Allaire State Park, Wall Township, NJ

Allaire State Park 

We explored Allaire State Park on this beautiful Saturday morning.  Filled with pine and oak trees, this was a wonderful trek for us and the girls.  The trails were lightly covered with a dusting of snow along with some slush and mud which made for a fun hike for the pups.  The dirtier they get, the happier they are!

A Little Bit of History

Located on the New Jersey coastal plain, one-third of the park lies south of the Manasquan River and is on the northern fringe of the Pinelands, thus supporting a pine forest community.  In 1822, James P. Allaire purchased an iron furnace that dated from the 1790s.  The furnace produced castings and pig iron for his foundry in New York and pots for the retail market.  Under his guidance, the park became a self-contained community, with as many as 500 people living there during the years that it prospered.  It is this village that has been restored to become Allaire Village.  

We didn't explore the village on this trip as we focused on only the trails located on the other side of the Manasquan River for our hike, but it is on our list for next time.  If you have the time, explore what an industrial town was like in 1836.  Included in the Village are the The Row Homes/Visitor’s Center, The Chapel, The Foreman's Cottage, The Bakery, The Manager's House, The General Store and Museum Gift Shop, The Carpenter and Tinsmith's Shop, The Carriage House and Gardner's Cottage, The Enameling Building, Allaire Mansion, and The Blast Furnace.

Other park uses include camping, canoeing, picnicking, fishing along the Manasquan River, hunting, and a narrow-gauge steam train.  Click here for information about other activities as the park. 

http://www.state.nj.us/dep/parksandforests/parks/allaire.html

The Details

Trail Maps: Allaire State Park Trail Map
http://www.jorba.org/sites/default/files/ALLAIRE_MULTI-USE_TRAIL_MAP.pdf
 
Parking:  Hospital Road Parking Area.  See Google Maps Location below. 

 

Allaire State Park at EveryTrail

The trek is easy.  Our hike was 4.5 miles and took us a 2 hours to complete; stopping several times for water breaks.  We parked at the Hospital Road trail head and followed the Orange-Pine Trail heading to the left (running next to Allenwood Rd.).  We hopped over to the Blue - Mountain Laurel Loop to the White - Oak Loop.  I believe we hit the Tiger Woods Trail (See on the JORBA Map) which led us right on to the golf course. After walking a bit on that trail, pretty sure there was no trespassing allowed on that golf course, we turned around and headed back following the Orange/White Trail to the car.

Check out our adventures below! 

Parking on Hospital Road

Trail Head - Orange & White Trail

Sunrise to Sunset...

Walking along the golf course...and from here we decided to turn around.

On our way back to parking lot.

Asbury Park Boardwalk/Beach, Asbury Park, New Jersey

Although not our typical hike, we decided to head to Asbury Park Boardwalk and Beach today since the weather was unusually warm for January.  Our pups absolutely love the beach so we thought we would give them a treat and head south for the day.  The boardwalk was filled with runners/walkers of all kind and plenty of pups enjoying the weather.  While on the boardwalk, we kept our pups leashed as the all of the signs specifically say to keep your dogs leashed but when we headed on to the beach, we let them run free.  Our dogs are very well behaved as were the other pups we saw running around on the beach.  We didn't have any problems with them being off leash so we went with it and they had a blast!  We also took a short drive around the corner from Ocean Avenue to Cookman Avenue which had a lot of cute shops and plenty of places to get lunch/dinner or a sweet treat.   

A Little Bit of History

According to the Asbury Park Beach and Boardwalk website, http://apboardwalk.com, it initially featured an orchestra pavilion, public changing rooms and a pier extending into the Atlantic Ocean. In the 1920s, the additions of the Paramount Theatre and Convention Hall ushered in a new era of music and performing arts that still exists to this day. 

