Wawayanda Letterboxing Series LbNA #16512
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Add Location| Owner: | Phoenix Rizing  |
|---|---|
| Plant date: | May 29, 2005 |
| Location: | |
| City: | Wawayanda State Park, Hewitt |
| County: | Passaic |
| State: | New Jersey |
| Boxes: | 4 |
| Found by: | Phoenix Rizing (4) |
|---|---|
| Last found: | Jul 2, 2018 |
| Status: | FFFFFFFFFFFO |
| Last edited: | May 29, 2005 |
Take Route 23 north to Union Valley Road. Follow Union Valley Road about 6 miles to stop sign. From Stop sign, go to second traffic light. Turn left, travel to fork in road (about 2 miles) go left about 1/2 mile to Warwick Turnpike. Turn left. The park entrance is four miles on the left.
The hike actually begins at the boat house area, the second parking lot after the lake. Follow the signs to the boathouse, you will drive through the first lot to get to the second one. All of this is about 1 mile from the entrance to the park. There is a $10 fee to park during the summer months. Pickup a trail map at the park office just after the entrance, or ask for one when paying the parking fee.
The Trail:
With Wawayanda Lake on your right, leave the parking lot, walk left to a wide gravel road (ignore a woods road), and follow the main road by the side of the lake. The stone dam coming into view at the north eastern end of the lake was built in the middle of the last century by the Thomas Iron Company. On the lake, admire the many yellow pond lilies and white fragrant water lilies and note, as you reach the dam, that there are picnic tables and a disconnected water pump. The hike will return to this point. Turn right, cross the dam, walk through the barrier of large boulders, and find immediately ahead the beginning of the Wingdam Trail. You have walked for approximately 10 minutes. The Wingdam trail, marked in blue, is a wide gravel road, climbing slightly uphill through mature hardwood trees. On the left is an old stone wall, and the road itself is in a dip. After another 5 minutes you can hear the sound of running water, and the trail begins to drop toward a wooded bridge spanning a water spill to Laurel Pond. Before crossing the bridge go to the first bench and take a 30 degree reading from the bench’s north end. 38 steps away is a very large tree on the edge of the lawn. From the back of the large tree take a reading of 50 degrees and 15 steps in that direction. Behind the tree you will find what you seek.
Continue your hike over the wooden bridge, so after you will glimpse Laurel pond through the trees on the left. The trees become slightly shorter in stature and rhododendrons begin to appear, hinting at the large stands surrounding this end of Laurel pond. Within 30 minutes from the start of the hike the trail grows narrower, begins to climb (with more boulders underfoot), and looks more like a hiking trail. There are a few evergreens as the trail becomes even steeper and rocker and, instead of continuing across the side of the hill, turns sharply right. In another 5 minutes it reaches the crest of the hill and emerges into a rocky, grassy area with a slight view across the valley through the trees to the left of a tree covered ridge. The highest point in this part of the park is off the trail to the right, 1375’ above sea level. Turn left and at the very beginning of your decent from the top of the hill will be a twisted tree in the middle of the trail. Take a North reading from this tree and walk 12 paces in that direction. Under a pile of stones in a rock you will find what you seek.
