This 5.5-mile circuit hike begins at the Millbrook historical village parking lot at the intersection of Old Mine Road and Route 602. Proceed north
on the orange-blazed Orchard trail uphill to its end, making a left on the blue-blazed Hamilton Ridge trail. Take this trail to its western end.
Turn left on the Pioneer trail and take it to its end at Old Mine Road, passing an old cemetery on your right. Turn left on Old Mine Road and walk
for less than a hundred yards to the entrance of the Vancampens Glen area on the right. This is where we had to abort part of the hike, since the rocks that
run along the brook were covered with ice (you can see photos of us trying), making this section of the yellow-blazed Vancampens Glen trail impassable.
We went back to Old Mine Road and walked another 1/2-mile or so to the Upper Glen entrance to the Vamcampens Glen trail. Conditions were much more
favorable here. We proceeded east along the yellow-blazed to its end and then followed an unblazed woods road back to Millbrook Village.
As you will see, during this hike we passed two abandoned houses (one on Old Mine Road and another off the Vancampens Glen trail at the top of a hill) I assume these houses belonged to folks who were forced out by the government during the 1970s fiasco regarding the damming of the Delaware river at Tocks Island. To read a fascinating account of the aborted dam project, check out this 11-part series that appeared in The Pocono Record in 2001. (Click on the thumbnail to bring up a bigger image in a pop-up window)
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Millbrook historical village |
Millbrook historical village |
Speaker's corner! |
Spotted on a hunter's pick-up truck |
Slippery Orchard trail head |
Snowy Hamilton Ridge trail |
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Hamilton Ridge trail looking west |
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Majestic pines |
Serene pine plantation |
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Looking north on the Pioneer trail |
Depew Cemetery off Pioneer trail |
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Vancampens Glen brook |
Crampons would be nice here! |
A branch helps |
But not much |
And it gets worse and worse |
Tiny waterfall in brook |
We're going to be here all day ... |
... let's get back on Old Mine Road |
Abandoned house on Old Mine Road |
Sheds behind the house |
Old Mine Road at Upper Glen parking area |
Sign over Vancampens Glen brook |
The brook |
Butt travel is best here |
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Foot bridge over brook |
Abandoned house on a hill |
Fireplace |
Kitchen |
Refrigerator |
Dog house |
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A slippery descent |
Power line cut |
Photographing a nest |
Unfrozen swamp |
Our lunch spot at Watergate recreation area |
Deer tracks on lake at Watergate |
Totally frozen lake at Watergate |
Woods road back to Millbrook |
Millbrook historical building |
Peering inside the school |
Millbrook |
Historical building |
Window wood carvings |
Photographs and content copyright © Dan Balogh Web design by Dan Balogh |