Rattlesnake Swamp



Rattlesnake Swamp & AT, DWG Recreational Area (3/25/2021)

The last time I hiked the AT at Rattlesnake Swamp was 11 years ago, when my friend Andy and I took off from work to enjoy a beautiful summer day. The last time I hiked it with Laura was 16 years ago! My, how time flies! So, Laura took the day off today and we headed north!

There were dense fog warnings all over NJ, and the drive was quite misty and foggy. When we got to the trailhead, it was overcast there was a mist over certain areas. But like both previous two times, we took the orange-blazed Rattlesnake Swamp trail first, below the ridge, hoping that the fog would lift before we got to the ridge, so that we could once again see the spectacular views. And it did partially, as you can see in the photos. All in all it was a spectacular day. We didn't see another soul, though we heard, but didn't see, tree cutters maintaining the trees along the gravel road just west of where Orange and the AT fork near the beginning.

Total distance was 5 miles in 3 hours and 40 minutes, with lunch at the vista where both trails meet.

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