Overland Route - Trans New Jersey Trail

ramblinChet

Well-known member
Trans New Jersey Trail

by Chet Szymecki​

The Trans New Jersey Trail is a 450+ mile adventure that can last from five to seven days depending upon how often you stop to explore other sites along the way. Approximately 60% of the time is spent on dirt roads whereas the remaining 40% is spent mostly on two-lane paved roads. The route is designed to be driven in either direction although it seems more common to begin in the north and end in the south. The trail can be broken into two major sections: north and south. While the northern half is a scenic route most of the time is spent on pavement while the southern half is primarily forests and sand or dirt roads.

Here is a map of the 450+ mile track as published by Xplorr313 in this post. A link to the recently revised GPX file can be found here in the same post.

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ramblinChet

Well-known member
Next I begin the Trans New Jersey Trail which is "a 450+ mile route that spans from High Point, NJ to Cape May, NJ. The trail consist of asphalt, gravel, sand, dirt, and some mud. The trail is 100% legal for all street legal vehicles. This means you must be registered, insured, and compliant with all DOT regulations (headlights, taillights, seat belts, turn signals, and so on)."

I had never really considered the possibility of an off-road adventure route in New Jersey so I was excited to begin my track in High Point and point my ship south towards my final destination in Cape May. While researching I discovered that nearly one-quarter of all land in New Jersey is referred to as the Pine Barrens, or Pinelands, which are 1.1 million acres of open land available for public recreation! Here is a shot of the route as viewed in Gaia GPS which displays on my Uconnect 4 with 8.4" touchscreen via Android Auto and a Google Pixel 7.

Since my recent Cross Pennsylvania Adventure Trail concluded in the north-east corner of Pennsylvania on the New York border, the beginning of the Trans New Jersey Trail was just a few minutes of a drive to the south. What a perfect combination! The northern terminus of the TNJT was at High Point, New Jersey, and was named so because it is the highest point in New Jersey at 1,803 feet above mean sea level.
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The initial few hours of driving amounted to two-lane paved roads through mostly country, but some residential areas. I was very excited as I pulled off onto the first dirt and gravel section but that changed as I began to sense that the trail had not been traveled on a regular basis. I checked my instruments to confirm that I was on the correct track and proceeded with caution.
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The first dirt section was a tease and after only a few miles I was back on pavement for what seemed like several more hours. It was a pretty ride but nothing special so once again I was overjoyed to pull off onto another off-road section of Jenny Jump State Forest. Just prior to this picture there was actually a rocky climb which required me to shift into four-wheel-drive so things we becoming fun now. Soon thereafter, I came upon this washed out section of trail, stopped to check for recent tracks, and seeing none checked my navigation instruments again. Everything checks good on deck so let's roll...and then the trail became so tight and overgrown I was unable to see anything in front of me. While looking up and inching forward, I noticed a utility line that had fallen and was crossing the trail so low that in another ten feet the top of my pop-up camper would contact the downed line. Time to gracefully back out and find a go-around.
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Just a mile or so past Buttermilk Falls, I came upon a heavy duty tow truck on a forest road. The driver pulled over and I we both jumped out for a quick discussion. He asked if I was familiar with the area since he had never been here and was going to rescue an 18-wheeler stuck in the mud. I asked if it was a logging truck and he stated that it was a flatbed from a big-box retailer performing a home delivery. I jumped into the lead and we drive a few more miles and found the truck which had been trying to turn around due to a bridge closure when it became stuck. The driver only had intermittent service and even if the bridge was open, it has a 10-ton weight limit.

I offered to act as a spotter and together we pulled the truck back up onto the forest road but facing the wrong way towards the closed bridge. I recommended that the young female driving the truck call her office to ask for a senior driver to be brought out to assist her but she was the only driver and the general manager placed it all on her. Maybe she should not have been there in the first place although she reviewed the route with another driver in the store and that driver said all was fine. The tow truck driver was done and he left immediately. The poor inner-city girl was not familiar with the forest and there was no damn way she was going to back that 18-wheeler down the trail for several miles.

I let her know I was going to stay and offer the little support that I could so I walked back on the trail and found an abandoned and closed spur which was a straight shot back. It took a solid hour but together we backed the truck up to the spur and eventually got her turned around. I jumped in front of her and lead hear out. It felt good to be able to have the time and above-average knowledge of the forest roads to help her and the tow-truck driver out. What an interesting day!
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Yet another closed road which provided me with an opportunity to research my map and identify a go-around. Gaia GPS has a great feature which allows you to download areas of a map prior to beginning your adventure so in case you are without cellular service, you still have the map area loaded and available.
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Much of northern half of the TNJT has been two-lane blacktop with only a few miles of dirt or gravel here or there. Again, not a bad track but nothing exciting to report with the exception of a few sections here or there. This short stretch ran between two beautiful neighborhoods and pretty and short, just like most of the MILFs smiling at me here in NJ. Seriously, there are a surplus of good-looking healthy girls here and I smile back each and every time.
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Some of the highlights so far included driving through the middle of the Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster. While driving though I slowed down to try and figure out what all the excitement was about - I was able to notice unique vehicles and personnel who were really paying extra special attention to my AEV Prospector with my Four Wheel Camper on the back. I pulled over and pulled out my Zeiss Conquest HD binoculars and confirmed that we were all checking each other out. I smiled and rolled only finding out the next day that President Trump arranged a private screening at Bedminster for the summer blockbuster: Sound of Freedom.

