PL Hiking Trails with Extensive Closed Canopy?

[NJChileHead]

Hey Folks,

My wife and I have been talking about our continued excursions as the summer approaches, and it brought me to consider that we'd probably be facing a lot of sun exposure as we hiked. I was wondering if anyone could recommend trails in the Pinelands that were predominantly cedar swamp, or mixed hardwood forests with enough canopy to reduce exposure? I saw that Brendan Byrne SF had '736 acres of cedar swamp', but was not sure if the trails ran through most of them? Thanks in advance for your help.

 

[Boyd]

Generally speaking, you will find more closed canopy (in a month or two) the farther south you go, as there are more deciduous trees. Check out Belleplain state forest, which has a large network of trails and also some large and beautiful cedar swamps.

You will find full trail coverage of both Belleplain and Lebanon (aka Brendan Byrne - but always Lebanon to me) on my map. The map also shows forest cover (green shading) which will help you identify tree canopy. It also includes hiking trails in many other parts of the state (pines as well as North Jersey). This map is compatible with all Garmin GPS units: http://www.gpsfiledepot.com/maps/view/294/

If you want to get a better idea of the type of tree canopy, you might be interested in another map I made, which distinguishes between different kinds of vegetation. It works best with newer model Garmin units: http://www.gpsfiledepot.com/maps/view/441/

If you don't have a Garmin GPS, you can still download these maps and use them on both Macs and Windows computers using Garmin's free Basecamp program: http://www8.garmin.com/support/mappingsw.jsp

 

[dragoncjo]

Nothing better then getting blasted by sun in the pines and sweating, then driving home with the windows down while the sun/temps drop each minute and the smell of fresh pine forest permeating the car...something I'll never tire of.....but yes belleplain and the south portions are better for what your seeking, but there are waaay more ticks.

 

[Boyd]

Nothing better then getting blasted by sun in the pines and sweating, then driving home with the windows down

That's what I did this afternoon - in Belleplain. The shade in the cedars also felt good. The maples in the swamps have little leaves but upland trees are still bare.

 

[manumuskin]

There is a seven mile circle trail in Belleplain State forest blazed white.It goes from Lake nummy south to east creek pond then back up the west side to Nummy,a very long skinny circle.It is very wet in spots but in summer it tends to dry out eventually.yes the ticks down here make the barrens look lame,and the chiggers ,skeeters and gnats are ungodly.Also the deer flies are very bad but no worse then in the barrens.Stay away from the marsh and you won't have to worry about Greenheads.Peaslees also has some very nice old sand roads to walk through mostly oak woodlands that are very open and much shaded in summer.With a little practice looking at aerials pine and oak woods are very easily told apart.I would say dig out some topos or aerials of peaslees and explore to your hearts content.We have a few areas of barrens down here but they are small and you'll probably never happen on them without looking for them,also some very nice shaded walking to be had out on the west side of Union lake,you can drive most of those roads as well but their very narrow and shaded and make good walking or horseback riding as well.

 

[piker56]

There is a seven mile circle trail in Belleplain State forest blazed white.It goes from Lake nummy south to east creek pond then back up the west side to Nummy,a very long skinny circle.It is very wet in spots but in summer it tends to dry out eventually.yes the ticks down here make the barrens look lame,and the chiggers ,skeeters and gnats are ungodly.Also the deer flies are very bad but no worse then in the barrens.Stay away from the marsh and you won't have to worry about Greenheads.Peaslees also has some very nice old sand roads to walk through mostly oak woodlands that are very open and much shaded in summer.With a little practice looking at aerials pine and oak woods are very easily told apart.I would say dig out some topos or aerials of peaslees and explore to your hearts content.We have a few areas of barrens down here but they are small and you'll probably never happen on them without looking for them,also some very nice shaded walking to be had out on the west side of Union lake,you can drive most of those roads as well but their very narrow and shaded and make good walking or horseback riding as well.

Have hiked this in winter with my brothers. Very beautiful trail and area. This is the last area I hiked with my brother Bud before he died.
Greg

 

[Chrisr]

I've been exploring the Quaker Bridge Road area at Atsion lately. I'll drive along and stop at a trail, pull off the road where I can and hike it some. I try to do this at least once a week. Today was absolutely gorgeous to be out there. I hated to come home.

 

[NJChileHead]

Thanks, everyone, for your help! Belleplain is a definite on our list. We were going to save it for the fall because of the reputation for bugs, ticks and spectacular fall colors, but maybe we'll have to get down there sooner.

I'm guessing that Brendan Byrne isn't our best bet for shady areas.

Greg, I'm very sorry to hear about your brother.

