Top of the Tourne to Birchwood via Red Loop (Wilcox Municipal/Tourne County Parks)

Top of the Tourne to Birchwood via Red Loop (Wilcox Municipal/Tourne County Parks)

Hike Type: Loop 
Distance: 4.89 miles
Elevation: 640 feet
Time: 1 hour, 41 minutes

Hiking Challenges: N/A

The Hike

Day three in a row of the Tourne! My goal was to go for an additional loop, but that plan would quickly change. I had my third day in a row of cancelled plans, so I was already in a weird headspace, my legs felt heavy, and about 2/3 the way up to the top I come across a BIG bear about 30-feet off the trail. I made my noise and skirted past him and made my way to the top where I adjusted my objective - instead of doing a bunch of small laps I'll do the big red loop to Birchwood Lake and back. I'm greatful I've been hiking in this park long enough where I know the trail system!

Coming down from the top, I noticed they re-graveled a new part of the trail since yesterday, also. The gnats were absolutely brutal in this section, but they settled down once I crossed the road. Rattlesnake Meadow was incredibly hazy, and I changed plans again when I was hiking behind someone who was going about 1% slower than me, so I turned onto the blue trail, which was quite wet.

I made it back to the red trail and somehow the man was still just ahead of me, so I slowed down to add some distance. At Birchwood, I took the loop clockwise and had to dodge swim meet and possibly a cross country practice? I wasn't sure what was going on, but I knew I wanted to get out of there!

Once back in the Tourne I passed a really magnificent flourescent yellow slime mold, and rambled my way along the red trail eventually making it back to the car. It was nice to change things up with this longer loop in the park. I've been struggling this summer to find a balance between work, hiking, beach, being social, and driving, and I'm greatful the Tourne is so close to mom's house where it doesn't take a massive part of my day to get some outdoors time. 

Step-By-Step

- Start hike at upper parking lot on the Denville side.

- Walk through playground to enter woods.

- Turn right onto Orange-Dot Trail.

- At next jct., turn left onto Yellow Trail.

- At next jct., open deer gate and follow Red Trail through Wildflower Area.

- Exit deer gate, turn left onto Road.

- Turn right to reenter woods onto Red Trail.

- At jct., turn right onto Blue Trail.

- At terminus, continue right onto Red Trail.

- At next jct., turn left onto Birchwood Loop.

- At parking lot, follow signs for "Tourne Access."

- Follow trail, always veering left, to Red Trail.

- Rejoin Red Trail.

- Follow Red Trail to car.

Map of Tourne County Park

Photo Album

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

Birchwood Lake - Rattlesnake Meadow Loop (Richard Wilcox Municipal Park - Tourne County Park)

 

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 (2012)
Tourne County Park Map (2022)

Photo Album