Around this time last year, I sat down with the maps from the Somerset County Park Commission website and Mapquest to determine the best route to reach the trail heads I wanted to explore. If you would like to visit the Hawk Watch platform at Washington Valley Park, make your way to Vosseller Avenue, where it crosses Route 22, in Bridgewater. A tiny road sign (above) off of Vosseller Avenue marks the entrance to Miller Lane, which dead ends in the Hawk Watch parking area.
If you see the sign above after passing by a residential area, you are in the right place. Bear left and you should end up in a parking area. Walk down the paved trail to the Hawk Watch platform, which also overlooks Chimney Rock Quarry. Continue down the trail (which changes to gravel and then dirt beyond the Hawk Watch area) to view the East Branch Reservoir and Buttermilk Falls.
If you prefer to begin a hike at Washington Valley from another picturesque spot in the park, you may wish to start at the parking area on Gilbride Road, also off of Vosseller Avenue, in Martinsville, NJ. Please note this parking area is not shown on the official park map.
If you pass by Miller Lane by accident, you may find yourself at Gilbride Road anyway. Gilbride Road is located just south of Camp Cromwell, which can be seen in the background of the photo above. Camp Cromwell is a private camping facility maintained by the Boy's Club of New York City. If you drive down Gilbride Road from Vosseller Avenue, you will see the parking area on your left.
Before I leave the subject of directions, I would like to show you the approach to Sourland Mountain Preserve from the south (the adjacent road runs north to south).
The main parking area for the preserve is located on East Mountain Road in Hillsborough, NJ. East Mountain Road can be reached from Amwell Road (Route 514) or Trent Place (Belle Mead Blawenberg Road - Route 601), both of which connect to Route 206, a major artery in that part of the state. If your GPS system can't find the rural area, you can always search for the Carrier Clinic, which is also located on East Mountain Road within a few miles of the park.
An Eastern Cottontail rabbit (Sylvilagus floridanus) browsed on the lawn near the parking lot at Sourland Mountain as I snapped my pictures.
Before I call it a weekend, I would like to share a few shots from my hike at Washington Valley Park early in the day on May 22nd.
As I began my walk from the Gilbride Road trail head, I was quickly surrounded by the loud chirping cries of chipmunks (Tamias striatus). I believe all the photos I caught are the Eastern Chipmunk, which is the most common chipmunk species in eastern North America. However, I understand that out west they have as many 14 other species.
With the arrival of a fallen tree, the rock crossing is almost too easy.
While at first I thought a UFO was approaching, the MetLife blimp (Blimpus metlifeus) also made an appearance.
I barely beat the heat of the day hiking up and down the slopes of the forest where the land tilts down towards the water.
The most interesting creatures seem to enjoy hanging out at this spot along the water. Lately I have been watching the fish swim languidly through the crystal clear water. Turtles rise from the mud to swim along the surface periodically and I have caught snakes and frogs passing the time here in the past as well.
(Green frog, Rana clamitans)
I believe this is a bullfrog tadpole (Rana catesbeiana). Frogs are amphibians and begin their lives as eggs which hatch into tadpoles (also called polliwogs) which have no lungs - only gills, like fish. Within approximately one year, the tadpoles begin to metamorphose into adult frogs, growing back legs, front limbs, losing their tails and gradually exchanging gills for lungs. After 2-3 years they become miniatures of their parents, and eventually breathe only with lungs the way you and I (and all mammals) do. This is quite a transformation from a tiny egg, the size of pea or smaller, to a fully grown frog like the one below.
Please assist me with the identification of frog in the photo above. I believe it was a largish (4-5 inches from nose to hind point) Green frog (Rana clamitans). I have some photos of juvenile bullfrogs in my field guides and on the internet which appear similar, but I'm leaning toward another amiable green frog - they seem to display the type of camouflage behavior (holding very still for long periods of time) that allows them to be easily photographed.
A Painted Turtle (Chrysemys picta) swims towards a sunny spot on a rock.
A final chipmunk winked at me on my way out of the park. It has been a great Memorial Day weekend, and I look forward to sharing on the best shots I got with you next week.
