Birchwood to Hogback Loop (Wilcox Municipal/Tourne County Parks)

Birchwood to Hogback Loop (Wilcox Municipal Park & Tourne County Park)

Hike Type: Figure 8 Loop

Distance: 5.34 miles

Elevation: 541 feet
Time: 1 hour, 56  minutes

Hiking Challenges: N/A

The Hike

I’m back in NJ for the first part of February break, which means it’s time for the classic “I need just an ounce of alone time” hike. I drove to Birchwood Lake, pretended I’m still a Mountain Lakes resident (even with my MA plates), and planned to hike the red trail to the top of the tourne and back. The first part of the hike went as-planned - following the beach bypass trial to the Tourne’s red trail, but I soon came up on a group of rambunctious tweens that I simply do not have the patience for on my vacation week. At the junction with the purple trail, they continued on the red trail, so I altered my plans and took the purple trail.

The purple trail avoids the two hills that the red trail climbs over, and then takes a low route, eventually crossing an unmarked trail that has a closed sign over it, and then crossing the paved park road. I had planned to follow the purple trail to the playground, but then I saw a new orange-dot trail that I’ve never seen before??? I had to take that trail, of course, and see where it led. It starts by paralleling the purple trail to the playground, but then takes a rocky route, clearly enjoyed by mountain bikers, up the hill. 

The orange-dot trail crosses the yellow trail, which leads to the top of the tourne, and goes into the interior of the loop, which I had only been once on an old abandoned trail that nearly caused me to fall down the “mountain” (high school was an easier time…). The orange-dot trail comes to a terminus at the new orange loop, which acts almost like a second circle in a venn diagram to the yellow loop. The route follows beautiful forest, sometimes with a wide footbed and other times a very narrow single track. There is a ledge soon after the junction that offers seasonal views, but I was more amazed with how beautiful the forest was. It could have been the endorphins of getting to explore this new area of a park I’ve been to dozens, if not over a hundred times. 

I passed a few mountain bikers and enjoyed the seasonal views of nearby hills and Hamilton Farms, the former-plant-nursery-now-weed-farm-that-people-hate. The orange trail crosses the yellow trail again, and skirts below the Mouse Cradle Balancing Rock (I’ve always been curious of the name of that…), before wiggling its way back to the original junction with orange-dot. I retraced my steps on orange-dot, then turned left onto yellow, which coincides with red. At the wildflower area gate, I continued along the red trail, exited the wildflower area which acts as the technician beginning/terminus of the trail, and then did a short road walk to the other technical beginning/terminus of the red trail.

This final stretch of my hike was relatively straight-forward, following the red trail all the way back to the Birchwood Lake loop. Two mountain bikers (one kid and one dad who clearly wanted to go faster) passed me, and I hiked past a few hikers, but it was overall pretty quiet and uneventful. I followed the Birchwood Loop counter-clockwise to finish out my hike, eventually returning back to the car and taking a well-deserved shower. 

Step-by-Step

• Park at Birchwood Lake (Mountain Lakes residents only)

• Start hike on Beach Bypass trail.

• At fork in trail, veer left.

• Enter the Tourne County Park’s red trail on the same footbed.

• At junction with red/purple trails, turn onto Purple Trail.

• Stay on Purple trail until crossing paved road.

• Cross paved road, now following Orange-Dot trail.

• Follow Orange-Dot trail until it’s terminus, then turn right to follow the Orange trail loop counter clockwise.

• Follow orange trail loop counter clockwise, then turn right back onto Orange-Dot trail.

• Follow Orange-Dot trail to junction with Yellow Trail.

• Turn left onto Yellow Trail.

• Continue onto Yellow/Red Trail.

• Continue to follow Red Trail past the deer gate through the Wildflower Trail Area.

• Exit Wildflower Trail Area, road walk along paved road to the red trail continuation.

• Follow the Red Trail all the way to Birchwood Lake.

• Turn left onto Birchwood Loop, and follow trail back to car.

Map of Tourne County Park