Hartshorne Woods Park
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Hartshorne Woods Park (pronounced: hearts horn) is a 736-acre county park located in Northern Monmouth County in New Jersey's Bayshore Region. The park has 16 miles of trails, several old military bunkers and a small beach with a fishing pier. It is roughly bordered to the north and west by Navesink Ave and Route 36. Its southern borders are Hartshorne Road and the Navesink River. Its eastern border is the Upper Shrewsbury River. The Park is split into three sections from west to east: The Buttermilk Valley Section, the Monmouth Hills Section and the Rocky Point Section.
Contents |
[edit] History
The park is named after Richard Hartshorne, who acquired the land from the Lenape for thirteen shillings after sailing to the Highland in 1670. Rocky Point, the 224-acre easternmost section of the park, contained a World War Two era Coast Artillery site known as Battery Lewis. Later, the Highlands Air Force Station, a long-range air defense radar installation and the Highlands Army Air Defense Site (HAADS) were constructed here. The Air Force closed its installation in 1966. The Army continued to operated HAADS through 1974 to support Nike missile batteries throughout the region.
[edit] Buttermilk Valley
The Buttermilk Valley section of Hartshorne Woods Park can be accessed from a parking lot on Navesink Rd. This section of the park has several moderate and easy trails and two overlook spots: the Navesink overlook and the Claypit Creek Overlook. This section of the park has maps and information as well as facilities located near the parking lot.
[edit] Monmouth Hills
The Monmouth Hills section of the park is accessible by trails from the other two sections of the park. The Grand Tour Trail (a challenging trail) and the Cuesta Ridge Trail (a moderate trail) traverse this section. The Cuesta Ridge Trail goes along the northern section of the park and is the most direct connection from Buttermilk Valley to Rocky Point. This section of the park has facilities located along the southern loop of the Grand Tour Trail.
[edit] Rocky Point
The Rocky Point section of the park is accessible from Portland Road in Highlands. There is ample parking, facilities and information at this entrance to the park. This section has of the park has some of the easiest and some of the most challenging trails in the park. As well as having great views of the Atlantic Ocean and barrier beaches, Rocky Point has several barriers dating back to its use as a military installment. There is a pier at Blackfish Cove (on the Navesink River) and a small beach where fishing is permitted.
[edit] Major trails
Classification:
- Green Circles indicate: Easy Trails for walking.
- Blue Squares indicate: Moderate Trails for hikers, equestrians and all-terrain bicylces.
- Black Diamonds indicate: Challenging Trails for experienced hikers, equestrians and all-terrain bicylists.
[edit] Buttermilk Valley
- Kings Hollow Trail- easy loop (0.7 miles)
- Candlestick Trail- easy (1.5 miles)- Navesink Overlook
- Laurel Ridge Trail- moderate loop (2.5 miles)
[edit] Monmouth Hills
- Cuesta Ridge Trail- moderate (1.6 miles)
- Grand Tour Trail- challenging (6 miles)
[edit] Rocky Point
- Lewis Overlook- easy loop (0.2 miles)- There is a trail to the top of Battery Lewis with great views.
- Battery Loop- moderate loop (1.3 miles)- Paved surface
- Black Fish Cove- moderate (0.3 miles)- Steep trail to pier
- Command Loop- moderate (0.4 miles)- Paved surface
- Bunker Loop- moderate (0.3 miles)
- Rocky Point Trail- challenging (4.1)
[edit] External links
- Hartshorne Woods Park Website [1]
- Mountain Biking in Hartshorne Woods [2]
- Highlands Army Air Defense Site [3]
[edit] References
Monmouth County Parks System, "Hartshorne Woods Park" n.p., 2005.
"Mountain Bike Trails in New Jersey: Shore Region: Hartshorne Woods Park". May 25, 2006. http://www.bikekinetix.com/t_nj/nj_county/hartshorne_cp.php
