Hacklebarney State Park

Hacklebarney State Park (10/23/2009)

This is the Hike of the Week for 8/17/2007 as described on the NY-NJ Trail Conference website. We were in Southern California the week prior to this hike and when we were landing in Newark the day we returned we could clearly see from a thousand feet up that the fall foliage was pretty much near peak in northern New Jersey (it was just beginning to turn when we left). So of course we had to get out there and experience it first hand! This was the first time we ever hiked in Hacklebarney. The cloudy weather enhanced the autumn colors, and the wild Black River was raging.

One of the highlights of this outing had nothing to do with the woods. We stopped at the Hacklebarney Farm Cider Mill, on the drive back (about 5 minutes from the trailhead) and got freshly baked cider donuts, hot mulled cider, and a huge pumpkin praline pie. Laura said the donut was like a slice of Heaven ... with a hole in the middle! On the drive back, we also stopped briefly at Morristown's Burnham Park to get photos of the Thomas Paine statue. It's the largest statue of Paine in the world.

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