D&R Canal: East Millstone to Lock 10

D & R Canal State Park, East Millstone to Lock 10 (12/2/2012)

It was very foggy this morning as we drove south to visit the D & R Canal, the first time in over three years. And when we got to the East Millstone access point on Amwell Road, a glorious stubborn fog still hung over the canal adding an ethereal beauty to an already lovely area. With an overcast sky, my favorite lighting for taking photos, I knew I'd be getting some very pretty photos.

Hike #36 ("D&R Canal, Weston to East Millstone") in Hiking New Jersey: A Guide to 50 of the Garden State's Greatest Hiking Adventures (1st edition) covers a 2.1-mile stretch of the hike we did today. That hike has you beginning in Weston, hiking south to East Millstone, and then turning around. Today we started in East Millstone, hiked north passing Weston and continued past Zarephath all the way to Lock 10 before heading back, with a side trip into Colonial Park on the way back. It seems that the canal path was hit hard by Hurricane Sandy but a yeoman's job was done to bring it back into shape. Dozens of tree stumps now line the way, where large trees used to stand. Before heading home, we grabbed a nice lunch at the quaint East Millstone Antiques & Cafe, within eyesight of the canal parking lot. Doubting they'd have anything substantial for two vegetarians we were amazed to find that the very first two items on the lunch menu were vegetarian (maybe even vegan): a black bean burger and a veggie burger. Laura got the former while I got the latter.

Total distance covered was nearly 7.5 miles in 2 hours and 45 minutes.

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