Unmarked trail – Willingboro Lake (County) Park – Olympia Lakes, Willingboro, Burlington County, NJ
Distance: 0.5 miles or so one way, 1 mile round trip (we did 1 1/3 mile with some backtrack)
Type: Out and back
Difficulty: 1 of 10.
Total score: 4 of 10.
Terrain – lovely ridge between two lakes
Trailheads – 40° 2.151’N, 74° 55.200’W (Gate at parking lot)
Directions: Located on Rt 130 in Willingboro.
Parking lot: Some chopped up pavement next to Rt 130.
Standouts – Two beautiful lakes.
Markings – None, but none needed.
Description: It had been a long week of traveling around the world (without leaving the gymnasium, through the magic of Multi-Cultural Night) and interacting with celebrities (you KNOW you wish you had a school fundraiser with Jerry Blavat this week. You know, the Geator with The Heator). My buddy Pat had wanted to get out. Then it was raining. We decided to go anyway, and had beautiful weather.
Our destination was directly on Route 130, the old Olympia Lakes in Willingboro. Old sand quarries that had been filled by natural springs, they’d recently been turned into the latest county park in the Burlington County Park System (Willingboro bought them for preservation almost twenty years ago, but turned them over to the county). We opted for hiking this day, although non-motorized boating is allowed if you want to carry it in.
It’d be a good carry.
This is another one of those parks with a lot of potential for new trails, but at the moment there is just one, going dead between the two lakes for a half mile or so. Eventually, there are plans to create loops and connect this park to other nearby parks.
Down to the lake front.
Swan.
View from the first spot of lake. We’ll be walking in that direction.
The walk is straight between the two lakes, climbing up onto a ridge, then back down. It goes straight, straight, straight, all the way through to Lake Drive. At this time, there is no where to go but back.
Down the trail/old road.
Plants.
Another lake view.
Old swim area?
Trail up on the ridge above the lake.
Get some good height. Pat is making sure The Pres doesn’t attempt a swam dive.
I met a snake.
On the way back, there is a spur you can take out into the smaller of the two lakes. And so we did.
Worth it.
The Pres enjoyed the geese, which he gleefully pointed out to us.
Pat stares off toward Rt 130 from the end of the little spur.
Then it was back the way we came and back into the car. I could get used to doing this after work!
At the edge of the old parking lot.
I love Spring.
Overall recommendation: Nice spot for a visit and a stroll. I’ll be excited when they begin to expand the hiking trails here.
Love your adventures!!
awful