Hiking on the Appalachian Trail to Pinwheel's Vista
- By Caroline M. Vargas
- Feb 28, 2017
- 9 min read
Because I love hiking, I decided that I'll start sharing some tips and advice on hiking and highlighting all my hiking trips for ya'll. My first blog post will highlight my hiking trip from yesterday along with some tips.
This trip was my first 7+ miler I've done in Jersey and so far, one of THE best trails in the area. Thanks to the wonderful @NJSpots on Instagram, I saw their post of a beautiful boardwalk on the Appalachian Trail (ps. you should follow them!) So I immediately looked it up on Google and found that the boardwalk itself was only about 1.5 miles long. I went twice only on the boardwalk section within the last two years already but yesterday I finally hiked passed it.
As some of you may know already (or may not), the Appalachian Trail runs from Georgia to Maine and is 2,190 miles long which makes it the longest hiking-only footpath in the world! AND it happens to run 72 miles through New Jersey, so go out there and hike it. I'm actually planning to hike the 72 miles in about 5-6 days total sometime next year :)
The boardwalk section of the trail starts just off Route 517 (McAfee Glenwood Road) in Vernon, NJ. From Bloomfield, NJ it's only 1 hour away driving. A couple of days ago, the Vernon Township Police Department just announced that there will be no parking on 9 roads near this Appalachian Trailhead during the hours of 6am-6pm on weekends and holidays due to safety concerns. Check out the link below for more details of the Press Release for the specific streets you're not allowed to park on.
Because of the new police ordinance, we decided to park on Kimberly Lane (check below on the Google map I screenshoted & a map of this part of the trail), which was only a short 5 minute walk away from the trailhead on Rt. 517. We got to the Trailhead at 8am and noticed only 3 cars parked on the shoulder on 517 just before the Trailhead, so I assume that you can park on that shoulder on the right of the road since there weren't any police ordinance signs posted there. I noticed the signs posted on Vlietstra Drive and Meadowlark Drive. So if you want a parking spot close to the trailhead, get there early!
This photo below was taken after we finished our hike at 12:14pm yesterday but it's the beginning of the boardwalk section of the Appalachian Trail just off Route 517. You can check out the board at the start which has some cute drawings of the wildlife you can encounter on this hike and some maps of the area. TIP #1: Please buy a map and bring it with you, I don't care if you're the most experienced hiker out there, you need one. Don't take a photo of the map on your phone either because you don't if your battery will run out. This part of the trail is featured on the North Jersey Trails map which you can buy cheaper on Amazon (click on the photo below for the link) or you can buy for $9.95 at any REI store.
Remember, this boardwalk section is only 1.5 miles long! So if you opt to just walk this part, go ahead. It'll be a 3 mile round trip hike. Fun fact: This boardwalk is also called The Pochuck Boardwalk which was constructed in 1978 and is maintained by the NY-NJ Trail Conference. The photo below was taken on my iPhone 6 so sorry for the bad lighting but this shows how the boardwalk looks like at the start.
This picture below was taken just before the boardwalk ends in a dirt path that only lasts about a minute or two and then the boardwalk starts again. In the summer time this dirt path is a much needed break from the sun because there's much more shadow areas from the trees.
Yesterday, this part of the path was a little muddy because of the rain storm on Saturday and as a result, the water level in these marshes were higher than usual. While walking on this boardwalk, watch your step because you definitely don't want to trip and fall in the water.
While walking here yesterday, I noticed what a change the season makes for a hike. When I was here last summer, there were many flies around so you definitely needed bug spray and it was pretty humid. Also, when it's not winter, you can see tons of turtles in the water or on rocks right underneath the boardwalk/bridge in the photo below. If you see in the photo below, you can see snow on the mountain (artificial snow) from Mountain Creek! Pretty cool sight to see in the winter months.
I would say about a mile in the boardwalk, you'll come across a 110-foot long wooden suspension bridge and according to the NY-NJ Trail Conference, it is over what was once a prehistoric lake between Pochuck and Wawayanda Mountains. Here are some photos I took of it yesterday. It certainly was cloudy in the morning but I would say it was perfect hiking weather in the winter.
After crossing the suspension bridge, the boardwalk ends after about a couple of minutes of walking. I took some photos below at the end of the boardwalk (click to enlarge). In the last photo, you can see that the boardwalk ends and the rest becomes a dirt trail.
At the start of the dirt trail, it goes up a hill and the rest of the trail is marked by white trail markers on the trees. *The white trail marker indicates that you are on the Appalachian Trail.* The photos below show some of the path after the boardwalk ends. I took some photos of white trail markers you'll see on the trees.
After walking for a bit, you'll end up seeing a wooden fence, the one shown in the picture above I took yesterday. And you can see the two white trail markers on the tree above. *FYI, if you see two markers on a tree, you can tell which direction you should take by which side the top marker is located. So the top white trail marker above is on the right side, which means you turn right on that path. This path above is called Canal Road (shown on the map I posted at the top) which is a gravel bike trail.