Continue to follow the mark trail down hill to a grassy woods road and the end of the Windham Trail. This woods road is the Laurel Pond trail, marked in yellow. Turn right. As you travel slightly down hill, the trees become denser again, and the terrain soon develops into level, pleasant walking. After a few minutes the road is wide and distinct and becomes even sander and smoother. Within fifteen minutes and after passing another woods road on the right, you reach the T junction with Cherry Ridge Road. Turn left here, but do not expect to find markers. In times of heavy rain the road becomes and escape route for excess water. Cross a slowly moving stream within a few minutes on a wooden bridge. Look to the left of the bridge to see “539” etched in nails, a NJ Department of Transportation number. As expected after a stream crossing the road becomes wider and stoner. At the top of this short climb, Cherry Ridge Road goes off to the left. Take the Old Coal Trail straight ahead, marked in red and with a new wooden stake saying Old Coal Tr. Soon the first white pines appear. Within about 5 minutes at a wide, grassy junction, leave the Old Coal Trail and make a right turn onto the Lookout Trail marked in white. The three white markers traditionally designating the beginning or ending of a trail can clearly be seen. After 15 minutes from the beginning of the trail you will see Lake Lookout on the left, preceded by a grassy open space. This place is delightful and seldom visited. Leaving Lake Lookout’s peaceful environment, continue straight pass the lake outlet and into the woods. The footway is now narrow and a little indistinct, but marked clearly with white paint and white metal patches. The trail climbs steeply for a short distance among large boulders and wearing hair pieces of fern. At the top of the climb, where the trail turns to the right, continue straight ahead past two very large boulders straddling the walkway. 20 paces ahead and to your left is a large tree with a red/pink marking. 5 paces west of this tree is under a pile of rocks you will find what you seek.
Return and continue down the main trail opposite the way you came from, and proceed North along a valley floor, with the heights of Cherry Ridge above on the left. This section is a recent trail location winding along large silent fallen trees and through a wet and rocky area, dark with mountain laurel. Fifteen minutes brings you out onto Cherry Ridge Road, less then 100 yards west of the junction with the Laurel Pond Trail. Turn right to reach the junction, then turn left onto the Laurel Pond Trail and retrace your earlier steps. When the Wingdam Trail enters, stay straight on the Laurel Pond Trail to cover new ground. As you walk along be on the look out for a cast iron pipe crossing the trail. Continue 15 paces down the trail and look for a forked tree on the right. 8 paces into the woods behind a tree you will find what you seek.
Back on the Laurel Pond Trail, parallel the lakeshore for a few minutes, then swing away from it to where there is evidence the road was once gated. Here is a yellow marked tree with a sign saying Laurel Pond Trail. Ignore the gated road coming in from the right and walk toward the open, low laying area ahead. After you cross the wooden bridge straight ahead is the old charcoal furnace and on the right is another wooden bridge leading to another group campsite with picnic tables. Follow the trail to the left of the furnace slightly uphill and over an old wooden bridge over a mostly dried up stream. Soon the picnic tables and disconnected pump from the beginning of the hike will come into view. Return to the parking lot on the same shoreline path you used to begin the hike.
Good Luck!
The hike actually begins at the boat house area, the second parking lot after the lake. Follow the signs to the boathouse, you will drive through the first lot to get to the second one. All of this is about 1 mile from the entrance to the park. There is a $10 fee to park during the summer months. Pickup a trail map at the park office just after the entrance, or ask for one when paying the parking fee.
The Trail:
With Wawayanda Lake on your right, leave the parking lot, walk left to a wide gravel road (ignore a woods road), and follow the main road by the side of the lake. The stone dam coming into view at the north eastern end of the lake was built in the middle of the last century by the Thomas Iron Company. On the lake, admire the many yellow pond lilies and white fragrant water lilies and note, as you reach the dam, that there are picnic tables and a disconnected water pump. The hike will return to this point. Turn right, cross the dam, walk through the barrier of large boulders, and find immediately ahead the beginning of the Wingdam Trail. You have walked for approximately 10 minutes. The Wingdam trail, marked in blue, is a wide gravel road, climbing slightly uphill through mature hardwood trees. On the left is an old stone wall, and the road itself is in a dip. After another 5 minutes you can hear the sound of running water, and the trail begins to drop toward a wooded bridge spanning a water spill to Laurel Pond. Before crossing the bridge go to the first bench and take a 30 degree reading from the bench’s north end. 38 steps away is a very large tree on the edge of the lawn. From the back of the large tree take a reading of 50 degrees and 15 steps in that direction. Behind the tree you will find what you seek.
