Two Brooks

Two Brooks Trail, Pequannock Watershed (2/20/2012)

Today we returned to the Pequannock Watershed for at least the sixth time in as many weeks. As previously mentioned, a permit is required for hiking in this area, and the permit can only be purchased in person at the office which is closed on Saturdays and Sundays until sometime in either April or May. In other words, it's not easy, and because it's not easy the hiker traffic is light. We have seen a grand total of five hikers in the half dozen trips here this year. So if you're after some real solitude, you can't go wrong with getting a permit.

Today we parked in parking pull-off P-4 at the lovely trail head of the fantastically picturesque Two Brooks trail, easily one of the prettiest trails in the entire watershed. The trail head on Clinton Road is itself very pretty and inviting with a bench and a sturdy kiosk displaying a large NYNJTC map. This is not common in the watershed which is quite rugged and where trail heads merely begin without fanfare. From the trail head we headed east traveling the entire one-mile Two Brooks trail, then headed north on the yellow Fire Tower West trail. At the blue-blazed Newark Connector trail we headed east further climbing the ridge, then north to the fire tower on the Fire Tower Ridge trail. After taking in the spectacular views, we headed north on yellow all the way to Stephens Road and then turned back taking yellow all the way back to the Two Brooks trail which we then retraced back to the car.

Total distance hiked today was 5 miles, in just over 3 hours.

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