Prospect Point Preserve is a very rugged preserve that borders Lake Hopatcong on its western bank near its northern tip. The New York-New Jersey Trail Conference Jersey Highlands Trail Central North Region Trail Map 126 (1st edition, 2011) shows a smattering of woods roads and unmarked trails that don't seem to follow any pattern or form any large loops. But I have been intrigued by this piece of land since I saw it on this map. So we headed off to visit it today, with iPhone GPS in hand. And I'm sure glad I had my GPS because (as is typical) there are many more woods roads than are on the map, and nothing is blazed. We parked at a large pull-off (enough to accomodate perhaps eight cars) on the northern shoulder of Prospect Point Road and trekked east into the preserve. We formed a couple of loops and a couple of spurs, using trails both on and not on the map, managing to reach the lovely bank of the lake in a handful of spots. Even Liffy Island was within reach, though we probably would have gotten our feet a bit wet. Perhaps we'll return in winter when getting over to the island will be very easy. We covered 3.7 miles today in about 2 hours.
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Beginning on Prospect Point Road |
Heading east |
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[Photo by Laura] |
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Stone fragments |
Very wet trail |
And still wet |
Blaze? |
Lovely mossy trail |
Trail borders swamp |
Heading SW |
Swamp |
Climbing after swamp |
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Maytag? |
Elaborate hunting blind |
View inside |
[Photo by Laura] |
Laura getting a look |
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Moss |
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Cloudy sky |
Beautiful tree root |
Leafy carpet |
Remaining beech color |
Houses on North Lakeside Avenue |
Mansion on Jerry Drive |
Mansion on Jerry Drive |
View south from end of Jerry Drive |
Mallards in lake |
View north of ... |
... Laura on bank |
Hunters boating |
View SE |
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View east |
View NE |
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Strolling along ... |
... the bank |
Sign-eating tree |
Huge rock formations |
View north from bank |
View of Liffy Island |
View east |
[Photo by Laura] |
Rock hopping |
Mushrooms |
Heading north on woods road |
Swamp between preserve and Liffy Island |
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Beech color |
Rock walkway to Liffy Island |
View NE from rock walkway |
View north |
View south to swamp |
View south |
Laura on rock walkway |
Mallards |
Liffy Island witin reach |
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Moon over Hopatcong |
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Climbing back up |
Interesting rock formations |
Photographs and content copyright © Dan Balogh Web design by Dan Balogh |