J
JeffD
Guest
The body of water that runs through Double Trouble State Park outside of Bayville is called Cedar Creek for good reason. It meanders through a mosiac of open fields and woods filled with Atlantic white cedar.
I took a winter's walk recently at Double Trouble, off route 618, a little west of the Garden State Parkway underpass. I came from the opposite direction, along 618 where it comes in off of route 530 on the outskirts of Whiting. I passed by a sign for the park, as I caught a glipse of it out of the corner of my eye. I'm not accustomed to looking sideways. I backed up only to find that this wasn't the entrance. I came to another Double Trouble sign a little ways down the road. I was on guard this time for sideways facing signs. It was at a crossroads, and the sign was in perfect postion for someone heading straight into the park from that road.
The entrance was an opening in the woods, with a rustic park building or two. Up ahead was a clearing, and several historic buildings of the company town, where cranberries that were grown there were packed, where timber was cut and sawed, and people lived shopped and kids went to school. The directions on a rough map I found outside a park building of Double Trouble were not clear to me. It could have been at least partially due to wanting to get moving on a cold, windy day. I got on an unpaved road, and after a short distance, wanted to get on the other side of a stream that seperated me from another section that had a narrower path and was closed in more by trees. I backtracked to the village and walked a little further along the edge of it this time, and found a trail that skirted the stream. The stream disappeared after awhile but then the trail led to the edge of a bigger body of water. It must have been Cedar Creek.
I walked a little further to a clearing by a dam. I crossed the dam, where only a trickle of water from a lake ran across. On the other side I was enveloped by cedars many times my height, and walked across patches of ice. I felt warmer now, not just because I had been walking, but the cedars sheltered me from the wind. I walked about half a mile until I came to a naturally formed skating rink. I turned around, and just before the dam I turned right and hiked on the opposite side of Cedar Creek. I somehow found a wider path, an unpaved road, a followed it as it seemed to make a sort of large loop around the park. At one point, a jogger unobtrusively passed by. I followed the unpaved road away from the village and then across it, heading towards where I believed were the cranberry bogs. It walked quite a distance, and found at one point the road went further way from the village. In this area was a much narrower path, a triail that went through the cedar woods. I followed the trail, where I was tightly enveloped in the woodlot, shelded from the cold wind. There were markers with displays. This route proved a more direct and pleasant way to return to the village and the parking lot.
I was amazed at the vastness of the land, and the wealth of cedar trees. The village took up just a small part of the 5000 acre plus park, as did the cranberry growing area. The cranberries were grown close to the packing plant. The cranberry and other bogs have served as a filter to soak up and use excess nutrients that could clog the creek that freely runs through Double Trouble as well as provide wildlife habitat. The last time I visited the park, someone told me that cranberries are no longer cultivated there. The park's website mentions that The Jersey Devil Cranberry Company is leased active cranberry bogs.
http://www.state.nj.us/dep/forestry/parks/double.htm
Double Trouble is testimony that harvesting the land, using it for hiking, canoeing and other recreation, and maintaining the beauty and integrity of the environment is compatible. And the large woodlots of Atlantic white cedar provide shelter from the elements for man and beast.
I took a winter's walk recently at Double Trouble, off route 618, a little west of the Garden State Parkway underpass. I came from the opposite direction, along 618 where it comes in off of route 530 on the outskirts of Whiting. I passed by a sign for the park, as I caught a glipse of it out of the corner of my eye. I'm not accustomed to looking sideways. I backed up only to find that this wasn't the entrance. I came to another Double Trouble sign a little ways down the road. I was on guard this time for sideways facing signs. It was at a crossroads, and the sign was in perfect postion for someone heading straight into the park from that road.
The entrance was an opening in the woods, with a rustic park building or two. Up ahead was a clearing, and several historic buildings of the company town, where cranberries that were grown there were packed, where timber was cut and sawed, and people lived shopped and kids went to school. The directions on a rough map I found outside a park building of Double Trouble were not clear to me. It could have been at least partially due to wanting to get moving on a cold, windy day. I got on an unpaved road, and after a short distance, wanted to get on the other side of a stream that seperated me from another section that had a narrower path and was closed in more by trees. I backtracked to the village and walked a little further along the edge of it this time, and found a trail that skirted the stream. The stream disappeared after awhile but then the trail led to the edge of a bigger body of water. It must have been Cedar Creek.
I walked a little further to a clearing by a dam. I crossed the dam, where only a trickle of water from a lake ran across. On the other side I was enveloped by cedars many times my height, and walked across patches of ice. I felt warmer now, not just because I had been walking, but the cedars sheltered me from the wind. I walked about half a mile until I came to a naturally formed skating rink. I turned around, and just before the dam I turned right and hiked on the opposite side of Cedar Creek. I somehow found a wider path, an unpaved road, a followed it as it seemed to make a sort of large loop around the park. At one point, a jogger unobtrusively passed by. I followed the unpaved road away from the village and then across it, heading towards where I believed were the cranberry bogs. It walked quite a distance, and found at one point the road went further way from the village. In this area was a much narrower path, a triail that went through the cedar woods. I followed the trail, where I was tightly enveloped in the woodlot, shelded from the cold wind. There were markers with displays. This route proved a more direct and pleasant way to return to the village and the parking lot.
I was amazed at the vastness of the land, and the wealth of cedar trees. The village took up just a small part of the 5000 acre plus park, as did the cranberry growing area. The cranberries were grown close to the packing plant. The cranberry and other bogs have served as a filter to soak up and use excess nutrients that could clog the creek that freely runs through Double Trouble as well as provide wildlife habitat. The last time I visited the park, someone told me that cranberries are no longer cultivated there. The park's website mentions that The Jersey Devil Cranberry Company is leased active cranberry bogs.
http://www.state.nj.us/dep/forestry/parks/double.htm
Double Trouble is testimony that harvesting the land, using it for hiking, canoeing and other recreation, and maintaining the beauty and integrity of the environment is compatible. And the large woodlots of Atlantic white cedar provide shelter from the elements for man and beast.
But if you would like to plan one, be my guest!