You'll immediately see an iron bridge you need to cross to get back on the Appalachian Trail. This bridge crosses Wawayanda Creek (also shown on the map I posted). Shortly after you cross the iron bridge, you'll see another wooden fence on the left side which is the Appalachian Trail again. You'll eventually go down a small hill that leads to another wooden bridge.
You'll find yourself walking into another boardwalk on and off the trail over swampy areas. Watch your step because some boards are broken and loose. I had to stop and take a picture while I was walking on this part of the boardwalk because you can see the Wawayanda Mountains in the background. Can't wait to come back again and see how it looks like in the summer.
The trail leading to the mountain is generally all flat so it's definitely doable if you're a beginner hiker. The first photo below shows the first of four stiles in this section of the trail. You'll see the white trail marker on the wooden stile and there's a wire fence next to stile. My dad took a picture of me right before starting the boardwalk again (that's me in the purple jacket!).
Soon after the boardwalk, you will see the second and third wooden stile that are separated by the railroad track. After the third wooden stile, you'll walk on the last of boards on the trail that crosses through a field of cows. Most of the cows yesterday were on the far left of the field and to your right, there's a red barn. The last of the wooden stiles is just off Route 94.
Route 94 is a fairly trafficked two way road, so definitely look both ways before crossing the road. After crossing the road, you'll immediately see a gravel parking lot. At this point, you've hiked about 2.2 miles. Feel free to turn back at this point, you'll end up hiking 4.4 miles roundtrip back to Route 517. If you have the right shoes/more water and snacks, go ahead and hike to the top of the mountain. It's so worth it!
This AT lot is mainly used for those that just want to hike up the mountain top and down. The white-blazed Appalachian Trail continues pass the parking lot towards the Wawayanda Mountains. If you opt to just park in this parking lot, your hike up to the view and down is only about a 2.5 mile roundtrip hike.
Below are some shots I took from the trail leading to the top of the mountain. You'll just need to follow the white trail markers on the trees and on the rocks. The rest of the trial is pretty steep and may certainly involve a break or two. Surprisingly, I only made one short break for some water and for my apple/almonds snack.
The picture I took below was probably one of my favorite sightings from the trip. I loved that I saw some colorful prayer flags along the steep climb to the top of the mountain. These colorful prayer flags are usually found along mountain ridges/peaks high in the Himalayas and are used to bless the surroundings and to promote compassion, strength, wisdom, and peace. Tibetans believe that the prayers will be blown by the winds to spread the blessings.
After the steep climb to the top, you find a pile of rocks with a wooden sign on the tree trunk.
The sign says, "The View". Make sure you turn left at this point of the trail. You'll see blue trail markers on the trees to your left. You'll be at about 3.4 miles into your hike. If you want to see the view, remember turn left and you'll see blue trail markers. Because it was my first time up here, I actually kept going straight pass the pile of rocks and following the white trail markers on the trees. I didn't even realize I was still on the Appalachian trail but I'm glad I kept going straight.
If you hike for .8 miles more pass the pile of rocks, up the small hill, you'll see this awesome mailbox attached to a tree trunk. I opened the mailbox and found two notebooks inside! They were both trail register books used for hikers to sign in them. Of course, I had to sign my name inside it with 2/26/17 date. Maybe you'll see my name in there if you hike there!
As you can see in the photo above, the trail leading to Pinwheel's Vista is also called Stairway to Heaven. After signing my name inside the book, my dad and I hiked passed the mailbox and found ourselves still walking on the white blazed trail and the picture I took below was soon after the mailbox and it seemed to be going down. It didn't feel right since we were walking away from the view so I checked my North Jersey Trail Map and saw that the view, which is called "Pinwheel's Vista" was at the end of the blue trail. The same blue trail that was just off the pile of rocks we had passed.
We turned back and walked back to the pile of rocks. We immediately found the blue trail markers on the trees that lead to the view. Keep walking on this trail and you'll find yourself at the top!
The picture I took below is Pinwheel's Vista! This view top was named after Paul DeCoste, who was a trail maintainer and his nickname was Pinwheel. Lucky to have had the mountain top to ourselves for some time since we had gotten to the top at around 10am. The steep climb was so worth this view. At the distance, you can actually see the High Point Monument which is 25 miles away! You can also see the Catskill Mountains at the horizon in upstate New York.
I loved seeing how small the cars were down below on Route 94 and looking how small the barns were.
It was very windy at the top so we didn't have our sandwich at the top. We still had to get back down and hike back to our car. I would say that the trekking poles I bought last week from REI was the best thing I've done. It certainly helps you keep your balance going back down or up a trail. It also takes the weight of your backpack off your back and onto your arms more. Definitely worth it to invest in a pair. Going back down was tricky because you're less in control of your body weight so watch your step and walk slowly back down. The last thing you want is a sprained ankle or hurting your knees. By the time we had reached our car on Kimberly Lane, we hiked 7.5 miles! Loved feeling sore after the hike. Cannot wait to go back here in the Spring and Summer! Hiking is the best medicine for you, so go out there and explore.
Hope you guys liked my first blog post and check back soon for my next hiking trip!
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