High Point State Park, NJ

Well, where do I begin? The trip to High Point was disappointing to say the least. Granted, it was very foggy when we went so great pictures weren't expected, but a great hike was.

We ventured to High Point with the expectations of seeing three states (NY, NJ, & PA) from the highest point in New Jersey. The fog put an end to that dream right way. No worries, the AT passes right through the park, so we headed off to find our beloved trail. We stopped first at the visitor's center for maps and directions. The woman at the window did not share our excitement, and when asked about trails, she handed us a park map and told us we could find something on there. Hmmm...big difference between state park employees in New Jersey and every other state I've ever hiked. Okay, maybe she was having a bad day, off we went.

We paid our $10 for admission (a little steep!), and drove into the park. Unable to spot any trail heads, we headed to the monument to have a look and pour over the map. While there, we said, "Hey, why not go up?"

So, passing another state employee who looked to be drifting off to sleep, we entered the monument. Let me stop here before I get mad again to say, don't do it! The monument is hotter than Satan's den, the windows dirtier than a boy's locker room, and there is no viewing area, it just ends. So after reaching the top, we angrily headed back down.

Back at the bottom, now drenched in sweat without ever hiking even a foot, we pulled out the map. If I handed any 5 year old child some crayons and told them to draw me a map, we would have been better off! I know New Jersey is trying to save money, but come on! So L&O decided to ask a park employee who actually looked like they were breathing.

The employee (who was very nice), told us to get to the best views on the AT you need to go back out of the park. Hmmm...they must not get paid well. We already paid the ten bucks, so we found a green-red trail to follow instead.

Well, after following the trail for almost an hour, the trail markers just stopped. We retraced our steps and headed down an unmarked trail instead (the map was of no use). The unmarked trail brought us to a swamp area (which, actually, was very nice) with a long boardwalk over the swamp. We walked for a while, saw a beautiful buck and listened to the loud conversation of two other lost souls on our path. We followed this trail for at least another hour until it brought us back to where we started. Nice.

Well, a storm was rolling in, so we just decided to call it a day. We followed the original red-green trail back out and headed home.

As we drove past the visitors center we noticed a sign we hadn't seen before, Appalachian Trail Head Parking. To all High Point State Park employees, the AT is BEHIND the visitors center! Nice!