Continue your hike over the wooden bridge, so after you will glimpse Laurel pond through the trees on the left. The trees become slightly shorter in stature and rhododendrons begin to appear, hinting at the large stands surrounding this end of Laurel pond. Within 30 minutes from the start of the hike the trail grows narrower, begins to climb (with more boulders underfoot), and looks more like a hiking trail. There are a few evergreens as the trail becomes even steeper and rocker and, instead of continuing across the side of the hill, turns sharply right. In another 5 minutes it reaches the crest of the hill and emerges into a rocky, grassy area with a slight view across the valley through the trees to the left of a tree covered ridge. The highest point in this part of the park is off the trail to the right, 1375’ above sea level. Turn left and at the very beginning of your decent from the top of the hill will be a twisted tree in the middle of the trail. Take a North reading from this tree and walk 12 paces in that direction. Under a pile of stones in a rock you will find what you seek.
Continue to follow the mark trail down hill to a grassy woods road and the end of the Windham Trail. This woods road is the Laurel Pond trail, marked in yellow. Turn right. As you travel slightly down hill, the trees become denser again, and the terrain soon develops into level, pleasant walking. After a few minutes the road is wide and distinct and becomes even sander and smoother. Within fifteen minutes and after passing another woods road on the right, you reach the T junction with Cherry Ridge Road. Turn left here, but do not expect to find markers. In times of heavy rain the road becomes and escape route for excess water. Cross a slowly moving stream within a few minutes on a wooden bridge. Look to the left of the bridge to see “539” etched in nails, a NJ Department of Transportation number. As expected after a stream crossing the road becomes wider and stoner. At the top of this short climb, Cherry Ridge Road goes off to the left. Take the Old Coal Trail straight ahead, marked in red and with a new wooden stake saying Old Coal Tr. Soon the first white pines appear. Within about 5 minutes at a wide, grassy junction, leave the Old Coal Trail and make a right turn onto the Lookout Trail marked in white. The three white markers traditionally designating the beginning or ending of a trail can clearly be seen. After 15 minutes from the beginning of the trail you will see Lake Lookout on the left, preceded by a grassy open space. This place is delightful and seldom visited. Leaving Lake Lookout’s peaceful environment, continue straight pass the lake outlet and into the woods. The footway is now narrow and a little indistinct, but marked clearly with white paint and white metal patches. The trail climbs steeply for a short distance among large boulders and wearing hair pieces of fern. At the top of the climb, where the trail turns to the right, continue straight ahead past two very large boulders straddling the walkway. 20 paces ahead and to your left is a large tree with a red/pink marking. 5 paces west of this tree is under a pile of rocks you will find what you seek.
Return and continue down the main trail opposite the way you came from, and proceed North along a valley floor, with the heights of Cherry Ridge above on the left. This section is a recent trail location winding along large silent fallen trees and through a wet and rocky area, dark with mountain laurel. Fifteen minutes brings you out onto Cherry Ridge Road, less then 100 yards west of the junction with the Laurel Pond Trail. Turn right to reach the junction, then turn left onto the Laurel Pond Trail and retrace your earlier steps. When the Wingdam Trail enters, stay straight on the Laurel Pond Trail to cover new ground. As you walk along be on the look out for a cast iron pipe crossing the trail. Continue 15 paces down the trail and look for a forked tree on the right. 8 paces into the woods behind a tree you will find what you seek.
Back on the Laurel Pond Trail, parallel the lakeshore for a few minutes, then swing away from it to where there is evidence the road was once gated. Here is a yellow marked tree with a sign saying Laurel Pond Trail. Ignore the gated road coming in from the right and walk toward the open, low laying area ahead. After you cross the wooden bridge straight ahead is the old charcoal furnace and on the right is another wooden bridge leading to another group campsite with picnic tables. Follow the trail to the left of the furnace slightly uphill and over an old wooden bridge over a mostly dried up stream. Soon the picnic tables and disconnected pump from the beginning of the hike will come into view. Return to the parking lot on the same shoreline path you used to begin the hike.
Good Luck!