SMR Trail Guide

Description

Dave Hogenauer’s 60-page, detailed description of the 50-plus miles of trails in the South Mountain Reservation and recommended hikes. The Trail Guide includes the 2017 SMR map and its narrow size fits in your pocket.

From the Foreward:  This is a guide to some 50 miles of trails in the 2,110-acre South Mountain Reservation of Essex County, NJ. A rustic regional park established in 1895, it was primarily designed by the renowned Olmsted Brothers’ firm over a nine year period starting in 1897 and off and on until 1932. Nestled in a 400-foot valley between the eastern First Mountain and western Second Mountain of the Watchung Range, with the West Branch of the Rahway River coursing along its floor, the park offers a variety of trails and attractions: waterfalls, unusual basalt formations (Turtle Back Rock), scenic views of the New York City skyline, sculpture and dog parks, fishing, a Recreational Complex with an award-winning zoo, ice skating arena, and large reservoir with paddle boats and a scenic promenade. But more than anything else, this park affords the opportunity to lose oneself amid a quiet, forested environment — an expansive oasis amidst the densely-populated suburbs….

From the Introduction: This guide covers four types of trails: paved paths or roads, blazed trails, woods roads and unblazed trails.  It is organized by these categories, separately numbering the items in each section, with the prefix P (Paved), B (Blazed), W (Woods roads), and U (Unblazed) so they can be easily referenced.  Furthermore, it breaks up blazed trails into three sub-categories, long blazed, circular, and short blazed trails, though the numbering is sequential throughout this section. Each trail is described, blazed trails in greater detail, with its length and corresponding grid location on the accompanying map provided at the start.