Paulinskill Valley Trail

Paulinskill Valley Trail
Trail access from Station Road in Hainesburg, New Jersey
Length27 mi (43 km)
LocationSussex / Warren counties, New Jersey, USA
TrailheadsKnowlton, NJ to Sparta, NJ
UseHiking, Horseback Riding, Cross Country Skiing, and Mountain Biking[1]
DifficultyEasy
SeasonYear Round
SurfaceBallast, dirt, cinder
Right of wayNew York, Susquehanna and Western Railway

The Paulinskill Valley Trail is a rail trail along the Paulins Kill river in New Jersey. It is the sixth longest trail in the state at 27 miles (43 km).[citation needed] It was originally a right-of-way of the New York, Susquehanna and Western Railroad[2] and the Blairstown Railway.

Description

Trail sign at the Cedar Ridge Road trailhead

Vestiges of the railroad remain including several bridges, stations, mileage markers, telegraph poles and other railway artifacts.[3] There are also numerous benches and signs explaining the history of the trail and its artifacts.[4] Over 200 species of birds have been sighted on the trail as well as a multitude of other wildlife.[5]

The Paulinskill Valley Trail intersects the Sussex Branch Trail at Warbasse Junction just north of Newton[6] as well as the 3.5-mile Great Valley Rail Trail, along Paulins Kill Lake.[7][8]

The trail is frequented by hikers, bicyclists, joggers and people who are just out for a stroll. Horseback riding is also permitted. Access is denied to motor vehicles, however, although trailheads typically provide some modest amount of parking. Although the trail is generally well-maintained from the Paulinskill Viaduct north, south of that location the quality of the trail is somewhat uneven. Over the years there have been surprisingly few encroachments onto the right-of-way. The most notable encroachment is at Blairstown Airport where the trail ceases to exist for about a half-mile (1 km). Signage directs the hiker to where the trail continues.

History

Trail crossing the Paulins Kill on former NYSW railroad bridge

In 1886, the New York, Susquehanna and Western Railroad built the first part of the railway tracks that is now the trail. In 1962, the railroad ceased its operations on this line, and the tracks were removed.[2] In 1985, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection organized a meeting in Blairstown to decide what should be done with the intention of buying the land. A year later, in 1986, the NJDEP bought the land.[9]


References

  1. ^ "Paulinskill Valley Trail | New Jersey Trails | TrailLink".
  2. ^ a b "Paulinskill & Sussex Branch Trails – Liberty Gap".
  3. ^ http://www.bikekinetix.com/t_nj/nj_rail/paulinskill_rt.php
  4. ^ "Trail Blog by Rails-to-Trails Conservancy".
  5. ^ "Kittatinny Valley State Park and Paulinskill Valley Trail".
  6. ^ "Skylands Visitor". Retrieved 2011-04-06.
  7. ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2015-10-09.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  8. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2015-10-06. Retrieved 2015-10-09.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  9. ^ "Trail History". Archived from the original on 2009-01-30. Retrieved 2009-01-28.

41°00′49″N 74°52′51″W / 41.0136807°N 74.8807643°W / 41.0136807; -74.8807643