"On a cool, breezy overcast morning, I drove with my dog over to the Project U.S.E.-Wildcat Mt. Wilderness Center lot on Clinton Road. Six different trails can be hiked from that lot. Ours was one of only two cars in that lot, large enough to accommodate 20+ cars. From the lot, we walked south along the shoulder of Clinton Road about 300 feet before coming to a large sign for the Project U.S.E.-Wildcat Mt. Wilderness Center. The gated entrance to the red blazed Old Coal trail starts there. Walking through the gate, we took the wide, well blazed woods road which runs along the southeastern shore of Lookover Lake and then past two large buildings belonging to Project U.S.E. We continued westward up that gentle, rock free incline, past some old rock walls where I assume a mining community may once have been located. As we got closer to the summit, the road narrowed a bit, and it became much rockier. I failed to see the first Split Rock trail sign on our right as it was tilted away from us. However, in another 500 feet, there is a sign for a second Split Rock trail access point, again on the right, and directly across from a sign for the Buddha Trail. We made the right into the woods on..." — michaelzandonella • Nov 3, 2025

"Having just descended Mount Freedom/ Calais Mountain, our first peak of the day, a mile away to the southwest, I drove to Millbrook Road and parked in the designated Randolph Trails lot across from the large Freedom Park complex. That fairly large gravel lot can accommodate at least 20 cars. Six feet to the west of the lot, we got on the 8-foot wide, paved Randolph Trail. Bearing right at the trail's split, we continued uphill and through the powerline cut. Back into the woods for a few hundred feet, I noticed a bench and a small white sign indicating the high point trail on our left. We took that unmarked but easy to follow trail; the two-foot-wide trail is almost entirely bordered with rocks, until we reached the high point with its survey marker clearly visible. Peak two bagged, then back to the car the way we came. Next stop, Watnong Mountain in Mountain Way Park in Morris Plains. " — michaelzandonella • Sep 23, 2025

"Having just completed our High Point ascent, my pup and I headed down route 23 South to rt.519 to Nielson Road to Crigger Road in Wantage. I drove up to the Dead End of Crigger Road where a woods road leads up to the Appalachian Trail. The woods road was a wide, rocky incline of just over a quarter mile, slightly steep in the beginning, but not too bad. We made a left at the T-intersection with the Appalachian Trail. That segment of the trail, a gradual incline of three quarters of a mile, was a combination of smooth compressed dirt and rocky sections. We were at the summit in about half an hour. Again, the overcast skies put a damper on what would have been a magnificent view from the summit and the large pavilion there. A few pictures and videos were taken; we had a snack and some water before backtracking to the car. After a few hundred feet, we came upon a nice rock ledge just off the trail to the east that offered a beautiful view. We continued on, and after about ten minutes, as luck would have it, the sun started breaking through the clouds. I contemplated going back up for some better pictures, but my already sore old legs dissuaded me from doing so. " — michaelzandonella • Sep 22, 2025

"On mostly cloudy, cool (low 60’s) and breezy afternoon, I drove up to Sussex County with my pup to climb the two highest peaks in New Jersey. Yes, I had been to High Point a few times prior; having driven all the way up, but I had never officially climbed to the summit. So, I parked in a small lot on the northern end of Lake Marcia, and from there hiked what is known as the “Old Trail” up to the Monument. The short 0.4-mile trail is all incline and quite rocky. It took ten minutes to get to the summit. The park was near empty at 3 o’clock on this cloudy first day of autumn, but I did meet three Sobo thru-hikers who were resting in the monument area. I took a few pictures and videos of that stunning 360-degree view; too bad it was a cloudy day and then headed back down route 23 south to get to Crigger road then make the ascent up Sunrise Mountain. " — michaelzandonella • Sep 22, 2025

", I drove up route 23 north, made a U-turn in the entrance of South Shore Drive and parked in a small lot on the south bound side. The gravel lot, big enough for three cars max, is next to a narrow strip on land that is part of the Sparta Mountain Wildlife Management Area. There is a large sign indicating “The Trust for Public Land” fifty feet south of that lot. Mt. Gerard’s summit lies within that narrow portion of land. I started my hike on a fairly wide ATV trail to the right of the lot. It was quite overgrown, so it appears no one has ridden there in a while. After a few hundred feet, the path widened out, and tire grooves became a bit more evident. In a quarter mile or so, I saw a Private Property sign to my right. At the same time I saw a wooden chair; put there recently as it was in near pristine condition, propped up against a large tree. I then turned to my left, where I immediately saw a narrow worn path leading up Mt. Gerard. I assumed this might be the red blazed trail described by some hikers in the past, but there were no blazes to be found. That narrow, well-worn path was easy to follow, weaving up the northern side of the mountain, and eventually leading t..." — michaelzandonella • Jul 6, 2025