In 1974, the now legendary music club, The Stone Pony, opened its doors for the first time. The Stone Pony hosted many native New Jersey musicians including Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes, Jon Bon Jovi and Bruce Springsteen to name a few. Since then, many of the world's most popular musicians have played The Stone Pony and today it is considered to be one of the greatest rock & roll venues of all times. Venues like The Stone Pony, The Wonder Bar, the Paramount Theatre and Convention Hall have not only helped launch many musicians' careers but they also contributed to the creation of an entire music genre known as the Jersey Shore Sound.

In 2007, The Boardwalk started to undergo an extensive restoration process for some of its key historic features, including the Paramount Theatre and Convention Hall, as well as a complete revitalization of the rest of its facilities and the surrounding waterfront area. Today, the transformation is complete and the Boardwalk now combines the original majesty and glory of its past with modern design and sophisticated conveniences. With its new appearance, improvements and enhanced offerings, the Boardwalk is positioned to help solidify Asbury Park's future by attracting visitors for lifetimes to come.

The Details

Dogs are Permitted on Beach and Boardwalk from October 1st to May 1st.

Parking: We parked right by the Stone Pony and had to pay $4.00 for 2 hours of parking on Ocean Avenue.  When we walked further down the boardwalk, we notice that was plenty of free parking.  

See Google Maps Location below.


 Check out our adventures below! 

Beautiful mural painted inside the old Casino building

Out the pier

These memorial benches line the boardwalk.  

This specific one caught my eye because of the nice words written in memory of this person.
"Never forget my love of the sea
Stick your feet in its waves
Search its coast line for treasures
Sit quietly & reflect on its beauty" 

Split Rock Reservoir, Rockaway Township, NJ

Split Rock Reservoir is a beautiful body of water and a wonderful place for hiking with your pup(s).  The reservoir is nestled between the Stonybrook and Greenpond Mountains.  It was a cold winter day so we pretty much had this entire trek to ourselves.  We're not sure if this trail gets busy in other seasons but during our research, we found that it could be a popular spot for Kayaking and Fishing.  Split Rock Road is very rough driving up to the parking area so be careful driving down the narrow road.  

A Little Bit of History

This is another area where, unfortunately, we could not find much history.  According to the information sign at the beginning of the hike, the reservoir is part of the Farney Highlands, owned by Jersey City but is protected by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection's Fish and Wildlife under a conservation easement purchased the state's Green Acres Program.  The reservoir spans 625 acres surrounded by an additional 1,500 acres of woods.  Although we didn't catch a glimpse of any wildlife, the area is said to support terrestrial plant and animal species including red-shouldered hawks, barred owls, bobcat, wood turtles and Indiana bats.  

The Details

Trail Map: You can purchase the Trail Conference Map 125 here: NJ/NY Trail Conference Map 125

                    or view this map: Split Rock Reservoir Trail Map

Here is a picture we took of our Map 125:  (Note: the trail on this map is red but it is actually the Blue Trail marked by circle "B".

 






Parking: The parking is on Split Rock Road right before the construction of the dam.

See Google Maps Location below.

40°57'45.1"N 74°27'28.8"W

40.962517, -74.458000

EveryTrail Map:
Split Rock Reservoir at EveryTrail

The Hike 

The trek is easy.  We did have some trouble actually finding the Blue Trail but once we found it the trail was easy to follow.   

   

Our hike was 4.19 miles and took us a 2.41 hours to complete; stopping several times for water breaks and pictures.  We had some trouble finding the blue trail at the beginning of hike because we walked right past the blue markers.  In the pictures below, we explain were we should have picked up the Blue Trail in the beginning.  Once you find the trail, the blue makers are visible on the trees/rocks and is very easy to follow.   

 Check out our adventures below!

Parking to right on Split Rock Road

Walking along the reservoir

The pups messing around!

After following around the reservoir for a bit we decided to look for the Blue Trail.  There is an opening in the woods not far passed the big rock on the picture above.

Keep your eyes open for the blue markers on the trees.  We missed the markers going up into the woods and ended up on Split Rock Road and had to walk down Green Rd. (which says no trespassing) in order to find the trail.

Heading up to Double D Peak

Caught a glimpse of the moon as we were heading back to our car.

On our way back to the parking lot!