Thursday, March 14, 2013

Sourland Mountain Preserve


places where you won't be able to wipe the wag off your dog's tail - Hillsborough NJ



The Park
Sourland Mountain is at the northeast point of a ridge of sedimentary and igneous rock that was deposited between 150 and 180 million years ago and stretches to the Delaware River. It is hard to believe walking the thickly wooded mountainside but this was once a treeless farm. After picking your way through the boulders strewn across the Preserve it is easy to imagine that the name “Sourland” comes from the farmers who abandoned growing crops in favor of grazing cows but it actually is believed to derive from the term “sorrel-land” to describe the reddish-brown colored soils.

The Walks
Sourland Mountain features three blazed trails, the star being the 5-mile Ridge Trail. The trail pushes uphill away from the parking lot - not too strenuously but expect to see your dog start panting - until it reaches a picturesque cluster of boulders. The elevation gain is about 300 feet. After this the trail flattens out and is a comfortable walk with your dog in airy woodsland on a wide path. The Ridge Trail can be aborted with a walk down a cut-away for a pipeline. This is the only open-air hiking at Sourland Mountain and you can enjoy the views on the way down. On a clear day it is possible to see New York City. If the 300-foot climb seems more hike than your dog is looking for, you can still enjoy Sourland Mountain. The Maple Flats and Pondside trails break off from the Ridge Trail before heading up the mountain. The two form a stacked-loop trail that together totals less than two miles.

Where The Paw Meets The Earth: Rocky trails
Workout For Your Dog - Moderate pulls to the top of the hill
Swimming - You bet, see below
Restrictions On Dogs - None

Something Extra
Down below the parking lot is the best canine swimming hole in New Jersey. The pond has level, unobstructed access all the way around. It is deep enough that your dog will be swimming in two steps and it is just big enough that you can’t throw a stick all the way across. Situated right beside the trail exit, it is a perfect way to end a hardy
canine hike. The only thing missing is a towel rack.

Phone - None
Admission Fee - None 
Directions - Hillsborough, Somerset County; from Route 206 (South Broad Street), turn onto West Park Avenue. Make a left onto Wescott Avenue. After passing under high tension wires, make an immediate right turn onto the lane that leads to the park.




The Hiking With Dogs group on Facebook is the place to post photos and info on your favorite canine hikes. Also get questions answered and find advice from members: join now

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