Cheesequake State Park: Yellow, Blue, and Green Trails (Blog Hike #1075)

Trails: Yellow, Blue, and Green Trails
Hike Location: Cheesequake State Park
Geographic Location: Matawan, NJ (40.43661, -74.26502)
Length: 4 miles
Difficulty: 5/10 (Moderate)
Date Hiked: September 2025
Overview: A loop hike across ridges and saltwater marshes.
Park Information: https://nj.gov/dep/parksandforests/parks/cheesequakestatepark.html
Hike Route Map:

On The Go Map

Photo Highlight:

Hike Video: (coming July 2027)

Directions to the trailhead: In northeast New Jersey, take the Garden State Parkway to Matawan Road (exit 120).  Exit and go south on Matawan Rd.  Drive Matawan Rd. 0.3 miles to Morristown Road and turn right on Morristown Rd.  Drive Morristown Rd. 0.3 miles to Gordon Road and turn right on Gordon Rd.  Gordon Rd. deadends at the park in 0.7 miles.  Stop at the park office to pick up a trail map, then drive another 0.2 miles to the main trailhead parking area on the left, where this hike begins.  If this parking lot is full, you can also start this hike at the park's swimming area at the end of the park road.

The hike: Consisting of 1610 acres on the southern edge of the New York City metro area, Cheesequake State Park protects an interesting mix of tidal creeks, salt marshes, freshwater ponds, streamside habitats, and low steep ridges.  The park was established with the purchase of a Civil War-era farm owned by the Favier brothers in 1938, and the depression-era Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) helped develop the property.  The park opened in 1940.  The park's unusual name comes from a Lenape word that means "upland," "upland village," or "at the land that has been cleared."  A creek passed on this hike has the same name.

            Today Cheesequake State Park remains one of the best state parks in the New York City metro area.  The park features a cozy 53-site campground, several large group camping sites, fishing and swimming on Hooks Creek Lake, several picnic areas, a nature center, and 5 hiking trails totaling over 8 miles.  The hike described here combines several trails to form a loop around the main part of the park, and it passes through all of the park's many habitats.

Main Trailhead

            From the main trailhead, walk through the wooden portal marked "trailhead," then angle right to begin the Yellow Trail.  The trails at this park are well-marked with brown carsonite posts bearing colored stickers that correspond to the trail's name.  The Yellow Trail curves right to hold a level contour around the ridge as it heads generally northwest through nice forest dominated by maple and oak trees.

Hooks Creek Lake

            At 0.25 miles, the trail curves left to descend the ridge via some wooden stairs.  Some unmarked and unofficial trails exist in this area, so watch for the yellow trail markers.  At the bottom of the stairs, turn right to come alongside Hooks Creek Lake.  Hooks Creek Lake is this park's main body of water, and the swimming beach is visible across the lake ahead and to the right.

Cheesequake Creek boardwalk

            0.6 miles into the hike, you reach the west end of the Yellow Trail where it intersects the Blue Trail.  Turn left to begin the Blue Trail.  If you had to park at the swimming area because the main trailhead parking lot was full, you would start this hike here.  Less than 500 feet later, you reach this hike's first major point of interest: the boardwalk over Cheesequake Creek and salt marsh.

Saltwater marsh

            Cheesequake Creek is a tidal creek, meaning it can flow either direction depending on the tide.  This boardwalk is a major destination for saltwater crabbing, and I passed several people working their crab nets when I hiked here on a pleasant morning in early September.  Views extending across the grassy marsh in either direction include some open water, and I saw some Canada geese and an osprey here.  Take some time to sit on the benches and see what you see.

Cheesequake Creek

            Across the tidal creek, the Blue Trail picks up an old dirt road labeled on some maps as Perrine Road as it climbs very gradually through forest that features many pine trees.  At 1.1 miles, you reach a major trail intersection with blue trail markers going several ways.  Turn right to leave the old road and begin single-track dirt trail.  A few hundred feet later, you reach a bird blind along Perrine Pond.  The pond was very calm on my visit, but I saw a red fox and 2 deer in the woods near here.

Perrine Pond

            The Blue Trail traces the east side of the pond before curving left and climbing back toward the ridge.  Upon re-intersecting the old road, turn right to continue southeast on the old dirt road.  At 1.6 miles, you reach another major trail intersection with several colors of markers.  The Red Trail going left is the shortest route back to the main trailhead, while the Blue Trail continues straight to follow the old road.  Our hike turns sharply right to begin the Green Trail, which is this park's longest trail.

