Hoeferlin Loop



Hoeferlin Loop, Wawayanda State Park (11/25/2012)

It's been nearly two years since we visited this beautiful state park, and being that about half of the trails were cleared by the awesome volunteers of the NYNJTC since Hurricane Sandy (the others are still considered closed), I managed to cobble together a loop that used not only open trails but also mostly trails that we never hiked before.

We parked at the park office, just off Warwick Turnpike and began by heading south on the blue Hoeferlin trail. We next headed west on the green Black Eagle trail, near the end crossing Wawayanda Road and continuing to a woods road which we then took south to Wawayanda Road. At this point we walked along the beautifully-paved bike trail that parallels the park road. Strangely only one car passed on the park road during the 10 or 15 minutes we walked there (maybe everyone is still at the malls shopping). We then headed south on another park road that bordered a picturesque swamp to the east. Not a single car passed us on this stretch, which contained interesting ruins along the way to the famous Wawayanda furnace which we passed before picking up the yellow Double Pond trail, taking that east. The first part of this trail was the only part we had done in the past. At the end of the Double Pond trail we took the Hoeferlin trail from it's southern end all the way back to the car.

Total distance hiked today was just under 6 miles in about 2 hours and 45 minutes.

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At the park office


South on the Hoeferlin trail

[Photo by Laura]


Some late autumn color

Partially frozen swamp below

West on Black Eagle trail

Big Sandy blow-down

 


Slight climb

Evergreens

 


Lovely leaf carpet

About to cross ...

... Wawayanda Road

Woods road for a short stretch
 


Stream on Wawayanda Road

Heading south on bike path

Swamp

 



Road to furnace

Tick warning sign

Road skirts a swamp
 


In the swamp

Young bamboo shoots along road

Fossils near ruins

Ruins
 


Foundation

Checking samples

Stream from Laurel Pond

 


[Photo by Laura]

Macro of shiny mineral

Stream looking ...

... upstream
 


Retired greyhound

Tiny damn


Water level gauge
 


Continuing to ...

... Wawayanda furnace


It says "1846"
 



Laura is dwarfed by furnace

Rules of the road

 


East on Double Pond trail

Boardwalk through ...

... gorgeous swamp

 


Various ...

... views ...

... of swamp ...

... looking north
 


On boardwalk


Rhododendrons

Tunnel of vegetation
 



Beautiful stretch of ...

... Double Pond trail

Sandy blow-down cleared
 


At southern end of Hoeferlin

Hoeferlin blaze

Blow-down

Color on Hoeferlin
 

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