In preparation for an upcoming hike I am leading, I'll be doing a hike on Tuesday, March 29 at 4:45 PM. I am doing this to get a sense of the trails and do some geocaches that are in the park.

It will be a moderate trail in the Turkey Mountain Natural Historical Area (Morris County, Montville, NJ). The hike is 3.3 miles round-trip. Dogs are allowed on a leash. The hike climbs a ridge to reach a viewpoint over Valhalla Lake and passes an old stone cabin, a scenic waterfall and the remains of a limestone quarry.

If anyone wants to carpool, I'll be coming from Rutherford, NJ (I live right across the street from the Rutherford Train Station) and would be willing to drive a little out of the way to carpool.

For those coming, I suggest wearing layers of long sleeve shirts. Also, it's recommended to bring a backpack, 2 liters of water, chapstick, gloves, and a small trail sandwich. In addition, hiking boots are strongly recommended as they provide much more traction than a pair of sneakers.

Meeting Location:

We'll meet at 4:45 PM on Tues, March 29 at the Pyramid Mountain Visitors Center. Driving directions are below. I estimate the hike will take two and a half hours and we will be out before the sun sets at 7:18 PM.

My cell phone number is 908-894-4403

Please comment if you can make it.

Driving Directions:

Driving Directions from NY via George Washington Bridge: After crossing into NJ via the George Washington Bridge, take the NJ-4/I-95 South exit toward Hackensack/I-80 West/New Jersey Turnpike. Then, take exit 72A to merge onto NJ-4 West toward Paramus and continue for 8.3 miles. After being on Route 4 West for 8.3 miles, stay right to continue onto NJ-208 North toward Oakland for 10.2 miles. Then, merge onto I-287 South and take that for 12.4 miles. Take exit 47 for US-202 toward Montville/Lincoln Park. At the bottom of the exit ramp, turn left onto US-202 S/Main Rd. After taking US-202 S/Main Rd for 0.5 miles, follow the road to the right to stay onto US-202 S/Main Road and follow for 0.3 miles. Turn right onto Taylortown Road, and take that for 1.8 miles. Turn right onto Boonton Avenue/Route 511 and take that for 0.8 miles. After taking Boonton Avenue/Route 511 for 0.8 miles, you will see a sign for Pyramid Mountain on the left, just opposite Mars Court. Pull into that Parking Lot and walk across Boonton Avenue to the other side of the road, where the visitors center is, where we will meet.

Driving Directions from NY via Tappan Zee Bridge: After crossing into NJ via the Tappan Zee Bridge and following Route 87 North for 15 miles, take exit 15 to merge onto I-287 South/NJ-17 South toward New Jersey and take that for 21.2 miles. Take exit 47 for US-202 toward Montville/Lincoln Park. At the bottom of the exit ramp, turn left onto US-202 S/Main Rd. After taking US-202 S/Main Rd for 0.5 miles, follow the road to the right to stay onto US-202 S/Main Road and follow for 0.3 miles. Turn right onto Taylortown Road, and take that for 1.8 miles. Turn right onto Boonton Avenue/Route 511 and take that for 0.8 miles. After taking Boonton Avenue/Route 511 for 0.8 miles, you will see a sign for Pyramid Mountain on the left, just opposite Mars Court. Pull into that Parking Lot and walk across Boonton Avenue to the other side of the road, where the visitors center is, where we will meet.