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 woodland 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

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

Website 

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.

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