Starting the Green Trail

            The Green Trail alternates between dry sandy-soiled ridgetops and marshy creekside areas for its entire distance.  Short but steep climbs and drops get you from the wetland to the ridgetop and vice-versa.  You start on the ridgetop, and the first drop takes you to the first of several long boardwalks over wooded wetlands.  Be thankful for these boardwalks: this would be a very wet and muddy hike without them.

Long boardwalk on Green Trail

            At 2.1 miles, the trail drops to cross Museum Road, a gravel park maintenance road that passes through the southern part of the park.  Next comes the steepest climb to the park's highest elevation; some wooden stairs aid the ascent.  The undulations continue as the trail heads northeast roughly parallel to the park's southeastern boundary.  The going is somewhat challenging but heavily wooded and scenic.

Hiking the Green Trail

            At 3.4 miles, you pass through the final ravine and come out at the park's group campground.  Turn left and then right, following the green trail markers, to trace the perimeter of the campground.  At 3.8 miles, you intersect a gravel park road near the park's Nature Center.  Turning right and hiking 0.2 miles along the gravel road returns you to the main trailhead and completes the hike.

Delaware and Raritan Canal State Park: Five-Mile Lock to Bound Brook South Battlefield (Blog Hike #1074)

Trail: Delaware and Raritan Canal Towpath
Hike Location: Delaware and Raritan Canal State Park
Geographic Location: Somerset, NJ (40.54010, -74.51367)
Length: 3.2 miles
Difficulty: 2/10 (Easy)
Date Hiked: September 2025
Overview: An out-and-back from an old canal lock to a Revolutionary War battlefield.
Park Information: https://www.nj.gov/dep/parksandforests/parks/drcanalstatepark.html
Hike Route Map:

On The Go Map

Photo Highlight:

Hike Video: (coming September 4, 2026)

Directions to the trailhead: The parking lot for the Five-Mile Lock trail access is located on the east side of Easton Avenue just north of I-287, exit 10.  You must be going northbound on Easton Ave. to enter this parking lot.

The hike: Built in the 1830's, the Delaware and Raritan Canal traces a rainbow-shaped arc across central New Jersey as it connects its two namesake rivers.  In the early 1800's, waterways formed the country's main highways, and the canal's construction not only shortened the water route between Philadelphia and New York City by 100 miles but also eliminated the need to take boats into the exposed waters of the Atlantic Ocean.  The canal saw heavy traffic for over 40 years, and it became a primary means to get Pennsylvania coal to New York City.  In fact, the canal continued to operate until 1932, long after most canals had been supplanted by the railroad.

            Today most of the canal still retains water, and since 1974 the canal's towpath has been owned and maintained by the State of New Jersey as Delaware and Raritan Canal State Park.  The linear park extends for 70 miles, and the wide natural-surface path is popular for jogging, biking, and of course hiking.  The trail can be accessed at many points.  The segment described here not only gives a good taste of the canal and riverside areas but also passes a couple points of historical interest.  Thus, this segment makes a better than average hike for a wide, flat, and straight canal towpath.

Five-Mile Lock

            From the parking lot, walk down to the old canal and cross the canal on a metal grate walkway where water enters the old Five-Mile Lock.  The water entering the old lock makes for a scenic and noisy man-made waterfall even with the concrete lock as a backdrop.  Directly across the canal sits the towpath; turn left to begin heading upstream with the canal on your left.  There were quite a few people around the lock when I came here on a warm and humid Saturday morning in early September, but the traffic thinned as I got further upstream.

Hiking the canal towpath

            The wide gravel towpath makes for flat, easy hiking.  Some walls and other old canal remnants passed as you hike add some historical interest.  Numbered concrete obelisks mark each mile, and soon you pass mile marker #37.

Mile marker #37

            Throughout the hike the canal's calm, still waters remain to your left.  The Raritan River lies to your right, but it never comes in sight on this hike due to dense forest featuring many black walnut trees.  1 mile into the hike, the trail angles right to briefly leave the canal bank.  I saw several deer in this area, and a flock of Canada geese greeted me with honking further upstream.

Deer beside the trail

            Ignore a wooden bridge that exits left at 1.4 miles; it leads to Canal Crossing Condominiums.  At 1.6 miles, you reach the small parking lot at the Main Street road crossing in the Borough of Bound Brook.  Several interpretive signs at this crossing describe the Revolutionary War Battle of Bound Brook, which took place here on April 13, 1777.

