeous! The trees are beautiful, and the hiking area is all wooded and shady. We noticed that it actually looks similar to the Sacred Grove in Palmyra.
And on our hike we only saw a total of four other people. We're shocked that a place this serene exists so close to our busy NJ neighborhood, and even more shocked that nobody seems to take advantage of it. Anyway, we had a great time and are definitely planning more discoveries like this for the future. The whole trip probably only took us 3 hours, including driving, and we had a nice hike and a little picnic. Another great Saturday!
(Jenn) This past Saturday, another lovely day, we decided to try out New Jersey's mountains. I have been craving HIKING since spring hit, and I've really been having Wasatch Mountain withdrawals. We discovered a few places to hike nearby, and we decided to try Campgaw near Mahwah, NJ -- about 30 minutes away. It was beautiful! Of course, it was different from the Utah hiking we are used to. 
These trails were much less-traveled (although they were well-marked and color-coded) and less steep/challenging than what we were used to (Ben was aghast to discover that the 720 ft. "peak" we reached was also the top of the ski slopes). In other words, we didn't get as much exercise as we were hoping to get. But the terrain was gorgeous! The trees are beautiful, and the hiking area is all wooded and shady. We noticed that it actually looks similar to the Sacred Grove in Palmyra. 
And on our hike we only saw a total of four other people. We're shocked that a place this serene exists so close to our busy NJ neighborhood, and even more shocked that nobody seems to take advantage of it. Anyway, we had a great time and are definitely planning more discoveries like this for the future. The whole trip probably only took us 3 hours, including driving, and we had a nice hike and a little picnic. Another great Saturday!
4 comments:
You make me miss the mountains so much! This looks like so much fun, and so peaceful and relaxing.
It sounds like a fun day! We'll have to check it out . . . maybe find a geocache close by. That's always a great motivation for kids - what kid (or husband) doesn't like to go on a treasure hunt! Thanks for sharing.
You should see if you can rent a canoe there. Autumn and I rented one from BYU, strapped it on top of the car and went to Payson Lakes last Saturday. It was super fun. Make sure you get in the water too though! Looks like fun. I'm glad you're making adventures happen.
This looks like a place for us! How people exist without mountains to look at, hike on, have picnics in and feel the peace of is beyond me! We LOVE to visit all of our kids in their respective areas, but we could never be anything but Utahns because of the mountains and family, I'm afraid.
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