"On a cold, overcast morning, I drove up Otterhole Road with my dog, and made a right on Larsen Road in West Milford. In seconds, we were at a large pull off area on our right. That dirt lot, big enough for four or five vehicles, is the northwestern access point into Norvin Green State Forest. One can gain entry into Norvin Green via the Old Snake Den Road which begins there. We parked in the snow-covered lot, then entered Old Snake Den Road, and walked around the closed gate. We proceeded southeast on the wide, snow- and ice-covered Snake Den Road a few thousand feet before making a sharp left and heading due north on an ATV trail branching off of Snake Den. That trail gradually rose towards the summit area on our left. A short bushwhack had us at the high ground which unfortunately offered no views of the surrounding area. I could see a second ridgeline to the east that appeared a bit higher, so we took that ATV trail south and back to Snake den Road. At the intersection, we continued southeast (left) until coming upon the rise of that next ridge line. Unfortunately, from there, the summit area was a good 500+ feet due north, and it would require bushwhacking all the way. So, I sh..." — michaelzandonella • Jan 5, 2026

"This peak was plan B for the day, having failed to accomplish my primary goal, an ascent of Round Hill in the Fuller Mountain Preserve in Warwick, NY. I had just finished climbing Maple Hill on the Vernon-Warwick border, then headed over to the Fuller Mountain Preserve, a mere mile away. Well, we were at the Fuller lot in five minutes, but UNFORTUNATELY, the lot that can easily accommodate 4 cars was filled by three. Three vehicles whose owners decided to park with 6 feet of space between them, leaving no room for mine. Parking on the street there is strictly prohibited, so I had no choice but to leave. Well, now what? Do I just go home, or do I think of another destination? After a minute, I decided to give Wawayanda Mountain high point another shot as it was only a few miles away. Hordes of ticks had caused me to abort my first attempt there back in July. I drove up Warwick Turnpike and made a left on Route 94 south. Back into Jersey, and down Route 94 to Vernon Stockholm Road, then a left onto Highland Lakes Road, and in 5 minutes we were at the pipeline cut access road on the right. I pulled into the snow-covered road about 600 feet where I parked the car. Petey and I headed s..." — michaelzandonella • Jan 3, 2026

"On a cold, partly cloudy late morning, I drove up to the Appalachian Trail access lot on Warwick Turnpike in Vernon with my dog to make the ascent up Maple Hill. Ours was the only car in the lot. We entered the woods via the AT and headed east over some wooden planks that lead through what must be a swampy area in the warmer months. There were three inches of snow on the ground on this 20-degree day, and everything was frozen. It gave me the opportunity to use the new crampons I had recently purchased. The trail widened a bit as we continued east, and after about 1,500 feet, I headed north (left) up the gradually rising ridge line of Maple Hill. It was a few thousand feet of bush whacking through low, leafless scrub brush. With the summit in sight, we were forced to make our way around an area with hundreds of fallen trees, logs and branches. It appeared as if that area of around 1,200 feet of elevation had experienced a microburst or even a small tornado in the past. At the summit, there was a very large pile of snow-covered rocks. We climbed up on the pile where I took a few pictures and a video, then back to the car we went. I wasn’t worried about backtracking the exact way we c..." — michaelzandonella • Jan 3, 2026

"On an unseasonably mild, mostly sunny afternoon, I decided to ascend Beech/Preakness Mountain, the last peak I needed to bag in the High Mountain Preserve. So, I drove over to Reservoir Road on the Wayne-Franklin Lakes border and parked about 1,000 feet east of the circle where Reservoir Road becomes Winding Hollow Drive. Two trails, yellow and orange, are found off that circle. I took the orange Beech Mountain trail which starts directly across from house #611. In about 1,000 feet, the well blazed trail bears right at a sign, and then rises gradually up towards the ridge line. I was looking to make a right on the North Ancients Trail, which is composed of multiple switchbacks, and leads directly to the summit. I reached the ridgeline, but there were no blazes indicating an official trail. However, there did appear to be a worn path leading up towards the summit area from that point. So, I entered there, and simply started bushwhacking, a simple stroll through the fallen leaves actually, towards the mountain’s summit. As I approached what I thought was the high point, with the remnants of a large fire pit atop it, I discovered a segment of the Ancients Trail. I also realized that I..." — michaelzandonella • Nov 8, 2025

"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