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| 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.
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.
http://www.jorba.org/sites/default/files/ALLAIRE_MULTI-USE_TRAIL_MAP.pdf
Parking: Hospital Road Parking Area. See Google Maps Location below.
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!
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| Parking on Hospital Road |
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| Trail Head - Orange & White Trail |
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| Sunrise to Sunset... |
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| Walking along the golf course...and from here we decided to turn around. |
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| On our way back to parking lot. |
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