South Battlefield, Battle of Bound Brook

            The Battle of Bound Brook started as a fight for the stone bridge over Bound Brook, which empties into the Raritan River just north of here.  The battle turned into a rout when 1000 Hessian soldiers fighting for the British marched north on present-day Easton Avenue and dislodged the Patriots from their positions.  This battle exemplifies the frustrations and defeats the Patriots suffered during the early days of the Revolutionary War.

Returning downstream

            The Main Street access and Bound Brook South Battlefield mark a good place to turn around.  Benches for resting and rehydrating are available near the road intersection to the south.  Walk downstream along the towpath to return to Five-Mile Lock and complete the hike.

Memorial Lake State Park (Blog Hike #1073)

Trails: Woodland, Scout, Hillside, Overlook, and Grasslands Trails
Hike Location: Memorial Lake State Park
Geographic Location: north of Hershey, PA (40.42300, -76.59613)
Length: 2.5 miles
Difficulty: 2/10 (Easy)
Date Hiked: September 2025
Overview: A mostly flat loop around Memorial Lake.
Park Information: https://www.pa.gov/agencies/dcnr/recreation/where-to-go/state-parks/find-a-park/memorial-lake-state-park
Hike Route Map: 

On The Go Map
Photo Highlight:

Hike Video: (coming May 28, 2027)

Directions to the trailhead: North of Harrisburg, take I-81 to SR 934 (exit 85).  Exit and go north on SR 934.  Drive SR 934 north 0.5 miles to Asher Miner Road and turn left on Asher Miner Rd.  After 0.3 more miles, angle left on Boundary Road.  Drive Boundary Rd. west 0.8 miles to Middle Road and the park entrance on the left.  Turn left on Middle Rd., which dead-ends at the large parking lot for the boat launch and kayak rental station.  Park here.

The hike: Featuring 85 acres of water surface, Memorial Lake was built in 1945 in memory and honor of Pennsylvania National Guard soldiers who served in World War I and World War II.  The lake was built on the grounds of Fort Indiantown Gap, a Pennsylvania National Guard training center that dates to 1931.  In 1955, a total of 231 acres that contain the lake were transferred to the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources to form the park we visit today, but Fort Indiantown Gap still surrounds the park.  In fact, the Directions to the trailhead above takes you past one of the fort's old entry gates, so this park still retains its military feel.

            Memorial Lake State Park is only open for day-use, and therefore the list of amenities is rather limited.  The lake offers fishing and boating, and several picnic tables and 2 picnic pavilions provide opportunities for cook-outs.  For hikers, the park offers 6 trails, but all of the trails are short: the trail distances sum to only 2 miles.  Piecing together several of the park's trails and adding a road walk forms the circumnavigation of Memorial Lake described here.

Start of Woodland Trail

            From the Middle Road parking area, pick up the signed Woodland Trail; it starts as a wide gravel trail that heads west through a picnic area with Memorial Lake through the trees on the left.  Soon the trail heads into the dense woods.  The large number of maple trees in the woods would make this a good leaf peeping hike in October.  Wooden bridges get you over a couple of small streams.

Hiking the Woodland Trail

            At 0.4 miles, you reach the Woodland Trail's west end at the Lower Road parking area.  Angle left through the parking area to head for the boat launch.  Just before reaching the boat launch, turn right to leave the pavement and begin the Scout Trail.  The Scout Trail offers more of the same wooded lakeside scenery, and the going remains very easy.

Crossing Memorial Lake's main feeder stream

            Just past 0.6 miles, you cross Memorial Lake's main feeder stream on a long wooden bridge.  After crossing the bridge, you reach the west end of the Scout Trail where it intersects Memorial Lake Road.  To continue our loop around the lake, turn left and start the road walk portion of this hike.

            Memorial Lake Rd. features one-way traffic coming at you in light to moderate volume.  Private property adjoins part of this road, so be sure to stay on the public road.  At 1.3 miles, you reach a road intersection where Lake Road exits right.  Your road walk ends here: turn sharply left to begin the signed, wide, and obvious Hillside Trail.

Start of Hillside Trail

            After only a few hundred feet on the Hillside Trail, you reach a bench that overlooks Memorial Lake.  I recommend not spending long here because a better overlook is just a few minutes ahead.  The trail curves sharply right and climbs gently to reach the aforementioned overlook.  Several benches and picnic tables stand here, and Indiantown Gap in the distance makes a perfect backdrop for Memorial Lake.  Take a few minutes to rehydrate and enjoy the scenery.

Main lake overlook

            Exit the overlook area by walking uphill toward the parking lot and then angling left to begin the Overlook Trail as it heads across the dam that forms Memorial Lake.  After crossing the spillway on an iron bridge with wooden deck, turn left to begin heading through the mowed-grass Hemlock Grove Picnic Area on gravel trail.  Turn left at the first trail intersection, but where the Lakeside Trail exits left angle right to begin the Grasslands Trail, the final leg on our loop.

