Name: Hike with the Pack at Apshawa Reserve
Start: 2024-11-17T09:00:00-05:00
End: 2024-11-17T13:00:00-05:00

Lost or late call Sue at 908-319-3373

Difficulty: Moderate
Time: \~3.5-4 hours (depending on pace and swim time)
Length: 6.5 miles
Vertical Ascent: 800 ft

Virtual Reality Tour (https://njurbanforest.com/2011/08/27/west-milfords-apshawa-preserve/)

The hike includes Butler Reservoir, a water fall on Apshawa Brook, and an old water purification plant ruins with abandoned storage tanks. We'll pass through several gates which are part of a fence erected to keep out deer and enable the recovery of the forest. There is one moderate climb of 350 ft over 0.5 miles.

We will hike clockwise, passing through a gate at the parking lot and following the blue trail for 1 mile to the green trail. Here we'll pass through another gate and follow the green trail to the remnants of a water purification plant built in the early 1900s that includes very large, abandoned tanks. The largest tank has a horizontal ladder inside suggesting that this tank stood upright at one time.

After the ruins, we'll continue on the green trail and cross Apshawa Brook and get to a picturesque waterfall which is a nice spot for a break. From here we’ll follow Apshawa Brook for a bit then turn right and ascend to the highest point on the hike with a west facing view. Then we'll descend down to Butler Reservoir and take a side spur that brings us to a small peninsula with a nice view of the reservoir that is another nice spot for a break.

From here, we’ll take the red trail and follow Butler Reservoir past some more nice views of the reservoir, across a metal bridge and then onto a narrow strip of land separating the upper reservoir from the lower. The upper reservoir is the result of a beaver dam. We'll continue on the red trail until the junction with the white trail where we'll turn left and pass through another gate. This takes us up a short climb to another scenic view overlooking Butler Reservoir. From here we'll continue on the white trail back to the blue trail and retrace our path back to the parking lot.

Guideline:
Less than 200 ft: Easy
200 to 600 ft: Easy/Moderate
600 to 1000 ft: Moderate
1,000 to 1,400 ft: Moderate/Strenuous
1,400 to 2,000 ft: Strenuous
Over 2,000 ft: Very Strenuous

1,050 ft is one climb up to top observation deck of the Empire State Building. Other factors such as rock scrambles, steep inclines, and rocky terrain increase difficulty.

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Hike with the Pack at Apshawa Reserve

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Hike with the Pack at Apshawa Reserve

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