Backpacking
Backpacking Adventures!
First, we highlight the backpacking possibilities of South Jersey. They may be few, but that doesn’t make them any less adventurous!
Below that, adventures on the Appalachian Trail in North Jersey, Maryland, New York, and Virginia!
Below that, national park backpacking adventure at Isle Royale in Lake Superior (with a 3 and 1 year old, like you do).
Finally at the bottom, my annual Appalachian Trail thru-hiker stalking blog following.
Hikes are broken down by trail. We love suggestions and trip reports! Comment or contact us at southjerseytrails@gmail.com with suggestions and trip reports!
Want to know what to pack? Go look somewhere else. Like, almost anywhere else. But if you insist on my idiotic advice, here’s what I pack.
Batona Trail, New Jersey Pine Barrens
Bass River State Forest, Wharton State Forest, Franklin Parker Preserve, Brendan Byrne State Forest
South Jersey’s premier – also only – long distance backpacking trail
Batona Trail – Day 1 – Coal Road to Buttonwood Camp
Batona Trail – Day 2 – Buttonwood Camp to Lower Forge Camp
Batona Trail – Day 3 – Lower Forge Camp to Brendan Byrne Campground
Batona Trail – Day 4 – Brendan Byrne Campground to Ong’s Hat
Two Days to complete the Batona Trail = terrible idea!
Mullica River Trail, Wharton State Forest, New Jersey Pine Barrens
Mullica River Trail – Shamong to Washington Township, NJ – 9.5 miles – 2 days
Round Valley Reservoir – Hunterdon County, NJ
Round Valley Reservoir – Lebanon, Hunterdon County, NJ – 9 miles round trip (up to 16 miles round trip) – 2 days
Appalachian Trail Adventures
2,175 miles of sheer awesome
One weekend at a time
North Jersey – Sunfish Pond, Worthington State Forest, Delaware Water Gap, Knowlton Township, NJ
Sunfish Pond Weekend Backpacking Trip – Columbia, NJ – 13 miles or so
Sunfish Pond II: Meeting Dr. Dave (Aka, Rowdy)
High Point State Park to Wawayanda State Park, NJ
Day 1 – High Point Parking Area to High Point Shelter (with side trip to High Point Monument) – 2.7 miles total (1.7 trail miles on the AT)
Day 2 – High Point Shelter to Pochuck Shelter – 12.6 miles (12.4 trail miles on the AT)
Day 3 – Pochuck Shelter to Wawayanda State Park Office – 13 mikes (12.4 miles on the AT)
Hewitt State Forest, NJ and Sterling State Forest, New York
Appalachian Trail – Long House Dr, West Milford, NJ to Elk Pen Parking Lot, Harriman State Park, Harriman, NY – 2 days, 21 miles.
Appalachian Trail – All of Maryland – PA/MD Border to Harper’s Ferry, WV
All of Maryland – Day 1 – MD/PA Border at Pen-Mar County Park to Ensign Cowall Shelter – 9.6 trail miles.
All of Maryland – Day 2 – Ensign Cowall Shelter to Rocky Run Shelter – 15.5 trail miles
All of Maryland – Day 3 – Rocky Run Shelter to Ed Garvey Shelter – 9.1 trail miles
All of Maryland – Day 4 – Ed Garvey Shelter to ATC Headquarters, Harpers Ferry, WV – 7.0 trail miles
Appalachian Trail – Shenandoah National Park – Northern half –
Route 522 to Big Meadows, Virginia
Shenandoah National Park (North half) – Day 1 – Route 522 to Gravel Springs Shelter – 13.4 miles
Shenandoah National Park (North half) – Day 2 – Gravel Springs to Pass Mountain Hut – 13.1 miles
Shenandoah National Park (North half) – Day 3 – Pass Mountain Hut to Stoney Man Mountain – 10.3 miles
Coming soon!
Shenandoah National Park (North half) – Day 4 – Stony Man Mountain to Big Meadows Visitor Center – 8.9 miles
Coming at some point…
– Antietam Creek Shelter, PA to PenMar County Park, MD
– Stratton Mountain Parking Area, Stratton, Vermont to Mount Greylock Summit, Adams, Massachusetts
National Park Backpacking Trips
Isle Royale National Park – Houghton, Michigan
(Backpacking America’s least visited national park in the middle of Lake Superior)
Day 1 – Isle Royale National Park – Houghton, Michigan 3.5 miles of backpacking (and 1 of hiking) – Rock Harbor Trail from Rock Harbor Lodge to 3 Mile Camp.
Day 2 – Isle Royale National Park – Houghton, Michigan – 4.4 miles of backpacking (and 3 of hiking) – Rock Harbor Trail and Tobin Harbor Trail from 3 Mile Camp to Rock Harbor Camp. Short hike on Stoll Trail.
Day 3 – Isle Royale National Park – Houghton, Michigan – 5 mile hike and riding home.
Coming soon…
– Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming
– Olympic National Park, Washington
Annual Appalachian Trail Thru-Hiker Blog Following
2014 – March – the Most Wonderful Time of the Year – one man’s obsession with AT Thru-Hiking: Or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Backpacking
2015 – It’s March Again! – following AT Thru-Hiker Blogs for 2015
2016 – March = Thru Hiking – This year, we follow the adventure of a couple from Moorestown, NJ
2018 – The Most Wonderful time of the Year… AT THRU HIKER SEASON! – Dan, one of our own, sets off to conquer the Appalachian Trail.
I’ve noticed that you don’t mention your gear, like in youtube videos. Or did I miss it?! There’s no “This is what I packed – Gear” section on the page. I personally, would think, If I wanted to copy you, I would want to do my best to find the gear that you went into “battle” with, to help make my situation, and all of your loyal fans, I am one myself., a lot easier
Hi Paul! You haven’t missed it, I’ve never done a gear post, mostly because the fun part is writing about the adventures and not so much the packing. I’m going out on the Batona next month though, if I have a spare hour, I’ll take pictures of what I Pack and do a post for folks that might be interested.