Grasslands Trail

            True to its name, the Grasslands Trail makes an arc through a sunny prairie area.  The prairie wildflowers were decent but not stunning when I came here on a warm afternoon in early September.  Soon you come into the northeast corner of the Middle Road parking lot, thus signaling the end of the hike.  If you want to do more hiking, Swatara State Park, which features a segment of the Appalachian Trail, is located a few miles to the north.

New River Trail State Park: Austinville Trailhead (Blog Hike #1072)

Trail: New River Trail
Hike Location: New River Trail State Park, Austinville Trailhead
Geographic Location: southeast of Wytheville, VA (36.85116, -80.91966)
Length: 4 miles
Difficulty: 2/10 (Easy)
Date Hiked: September 2025
Overview: A double out-and-back on a rail-trail featuring interesting railroad constructions.
Park Information: https://www.dcr.virginia.gov/state-parks/new-river-trail
Hike Route Map: 

On The Go Map

Photo Highlight:

Hike Video: (coming July 17, 2026)

Directions to the trailhead: East of Wytheville, take I-77/81 to US 52 (exit 80).  Exit and go east on US 52.  Drive US 52 east 5.2 miles to Austinville Road and turn right on Austinville Rd.  Drive Austinville Rd. southwest 2.6 miles to SR 636, and turn left on SR 636.  Cross the New River, and drive another 0.2 miles to the signed Austinville Trailhead parking lot on the right.  Pay the park entrance fee and park in the large gravel lot.

The hike: For my general comments on the New River Trail, see my hike from 2019 that started at the Jackson Ferry Shot Tower a few miles downstream from this trailhead.  While rail-trails do not make for the most interesting hiking, the Austinville Trailhead is an above average place to start a hike on the New River Trail because interesting destinations can be reached in either direction.  This double out-and-back goes to both of those destinations while passing some other interesting sites, thus making a hike on a rail-trail as interesting as possible.

Stile at Austinville Trailhead

            Start by walking across SR 636 and through the yellow metal stile, heading east on the New River Trail.  The New River's floodplain lies to the left and the hillside rises to the right when you walk in this direction.  The trail surface is fine black gravel, and the trail's former life as a railroad grade ensures that all elevation changes are imperceptible and all curves are gradual.

Old lead mine?

            If you look to the right at 0.35 miles, you will see a hole in the cliff that looks like an old mine shaft.  While I could not find any information about this specific mine, many lead mines operated near Austinville in the early 1800's; they provided material for making shot at the nearby Jackson Ferry Shot Tower.  A metal grate prevents access today, and for good reason: entering old mines is a dangerous proposition.

Austinville Tunnel

            At 0.5 miles, you reach the main point of interest in this direction: the old Austinville railroad tunnel.  Though only a couple hundred feet long, on a hot day the tunnel will be several degrees cooler than the outside air temperature.  On any day the chiseled rock walls make for stark scenery, and a bench near the tunnel entrance makes a nice place to sit, rest, and rehydrate.

Austinville Trailhead

            The trail continues east for 28 more miles to Pulaski, but this hike turns around here and starts heading west toward the point of interest in that direction.  Re-cross SR 636 and pass the official Austinville Trailhead, which is marked by a signed shelter, picnic tables, trash cans, and a port-o-let.  The forest consists of many black walnut, oak, and sweet gum trees with some sycamore and a few red cedars.  I saw 3 deer when I hiked this trail a couple of hours before sunset on a cool but humid evening in early September.

Old industrial area

            Soon you pass a large white concrete post marked P29.  These mile markers appear throughout the New River Trail, and the P indicates that the distance given is from Pulaski, the trail's eastern terminus.  At 1.2 miles, you pass an old concrete industrial area on the right.  Although I am not sure what this area was, railroad tracks atop the concrete link it to this trail's railroad days.  Maybe the concrete platform was a resupply or loading point.  The trail curves right to get closer to the river, and a low-level waterfall can be seen downhill in the river if the trees are bare enough.

Trestle over New River

View downstream

View upstream

            After the trail curves left, you reach the trestle over the New River at 2.4 miles.  The trestle is nearly 80 feet high, and it gives great views both up and down the river.  The view upstream with Poplar Camp Mountain in the background is my favorite view on this hike.  The trail continues west, but the trestle is a good place to turn around.  Retrace your steps 1.6 miles to the Austinville Trailhead to complete the hike.