in High Bridge, you’ll have a slight uphill grade all the way to Long Valley in the north. High Bridge gets its name from a former 112-foot-high bridge across the South Branch of the Raritan River on the main line of the Central Railroad. The bridge was replaced by an earthen embankment in the 1860s.
On the way out of town, you’ll pass a connection at 0.4 mile to the Taylor SteelWorkers Historic Greenway. The 6.5-mile trail passes ruins of a historical ironworks complex that dates to the American Revolution. Back on the main trail, you’ll soon pass the falls at the Lake Solitude dam and begin following the South Branch, one of the state’s best fly-fishing rivers.
Not far upstream, the trail passes through the Ken Lockwood Gorge Wildlife Management Area for 2.5 miles. The steep slopes and boulders create a whitewater paradise for kayakers. The trail crosses a bridge here that was the scene of a tragic train wreck in 1885 when an engine and 45 cars plunged off a wooden trestle, which was later replaced.
Two-and-a-half miles past the bridge you’ll arrive in the Victorian-style town of Califon, which has more than 240 structures on the National Register of Historic Places. Local legend says the town was originally called California, but a sign painter ran out of room and abbreviated the name.
Another 6 miles up the trail is Long Valley, where you’ll find diners south of the trail on NJ 24. Leaving the community, you’ll cross three junctions with the Patriots’ Path, a 35-mile-long multiuse trail. The second heads north a short distance to Schooley’s Mountain County Park.
Columbia Trail ends about 3 miles past Long Valley on Bartley Road, just shy of the Mount Olive community.
CONTACT: co.hunterdon.nj.us/depts/parks/guides/parkareas.htm and m66.siteground.biz/~morrispa/index.php/parks/columbia-trail
DIRECTIONS
To reach the northeast trailhead from I-80, take Exit 27A to US 206 S toward Somerville. Go 4 miles, and turn right onto Bartley Flanders Road. Then go 0.9 mile, and bear left onto Bartley Road. Go 0.3 mile, and turn right to stay on Bartley Road/County Road 625. Go 0.5 mile, and look for parking on the right.
To reach the southwest trailhead from I-78 W, take Exit 17 toward NJ 31. Merge onto NJ 31 N, go 1.9 miles, and turn right onto W. Main St. Go 1.1 miles, and turn right onto Bridge St. Then go 400 feet, and turn left onto Main St. Go 0.2 mile, and look for parking on the left.
To reach the southwest trailhead from I-78 E, take Exit 16. Merge onto NJ 173/Old Hwy. 22, and go 0.3 mile. Turn left onto CR 626. Go 0.1 mile and merge onto NJ 31 N. Go 1.5 miles, and turn right onto W. Main St. Go 1.1 miles, and turn right onto Bridge St. Then go 400 feet, and turn left onto Main St. Go 0.2 mile, and look for parking on the left.
5 Delaware and Raritan Canal State Park Trail
Counties
Hunterdon, Mercer, Somerset
Endpoints
County Road 619/Milford Frenchtown Road between Stamets Road and Kappus Road (Frenchtown) and Landing Lane, just north of George St. (New Brunswick)
Mileage
72.8
Type
Canal/Rail-Trail/Rail-with-Trail
Roughness Index
2
Surfaces
Asphalt, Crushed Stone, Dirt
Spanning more than 70 miles, the Delaware and Raritan Canal State Park Trail is the longest completed multiuse trail in the state and is described by many as the crown jewel of New Jersey trails. A portion follows the towpath of the Delaware & Raritan Canal, built in the early 1830s as a transportation corridor between Philadelphia and New York, while another portion tracks the route of the former Belvidere Delaware Railroad. It is part of both the Circuit Trails, an 800-mile trail network throughout the Philadelphia and Camden region, and the East Coast Greenway, an expansive trail system being developed between Maine and Florida.
The trail is shaped like a V, with Trenton at its center, and is paved within the capital city. Most of the trail runs along the canal, where it is a well-maintained surface of finely crushed stone over hard-packed dirt; travelers will be most comfortable riding it on a hybrid or mountain bike.
Nature lovers will enjoy exploring the tree-lined waterway.
Two types of mileage markers are used along the canal. The concrete mile markers with two numbers etched on them are historical, indicating the number of miles between the terminus points at Bordentown and New Brunswick. The other type marks every 0.5 mile starting from the Battle Monument in Trenton.
Northwest of Trenton, the trail starts near Frenchtown, a pedestrian-friendly village, and connects many towns along the way, including Stockton, Lambertville, Titusville, and Ewing Township. Heading northeast out of Trenton, the trail runs through Lawrence, where a connection to the Lawrence Hopewell Trail can be made. Continuing farther, the trail skirts near the Princeton University campus and passes through Kingston and Franklin Township, ending in New Brunswick.
The trail offers something for almost everyone. Along the route, history buffs will appreciate the 19th-century bridges and bridge-tender houses, remnants of locks, cobblestone spillways, hand-built stone-arch culverts, rail depots, and historical railroad markers, as well as an early 18th-century gristmill near Stockton and a 19th-century one in Kingston. Hungry trail users can choose between periodic trailside picnic tables or trailside cafés in towns along the way, including Frenchtown, Stockton, and Lambertville. Nature lovers can enjoy occasional wildlife sightings and river views. You can even rent canoes in Griggstown or Princeton if you prefer the water route.
History buffs will appreciate seeing the remnants of the early-19th-century canal the trail parallels.
Between Frenchtown and Trenton, there are six bridges that travelers can use to cross the Delaware River and explore the 141-mile D&L Trail, which follows the river on the Pennsylvania side. The combination of the two paralleling trails and multiple bridges means that travelers have the option to go on several looped routes. A noteworthy attraction just on the other side of the river is Washington Crossing Historic Park, commemorating the turning point in the American Revolution