 

[Boyd]

I really can't agree about the ticks - I would say they are less of a problem in the south. If you treat your clothes with permethrin (as discussed in another thread), they won't bother you at all. I hiked over three miles in Belleplain yesterday and didn't see a single tick. I also find that the ticks are pretty much gone once August comes, but they are still going strong up in Wharton. This always seemed odd to me, but I live south of Mays Landing, am out in the woods every day, and this is what I've observed.

The real problem here is CHIGGERS which begin in late summer and last until we get a freeze. They are just horrible here in the South. I have never found any effective way to avoid them - permethrin may help a little, but not all that much. So I think you will actually be better off visiting Belleplain now through mid summer. The later that you visit, the higher the grass will be on the trails. This is where chiggers really like to hang out. As soon as you walk through some tall grass, you're gonna be itching.

 

[manumuskin]

Actually Lebanon forest has a large oak area in it's western reaches around the northern end of the Batona trail around Ong's Hat.It's a nice area and would be shaded in summer.
Boyd
as someone who lives down here and lived in Belleplain for three years you must have lucked out that day.The ticks in the barrens while bad at times never come close to what occurs down here.The closer you get to the bay the worse it is and chiggers use this area as their command and control center.You are right that later summer into early October is the worse chigger season when the chigger grass is full grown.Old woods roads with high grass in the center are the worst.If you doubt me on chiggers wait till September and i have an old woods road I'd like to walk you down with no spray and shorts on Your guaranteed to love the hot Epsom salts bath afterwards to get rid of them

 

[manumuskin]

Nothing better then getting blasted by sun in the pines and sweating, then driving home with the windows down while the sun/temps drop each minute and the smell of fresh pine forest permeating the car...something I'll never tire of.....but yes belleplain and the south portions are better for what your seeking, but there are waaay more ticks.

You should write books Chris.I have had those same experiences but never put it so well.I love the smell of baking pine needles and hot sand if hot sand really has a smell,I'd swear it does.I also love the smell of what I thought was dirt when it first starts to rain or is about to but I read that it is actually bacteria in the soil I smell,toads also smell like this only stronger.

 

[Gibby]

You should write books Chris.I have had those same experiences but never put it so well.I love the smell of baking pine needles and hot sand if hot sand really has a smell,I'd swear it does.I also love the smell of what I thought was dirt when it first starts to rain or is about to but I read that it is actually bacteria in the soil I smell,toads also smell like this only stronger.

I thought I was the only one that notice this. It is a sweet smell, not quite the sweetness of a cedar swamp or hot August pine needles. Soil pore space and its accumulated organic matter is another factor to its aroma. A layer of duff recently burned has a nice scent to it too.

 

[NJChileHead]

I thought I was the only one that notice this. It is a sweet smell, not quite the sweetness of a cedar swamp or hot August pine needles. Soil pore space and its accumulated organic matter is another factor to its aroma. A layer of duff recently burned has a nice scent to it too.

I love the smell of ozone after a thunderstorm as well. It's a heavy smell, not sweet or sour, but almost like a wet woody smell with some light muskiness thrown in.

 

[NJChileHead]

Actually Lebanon forest has a large oak area in it's western reaches around the northern end of the Batona trail around Ong's Hat.It's a nice area and would be shaded in summer.

Manumuskin, thanks for that tip! Regarding that 736-acre cedar swamp, are there any of the marked trails that will keep us going through a large part of that area? I'm ashamed to say that I have not yet visited Lebanon SF!

 

[manumuskin]

http://www.nj.gov/dep/parksandforests/parks/docs/batona14web.pdf
this is a map of the batona trail.your main oak areas are from ongs hat to pakim pond and from batsto to evans bridge.nice cedar swamps at all streams in lebanon (byrne) forest and along the batsto river,Bulltown creek and skit branch.

 

[NJChileHead]

Thank you Manumuskin!

 

[manumuskin]

The pines are hot as heck in the summer but still great hiking if you take precautions.Plenty of water or gatorade and find some shade and rest if your overheating,move slow and try not to stay in open sandy areas too long.Bushwacking is out of the question unless your swamping near a nice stream.The cicadas will sing the lazy hot song they know so well and at dusk they will fade out as the katy dids fade in.Don't let the heat keep you away just prepare for it.
Al

 

[Dragonfly Whisperer]

I will NEVER do the Pygmy Forest in July again!. Can't get shade anywhere. All I got was a terrible headache. I need to stay out of the sun. I am hoping to do the Pygmies before the heat comes, then stick to the deciduous after June.

 

[manumuskin]

a wide brimmed hat and shades are necessities when in the plains in summer,also water and long loose fitting clothes,basically like the desert.Don't bushwack in the hottest part of the day,just find a good lookout sit,sweat,smell the heat and let it melt your cares away.Don't forget to drink or care number one may be dehydration....not fun.

 

[Boyd]

I will NEVER do the Pygmy Forest in July again!

Well there are always early mornings, late afternoons and cloudy days.