Our trail in autumn: you gotta see it to be leaf it!

October 17, 2022| Community, People, Recreation

By: Caitlin Doran

In September, our friends at Shiseido America organized an impactful day of trail maintenance spanning just under four miles of the Lake Hopatcong Trail in the town of Hopatcong, down by the Senior Center and up at Bear Pond (special shout out to trail maintainer Rob Bond for helping lead the group!). As a thank you, we invited the team to join us on the Floating Classroom to talk about the lake, our recreation initiatives - like group hikes and paddles - and enjoy what turned out to be a spectacular fall day.

Fall in New Jersey is a special time of year when the trees present us with a color display unlike anywhere else. Forested areas in the Northeast will look particularly vibrant now that we have hit peak foliage season, but it is New Jersey’s variety of trees that gives it such a plentiful palette. This Skylands Visitor article goes into the science behind it all and reminds us how lucky we are to live (work and play) here in the northwest part of the state.

And what better place to experience fall’s full range, hyper-locally, than from the Lake Hopatcong Trail? To hike the recently maintained section of trail near the Hopatcong Senior Center, park in the lot directly behind the Center and pick up the trailhead (blue sign) just opposite the lot’s side entrance/exit - aka Point B on the Lake Hopatcong Trail map. From there, you can hike north to the Hilltop Ballfield, aka Point C (and walk back down the road to the parking lot, making a loop), or hike south to Hopatcong Middle School, aka Point D (turn around and return). And, don’t forget the additional trail loops and spurs blazed last summer, like the spur down to Cowboy Creek in Hopatcong and the very popular Liffy Island Loop in Jefferson, which extend your hiking to some particularly pretty places, beyond what’s currently marked on our map.  

Looking for more hiking spots with greater elevation and even greater vistas? Our colleagues at the NY-NJ Trail Conference include a roundup of their top NJ and NY hikes here. And as always, we encourage you to stay safe and have maximum fun by planning ahead, checking the weather, dressing the part, and staying hydrated and with the group. To quote the Harfoots from the Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power (okay, yes, giving myself away as a nerd here): “Nobody goes off trail and nobody walks alone!” Happy hiking!