When I awoke in the morning I heard a man walking towards my vehicle - I could hear his was and was able to conclude that he was old and weak, even before I could see him. Minutes later he came around the corner and we greeted each other and ended up talking for the better part of an hour. What is most interesting is that this man was blind and exploring the forest by himself - what a brave man. After talking for a bit and covering a range of subjects he continued on his way and had to search for that rut in the road to guide him. I smiled and said many prayers for the man and was so happy to see him out in the forest, alone, and living life. He's not a quitter and that's the simple secret to success. Never. Ever. Quit.
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ramblinChet

Well-known member
Once I entered the Brendan T. Byrne State Forest the look and feel of the forest around me continued to remind me of Florida. The white sandy two-track, burned pines everywhere, and ferns, confused me since I had never expected to encounter this type of habitat this far north. The forests in the southern section of New Jersey are just beautiful and the original creator of this trail, @Xplorr313, rightfully deserves all the credit for a job well done. So much fun to be had - in New Jersey!
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Even some of the tea-colored water crossings reminded me of past adventures in the Blackwater River State Forest in Florida. The water turns this tea-like colors due to the tannic acid from nearby trees. As I ventured south I began to encounter many more "puddles" that were on average 20-30 feet in diameter and one to two feet deep. There were a few that were a full three feet deep although those usually had a shallower section. My recommendation is to physically verify the depth and bottom conditions prior to attempting to cross. I have often considered purchasing an ultra-light pair of chest waders for this purpose.
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It was confusing to me since I was passing in and out of so many different areas in the southern section but all were beautiful and although similar to others nearby, each had it's own distinct flavor. This was in the Greenwood Forest Wildlife Management Area.
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Much of my time exploring the southern half of the TNJT looked just like this section of forest service road. There were not many areas that were cleared and available for camping but I am guessing if you really did some work and spoke with the rangers in the specific areas, some would be pointed out. Again, much of the confusion I encountered was related to passing through different areas controlled by different public service entities. I recall driving down a gravel road with the Warren Grove Recreational Area on one side and the West Penn Pygmy Forest on the other. I am not complaining but instead pointing out my confusion and suggesting you may require a deep dive into maps depending upon where you plan to camp along this trail.
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Out of the forest and heading to the shore of Delaware Bay. I know I have mentioned this a few times already but this southern of the TNJT trail never stopped surprising me. I considered spending much time in this area on the shore but unfortunately my adventure rig was swarmed by dozens of Greenhead horse flies. These were the most violent little insects I have encountered in many years.
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After I completed my adventure I scanned the map and noticed that Wildwoods was only minutes away. What an amazing coincidence! If you want, you can always cross the water from the southern tip of New Jersey to Lewes, Delaware, by way of the Cape May-Lewes Ferry. I decided it was too expensive for my full-time budget plus I had already scheduled a visit to Wilmington and Dover which were both up north.
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Another overland trail is in the books - I completed the Trans New Jersey Trail (450+ mi) in five days and covered a total of 563 miles of mixed roads. The northern half was approximately 95% paved roads and 05% dirt or gravel whereas the southern section was approximately 80% dirt of gravel and 20% paved roads. My combined drive time was 28-hours and I averaged 12.4 mpg. If you have time available and desire to complete the entire trails I say go for it. If you only have a two or three day weekend I would recommend the southern half of the trip and maybe even squeeze in an extra day and visit Atlantic City which is in the middle of the southern half.

I will close with my favorite picture from this north to south New Jersey overland adventure. After all of this I have a different impression of the state and look forward to visiting again soon - I hope you do too!
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ramblinChet

Well-known member
On another forum I was asked how I captured the picture above which shows my AEV Prospector fording a puddle. Here are the details:

My father spend his life as a professional medical photographer and I have always enjoyed photography as a hobby. My father was very pragmatic and used the best tool for each specific job; he shot roll film and digital using Hasselblad, Zeiss, Mamiya, Nikon, Canon, Olympus, etc. He was very scientific performing much research and experimentation over the decades while also networking with other professionals and continuously educating himself. I am fortunate to have inherited many of his traits although compared to him, I am an amateur photographer and have zero skills in videography.

Nearly one year ago I set a goal to take better pictures to more accurately document my travels. I began researching all available options and despite have a wonderful semi-professional Canon DSLR with an assortment of L-Series lenses, I decided to begin with a camera phone. Although money is rarely an object, I don't waste money on technology or options I have no need for. The aforementioned process was identical when selecting and building my most recent adventure vehicle - consider all options, down-select based upon core requirements, review process with others, complete purchase, enjoy.

My decision was to go with a Google Pixel 7, not the Pro variant. There is an objective web site DXO MARK which performs a variety of tests to cameras, cellular phones, lenses, etc. My plan is to purchase a Joby flexible tripod this week so I have more options regarding camera placement. In the photo above, which was pulled from a video below, I set the phone on level ground and propped it up using a fist-sized rock. Many are held-up believing they need this or that before anything can happen. On the contrary, you just need to stop with the excuses and begin doing what you have always wanted to do no matter what that may be.

Here are my most recent short clips - my goal is to gradually work up to 10-15 minute videos over the next year although I have much to learn.



 
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