Birchwood Lake - Rattlesnake Meadow Loop
(Richard Wilcox Municipal Park - Tourne County Park)
Birchwood Loop - Red Trail - Blue Trail - Rattlesnake Meadow - White Trail - Pink Trail - Teal Trail - Purple Trail - Birchwood Loop
Hike Type: Loop
Distance: 2.49 miles
Elevation: 193 feet
Time: 52 minutes
Hiking Challenges: 52 Hike Challenge
The Hike
Back in New Jersey for the holidays, and after a three day marathon of family time, it was time for solitude. I always feel at home when I’m hiking in the Tourne - so off I went! I started at Birchwood Lake, which is technically reserved only for Mountain Lakes residences, but I consider myself allowed since my old address was sometimes in Mountain Lakes (we were on the border) and my Dad’s divorce apartment was also in that town AND I spent a summer working at the snack shack at the swimming beach… Either way, I was also seeing how my lungs would handle a chilly hike (28 degrees) - I’ve had a cough since Mt. Cube.
I took the loop around the loop going counter clockwise, passing the spur trail that I cut my knee open on when I had my trail running phase, and then the sled run spur too. The nice part about hiking this time of year is the partial views you get when the trees are bare. There were some lovely seasonal lake outlines through the trees. Just over a third of the way around the lake the Red Trail branches off into the deeper forest. I used to think this is where the Tourne officially started, but apparently it remains Wilcox Park until the Mountain Lakes town line. I followed the Red Trail to the Blue Trail - where I saw some remains in the distance to the left of the trail that I hadn’t noticed before. It’s not marked on the map, I wonder what the story is?
In the past couple years, the trail connecting the Blue and White trails through the middle of Rattlesnake Meadow opened up. Not sure when or why this happened - around 2014/15/16 I had noticed there used to be a trail there, but it was dramatically overgrown. Either way, I happily walked across to join the White Trail, and then immediately the pink trail, and then soon after the Teal Trail. The Teal trail had the only traces of ice that I’d seen, with only one slippery spot underneath the leaves. The Teal Trail terminated and I joined the Purple Trail to bring me back to Birchwood Lake, and the Purple Trail was somehow warmer than the rest and there were a few birds chirping about.
Back at Birchwood Lake, I followed the rest of the loop trail back to my car, skipping the bypass and staying on the beach. The sun came out just as I stepped foot on the sand, so I took a couple more photos before getting back to my car and heading to the Boonton Walmart to check out the after christmas sales.
Step By Step
Park at Birchwood Lake (Mountain Lakes Residents Only)
Walk to the right of the lake to join the unblazed Birchwood Loop.
At the far side of the lake, turn right onto the Red Trail.
At the next junction, turn left onto the Blue Trail.
At a clear, but unmarked junction, turn left to hike across Rattlesnake Meadow (unblazed).
At end of path, turn right onto White Trail.
Soon after, turn left onto Pink Trail.
Soon after, turn left onto Teal Trail.
At terminus, turn left onto Purple Trail.
At terminus, turn right to rejoin Birchwood Loop. Follow to beach and to parking lot.
“History” from Morris County Parks Commission
“The Park Commission acquired its first parcel of land on July 24, 1958 and opened the park for public enjoyment in 1960. The name ‘Tourne’ is derived from the Dutch word meaning ‘lookout’ or ‘mountain.’ The Tourne is the only remaining undeveloped fragment of the Great Boonton Tract. It was originally surveyed by John Chapman in May 1715. It is likely that the early surveying crew had cut bridle paths over the narrow footways made by earliest inhabitants of the nearby plantation, and current trails may follow those made more than 300 years ago by Native Americans. The land was purchased by David Ogden, Colonial Attorney-General of New Jersey in 1759. McCaffrey Lane, the main entrance to the park, was designed in 1767 by Samuel Ogden. It was used to haul iron ore from Hibernia’s mines to Samuel Ogden’s iron works in Old Boonton. Within this historic region, cannonballs were manufactured for use by the Continental Army during the American Revolution. During his lifetime, Clarence Addington DeCamp (1859-1948) inherited and acquired much of the land now known as Tourne County Park. Using hand tools and levers, DeCamp built two roads to the top of the Tourne and encouraged people to enjoy the forests and fields. He became one of the first conservationists in Morris County. One of the many interesting features of the landscape is the Mouse Cradle Balancing Rock. It is a glacial erratic, which rests on the southwestern summit of the Tourne and is balanced on two points of a ledge rock and a hidden wedge stone. This imposing 54-ton boulder was named by DeCamp in 1897, when he discovered a mouse nest in a cleft of the rock. He adjusted the boulder with jack screws so the rock could be tilted a few inches with a lever when a hidden wedge was removed.”
Tourne County Park Map (2022)
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