"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

"On a gorgeous, breezy autumn afternoon, one perfect for hiking, I drove with my pup over to Burnt Meadow Road in West Milford. We parked on a little gravel pull off across from the Shiloh Bible Camp where a short trail leads up to Burnt Meadow/Highlands trail on the mountain ridge. Unfortunately, after getting out of the car and walking a hundred feet to the trailhead, a sign on the tree there said the trail was closed. Out of curiosity, I went up the trail a few hundred feet following its black dot within a lime green rectangle blaze, but after only three blazes, the trail seriously deteriorated, and the blazes disappeared. So, back to the car we went. After driving south about a quarter mile, we came upon the official trailhead of the Burnt Meadow trail. We parked in a gravel pull off large enough for three cars, then proceeded east on the lime green blazed trail. The well blazed trail, slightly rocky, rose gently for about 500 feet before dipping into a valley and across a small stream. The trail then became a bit steeper requiring some scrambling near the summit area. Petey got over the rock ledges like a champ and obeyed my commands to stop while I climbed up after him. Burnt ..." — michaelzandonella • Oct 16, 2025

"I headed over to the Campgaw Mountain Reservation in Mahwah with my four-legged hiking companion. We parked in a large gravel lot just before the maintenance yard lot off Fyke Road. From the lot, we walked 500 feet south before coming upon the trailhead of the blue blazed Rocky Ridge Trail on our right. In about 200 feet, we bore right at the loop split, choosing to go clockwise. Crossing the powerline cut, the blue trail became a 20-foot-wide woods road. That steady incline climbed up the mountainside about 1,500 feet before becoming a narrow winding woods path, still well blazed, and leading up the Campgaw’s summit area. The summit high point was a small rocky area with a thorn bush growing out of the cracks in the rock. There were no views to be had from that point. We continued north on the blue trail. Just before it makes a 90 degree turn east, running parallel to the ski slopes, I wandered into the ski slope area to take some pictures. Impressive views to the east in the valley below can be had from that point. Back to blue, making a left down the mountain, the trail hugs the slope area for a few hundred feet, and then leads southeast where it merges with the orange trail bef..." — michaelzandonella • Oct 6, 2025

"I had planned to start this ascent from a tiny pull off on Magee Road where the Stonetown Circular trail crosses the road. However, when I got there, I noticed that all the nearby home's trash cans were strewn all over the road. No doubt a bear had just finished its breakfast there. Not wanting to run into that bear should it still be in the area, it was time for plan B. So, I continued down Magee Road where it meets Burnt Meadow Road, and I turned right. I went north up the paved Burnt Meadow Road until it becomes a dirt road. That is the point where an unmarked entry trail that leads to the Stonetown Circular Trail is located. I parked on the right in a small dirt pull off where there is room for two cars, and through that narrow and slightly overgrown entry path we went. After about 75 feet, we were on a much wider, well-worn ATV trail. I wasn’t sure how far we’d be going before running into the Stonetown Circular path on which I’d be making a right. Funny, but almost immediately after thinking that, there we were, at the intersection with the Stonetown Trail with its red pyramid blazes. Because this was my plan B; a not as well planned out plan B, I simply remembered I would ha..." — michaelzandonella • Sep 29, 2025

"On a partly cloudy, cool early autumn morning, I drove with my pup up to the Northern Boat Launch of Monksville Reservoir to make the ascent up Monks Mountain. The large parking lot that is usually packed with cars and boat trailers on weekends had two cars in it at 9 am on Monday morning. I parked at the southwestern most part of the lot as that is where the trailhead of the white blazed Monks Trail is located. We took that well blazed (white) trail that runs about 50 feet above the reservoir’s shoreline into the woods about a quarter mile before making a left onto the Tennessee Gas service road. There is a fork in that road after a few hundred feet; a right leading southward towards the power line cut and a left, leading steeply up to the summit area. After reaching the high point on that woods road, I noticed some large rock ledges off into the woods about 75 feet on our left. An easy bushwhack had us at that rocky area where I tied Petey to a tree and then climbed up on the largest and highest boulder. I was able to see sections of the reservoir above the tree line from that vantage point. A few pictures and a video, then back to the car we went. Then it was off to Magee Road a..." — michaelzandonella • Sep 29, 2025