Round Valley Recreation Area
The last time we hiked near this gorgeous reservoir was in late 2005. At that time we hiked a good part of the red-blazed Cushetunk trail, which goes around the reservoir for much of its circumference at a high level and affords a few views along the way. Today we decided to stay close to water and we were rewarded big time.

Parking in the South Lot, we first hiked the blue-blazed Water trail (aptly named) all the way to the end and then back. On this trail we had constant views of the beautiful reservoir and the many fishing boats and kayaks that were out this beautiful morning. Most of the time we were at the water's edge. The water was incredibly clear and Laura dipped her feet in at one point. After doing this out-and-back, we continued along the park road to just north of the parking area where we caught the green-blazed Pine Tree Trail and hiked that trail in its entirety. Here we saw loads of lovely wildflowers being attended to by bees, dragonflies, moths and butterflies.

We hiked 3.8 miles in just over 2.5 hours. While it wasn't challenging at all, it was one of the more beautiful hikes in the Central Jersey area.

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