Jungle Habitat, the Wanaque WMA, and the Passaic County Tranquility Ridge Park are all now part of Long Pond Iron Works State Park. You can connect the three via the Blue Sterling Ridge Trail (co-aligned with the Teal Highlands Trail) or Big Beech Road ATV trail. Both of which meet up at the LTL trail just over the NY State Line from Big Beech Mountain. No hikers will be present since the bridge is out that crosses the Wanaque River at the Furnace Site. A portage is necessary and watch out for the Rattlesnakes atop Big Beech. Nasty and angry mid summer.
Rhino Closed ? New Trail - Baboon ?
- Thread starter Dirt Dawg
- Start date
Bleeder
JORBA:President
Well, If you look at what I called the southern route, that's pretty much it. Wanaque has been part of Ringwood for a long time they just got around to changing the signs to Green Pond in the last year or two. I believe tranquility ridge is still managed by Sterling Forest PIP. Either way, we'd definitely want to stay off of Sterling Ridge, too much politics with hikers. Just continue toward Beech past Patterson Mine and pick up the Hasenclever, and then head north at Peters Mine completely avoiding the superfund site. From there you can pick up the powerlines.
the key, as you point out, is the detour around the closed area on the yellow Hasenclever Trail, which begins about 4 miles in from the western terminus in Long Pond Iron Works State Park or about 1.5 miles in from the eastern terminus in Ringwood State Park.
http://www.longpondironworks.org/hasenclever_signs gives some background
http://www.longpondironworks.org/hasenclever_signs gives some background
Dirt Dawg
Member
Thanks to all of you, looks like I have some exploring to look forward to. Is the white section referenced a few posts back, the same white that passes just behind lot c and stays along the woods road? I would like to try to follow both the white and yellow west out of Ringwood I think?
THATmanMANNY
Well-Known Member
first time at jungle this weekend. Baboon was uber cool! Some of the foliage that covered the boulders on the trail I never seen in NJ.
Bleeder
JORBA:President
I don't think so, I was talking about down by the manor, not up b lot c and the botanical gardens.
Bleeder
JORBA:President
Yeah, the powerlines suck.
Good safety tip.
I stumbled upon another route working around the Peter's mine trail closure. The NJ 1K'er club posted a Hasenclever hike that includes a route over Hasenclever Hill and Hope Hill, northeast of the Peter's Mine Road terminus. I think the hikers are the Bresslers, who seem to do a lot of hiking around and mapping out routes.
I stumbled upon another route working around the Peter's mine trail closure. The NJ 1K'er club posted a Hasenclever hike that includes a route over Hasenclever Hill and Hope Hill, northeast of the Peter's Mine Road terminus. I think the hikers are the Bresslers, who seem to do a lot of hiking around and mapping out routes.
Bleeder
JORBA:President
If you look at my proposal page, I think that's what you're talking about. We always wanted to steer clear of Peter's Mine and the Single Track hiking trail in the Manor.
Dirt Dawg
Member
Hey bleeder, got out yesterday to do some exploring of your proposd connector. Parked at Ringwood manor, didnt want to take white hiking trail, so rode to end of pavement and turned left up the powerlines. That climb is ugly - any easier way up? From there followed high tension line to smaller lines then 90° right, to what I think is called water tower trail. It follows the southwest side of blue lake. made a left on what I thought was the L to L trail but when I reqached the barricade ane NJ state line I realized it was probably beech road. Turned back and went a bit further north, saw the abandoned dump truck but didnt find L to L??? Was running out of time, maybe I didnt go far enough north? Gonna head back out today and do some more exploring. Its amazing how much is out there if your willing tondo just a little bit of "hike-a-bike"ing. For example in this instance a 20 minute s.o.b. of a climb up those powerlines, but then tons of riding. See http://connect.garmin.com/activity/151532039 track, let me known what you think.
You kinda want to keep heading West a bit more before you go South:
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/79563273
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/79563273
If you follow that track, there's 2 spots you want to watch out for cause they are total bushwack.
- Once you get out of Sterling on to East Shore Road, you want to head West a bit on the road and you will see a parking lot / trailhead to your left. Don't go straight across the road like I did, that's 100% bushwack territory.
- Once you get into JH, you want to find your way to the Teal trail (Long Pond Iron Works). My route on to the Teal trail was a lot of bushwack as well. The best way on to the Teal trail is if you go to where the 2 water tanks are, head straight East from there and the Teal trail is about 100 yard away.
Dirt Dawg
Member
Thanks, I didnt know you could get to teal from jungle habitat. I have found blue, and the start of yellow off blue, but never found teal. I know it comes out by the intersection of GLTpk and East Shore Rd? Here is part of what I did today, need to plan more time to make a loop as you did. Clearly, you are much faster than me :cry: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/152042381 http://connect.garmin.com/activity/152042386. (not sure why my garmin keeps cutting out, and garmin connect is great, but you cant combine tracks). LtoL is really rutted out just before big climb heading east. Best thing about this ride is that with the exception of about 3 or 4 steep rutted clims, it is all rideable.
I think what you refer to as the Blue is actually my Teal. The trail conference map has it marked as "B", so I guess it's really Blue. But yea that's exactly where it comes out. There's a trailhead right across GLTpk that is kind of hidden and you can make your way back into the WMA/Sterling and back to the Manor. Check out Graveyard Bill's track from the other thread: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/17822989
I didn't get to do that part cause I ran out of time and took GLTpk back to Ringwood. I'd like to try the loop again sometime w/o all the bushwacking.
Also, a word of warning on Long Pond Ironworks. Once you hit Monkville Reservoir from JH, just before you come out to GLTpk, you will run into something like this:
It kind of has 2 cliff on both sides. That place is a total swamp. There is a re-route on top of the right side cliff face which should be much better.
This route pretty much goes the lengh of the Blue (Teal) trail parallel to JH: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/32798985
I found the trails in Long Pond to be somewhat technical and at least 1 hike-a-bike, but not too bad overall. They don't necessarily flow well since they are not made for biking, but they are mostly single track, not all fireroads like Sterling and WMA, although on a ride like this, you kind of welcome the fireroads.
Congrats, it looks like you found the trailhead on E. Shore Rd.
On my 705, I can combine tracks right on the device. i.e. Display multiple gpx tracks on the map. It does have some kind of memory limit though. Usually I'll over-lay like 3 tracks that have good mileage when I'm trying to figure stuff out.
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Bleeder
JORBA:President
Hey Guys,
I've been checking out a few alternatives. Coming from RW on the Lake to Lake I cut south to Jennings Hollow, while you can follow this out to the trestle bridge on East Shore, I've been making a right before the swamp and heading up and over the mountain there, following quad trails that dump you on east shore just north of the bridge over the Wanaque. There's a trail into Green Turtle from the intersection of Awosting Rd. and East shore Then I ride in Green Turtle, jump across Awosting road into the woods south of Awosting and cross into Jungle at dead mans curve.
I've been checking out a few alternatives. Coming from RW on the Lake to Lake I cut south to Jennings Hollow, while you can follow this out to the trestle bridge on East Shore, I've been making a right before the swamp and heading up and over the mountain there, following quad trails that dump you on east shore just north of the bridge over the Wanaque. There's a trail into Green Turtle from the intersection of Awosting Rd. and East shore Then I ride in Green Turtle, jump across Awosting road into the woods south of Awosting and cross into Jungle at dead mans curve.