Maurice River Bicycle and Walking Trail – Millville, Cumberland County, NJ Distance –  miles total Type – 1.5 miles or so (one way of an out-and-back) Difficulty:  1 of 10

Website – Citizens United to Protect the Maurice River and Its Tributaries Open – Dawn to dusk

Terrain – Riverside woods, meadows, and wetlands Surface – paved and crushed gravel

Trailheads –  39°23’43.73″N,  75° 2’23.50″W (Buck Park trailhead) 39°23’59.43″N,  75° 3’14.33″W (Sharp Street Park trailhead)

I first heard of Shell Pile and Bivalve, two old oystering towns, the way most folks do, through Henry Charlton Beck’s classic book Forgotten Towns of Southern New Jersey.  While many of the towns in that book are long gone, Shell Pile and Bivalve (along with Port Norris) hang in there.  Despite diseases that have nearly wiped out the oyster population (twice), one factory and a handful of boats still hang on.  And, of course, there are still gigantic piles of shells, same as there were in the 1930s.  I hadn’t been there in five or six years.  What sent me back?  Well, I drove by this the other day…

… and Millville is fairly close [...]

Welcome to the Maurice River Bluffs!  Taken from the floating dock.

Blue, Orange, Red, and White Trails – Maurice River Bluffs Preserve – Millville, Cumberland County, NJ Distance: 5 miles.  The map is a little confusing.  We did 3.7 miles, skipping only some short bits of the orange trail and part of the non-alternate Blue Trail (which was closed).  5 miles is a best guess. Type: Web of trails (many of them are loops, the orange trail loops back on itself several times) Difficulty: 7 of 10 – your legs will feel these hills the next day!.

Terrain – woodlands, riverbanks, lots and lots of hills.

Trailheads [...]

Happy Earth Day!

River Overlook Trail and Jenkins Landing Trail – Natural Lands Harold N. Peek Preserve – Millville, Cumberland County, NJ Distance: About 3 miles of trails NOTE: This does not include that the access road is walk-in only, about 0.33 miles one way. River Overlook Trail – 1 mile round trip  (according to GPS) Jenkins Landing Trail – 0.4 miles round trip (sic) Red Cedar Overlook Trail – listed as 1.5 miles round trip Type: Lollipops, loops, spurs, and out-and-back Difficulty: 2  of 10. Updated: 4/13/21 – Updated address

Official Website

Terrain – swamps, woodlands, fields, river

Trailheads –  39° 22.554’N,  75° [...]