This is hike #15 ("Saffin Pond & Headley Overlook") in
Hiking New Jersey: A Guide to 50 of the Garden State's Greatest
Hiking Adventures (1st edition). We hiked about half of the trails covered here nearly four years ago,
mainly the first half of today's hike, which uses mainly the Highlands trail. The remainder of today's hike was on woods roads, and was all new for us.
There was a chill in the air this morning (it was in the mid-50s when we started the hike) and the fall foliage was just beginning to make its appearance!
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On the Ogden Railway bed |
First view of Saffin Pond |
Fall foliage begins! |
The sun pops out |
Saffin Pond from the western bank |
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View north |
Saffin pond dam bridge |
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Climbing the Highlands trail |
Trail wildflowers |
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Beautiful mushrooms |
Shagbark Hickory |
Some leaf drop |
Colors beginning to change |
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Significant leaf drop in places |
Trail mushroom |
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Tree mushroom |
Bridge over Weldon Brook |
Weldon Brook |
Nature's carvings |
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Climbing |
Still on the Highlands Trail |
Slippery tree roots |
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Woods stream |
Ricketty "bridge" |
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Trail goes through boulder field |
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Mushrooms were plentiful today |
More rock hopping |
Climbing to the overlook |
Taking a break [Photo by Laura] |
Now where are we? |
Bumble bee on Goldenrod |
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Did I do that?? [photo by Laura] |
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Trail to overlook |
Lake Hopatcong from overlook |
At Headley overlook |
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[photo by Laura] |
View east |
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Mountain Laurel thicket |
On woods road |
Stream crossing |
Fall colors on woods road |
Bird house |
Our lunch spot at Saffin Pond |
Saffin Pond reflections |
Eastern bank of pond |
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Boulder in pond |
Signs of beavers! |
On edge of jetty in pond |
On jetty |
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More beaver activity |
Saffin pong from northern tip |
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Photographs and content copyright © Dan Balogh Web design by Dan Balogh |