Monument Trail Loop, High Point State Park

October 14, 2012

Distance: 5.5 miles
Time: 3 hours 13 minutes
Map: Kittatinny Trails Map
Parking: Turn off road at Boat Launch parking area sign. Parking is free here. However, only room for around 3 cars at this parking lot. There are other hike variations where you can park in other much larger parking lots.
Restrooms: In parking lot for monument, but they were already closed for the winter
Post hike dinner: Jewel of Himalaya, Yorktown Heights, NY
Directions: Monument Trail Loop from Steeny Kill Lake

Notes: This trail goes by the NJ State high point. We are going to try to do a few state high points. Not all of them, but we thought it would be fun to do the ones in our area. We've done the MA state high point, so this would be our second one.

There are a lot of people at the monument - because you can drive to it. And more people than I like on the Monument loop. That meant dogs on leash for a lot of the hike. On the positive side, there were 2 lakes. We swam the dogs of the lake closest to the parking lot.

Year to date miles: 318.3
State High Point #2

Paved boat launch. Trailhead is next to the lake, just to the left.

Trailhead. Some of the trails are overgrown on this hike.

Our destination

We got lost here. At the end of the lake, there is a stream crossing.
We figured this was the stream crossing described in the directions.
We ended up crossing here, and following a trail to the right along the lake.
We ended up at someone's house. Oops. Backtracked.

Instead of taking the trail that looks like it should be the trail, we are supposed to take this.
The trail goes to the left right at the end of the lake BEFORE the stream crossing.
There is a blaze in here. Hard to miss!

We took it easy during this hike, taking more rest breaks than usual.
We stopped at the second stream crossing (small detour to sit on a bridge) to let the dogs have some fun.

This is the second lake. Not as exciting, because there is a parking lot & road next to it.
We didn't stop to swim here. Dogs on leash, as we had to walk a short ways on a paved road.

Glen, Trek, and Moxie at the NJ high point monument.
When I gave the dogs to Glen and have him pose, lots of young kids ran up to the dogs.
We had to wait a while until they cleared out enough to take a photo.

Looking up at the monument.

View from the high point.

We continued on the Monument Trail Loop, passing a number of view points.

We left the Monument Trail Loop to go on the short Cedar Swamp Trail.

The Cedar Swamp Trail has a boardwalk over a bog.

The hike returns to the Steeny Kill Lake, with a nice grassy path alongside it.
The dogs were running like crazy!

And the packs come off, and Moxie is out for a swim, with Trek watching.

A woman came up and started photographing the dogs as they were swimming.
Guess I should have taken off their dorky GPS collars.