Tourne Loop (3x) (Tourne County Park)

Tourne Loop (3x) (Tourne County Park)

Hike Type: Lollipop Loop-Loop-Loop

Distance: 3.90 miles

Elevation: 961 feet

Time: 1 hour, 13 minutes
Hiking Challenges: N/A

The Hike

Another hot and dreadfully humid trip up and over the Tourne! It was 85 degrees and I was hiking later in the afternoon than usual (4pm versus 1pm) due to being a good brother and picking up my brothers' tuxedos for a family wedding this upcoming weekend. Right away I was greeted by a close-up red-tailed hawk flying through the woods. The skies were blue overhead which was nice as I was absolutely pouring sweat at the top of my first lap. It was again buggier than usual, which caused my second climb to be faster, which I was not happy about. 

I think some of the gravel was new because my feet were slipping a lot more than usual. I was significantly more tired than yesterday's hike, but I was still shooting for a solid four laps. There were lots of critters out and about, including but not limited to robins, blue jays, chipmunks, squirrels, and countless other birds that I cannot identify with my brain (yet). I passed a dead mole on my third descent and crossed paths with a man running uphill in a polo and cargo shorts while talking on speakerphone. I also crossed paths with the same duo up downhill #1, downhill #2, and uphill #3 - we just giggled by the third time. I wrung out my shirt on the third time up top, passed a deer, and decided to call it at three laps again because Mom said there's pizza at home!

Step-by-Step

- Park on Denville Side of the Tourne. 

- Start hike on Yellow-Dot Trail.

- At terminus, turn left onto Yellow Trail.

- Loop the Yellow Trail as many times as needed.

- When done, turn left onto Yellow-Dot Trail and return to car.

Map of Tourne County Park

Photo Album