NJ pine barrens parks

Q for NJ folks:

I've got a brain cramp. Am trying to remember the park I went to a few yrs ago. I'm fairly sure it wasn't Double Trouble SP or Lebanon SF (now Brendan Byrne SF). It might have been Wharton SF but I don't remember it being too far south.

My only clues are that it had kind of a regularly-spaced rectangular network of sand roads and it had a cedar swamp on one side (north side?). If I had a map of it (which is what I'm looking for) I'm sure I could recognize the map.

Double Trouble has the fireroads grid you describe, and a small river winds its way through, coincidentally named "Cedar Creek."

Not sure if that's the one you're looking for, but here's a pretty cool photo from there.

Edit: Ok, it's Friday night and I'm taking photos of maps in books to post on the internet. I have NO LIFE.

My guess would be Wharton due to the network of roads. But it only has cranberry bogs and they are on the east side.
Bass River has a cedar bog and some woods roads. Maybe?

Too bad the NJ state park site dosen't have good maps.

I lived in Willingboro, NJ for 7 year and spent a fair amount of time in the Pine Barrens, it has a couple of great canoeing streams.

Caution

Watch out for the pine jumpers

You mean the Piney's or 609ers I would say Wharton or Lebanon. They all have Cedar swamps as well as the sand road patterns you mentioned. Bass river is a possibility as well. Other than that those are the only parks with the road type you mentioned.

nah, it's not Double Trouble, that place is far more interesting & has more varied terrain than the one I went to.

I rummaged through my journal & I'm pretty sure it was Penn State Forest.

(thanks all, though.)

I also think you are talking about Penn National Forest. Its not a state park and does not have any amenities. I do not even think there's a porta potty at the parking area. It has a network of roads running thru it that do get vehicular trafiic. There is a large, rust colored lake at the parking area. I have a trail guide to NJ hikes and the guide actually lists names for the roads although they are not marked. I remember getting lost in there one hot summer day, ran out of water, no shade, just sandy roads with scruby pines along the edges. Luckily someone in a 4wd vehicle came along and gave me directions out. I do not remember it being a particularly intersting hike. Just something do to versus going to the beach.

Penn state Forest is not federal. It is a state forest. Nj has no federal forests just a A few Wlidlife refudges (Like Wallkill River, Great swamp and many others in South Jersey), Historic park (Morristown) Recreation area (Delaware Water Gap and Gateway)
Penn state Forest is administred by Bass River State Forest. It is over 3000 acres and has a pygmy Pine forest as well as lake Oswego. It is between Double Trouble and Bass River.

botanical hikes?

tangent:

are there any groups that have botanical hikes in the area? I'm planning on heading down there sometime in April. (Brooklyn Botanical Garden is the only place I've thought to check so far...)

The only place I could think of is Ringwood manor. They have some realy nice gardens. Ringwood is a NJ state park

Skylands Botanical Gardens is part of Ringwood State Park but that is northern NJ and borders Passaic/Bergen county. It's a great place to mountain bike...

As far as other Botanical Gardens, if you are in south jersey, there's a fairly big one in Pennsy called Longwood Gardens i Kennett Square, PA. It's also supposedly the portabello mushroom capital of the US or something like that.

Anyway, don't know much others than that, I know of some small orchid gardens in Montclair, a really nice garden down by Rumson, NJ, but nothing to make a whole day out of I think...

Jay

NJ use to have a lot of Botanical gardens, hence the nick name the garden state. Of course most dont exsist today

thanks, I might check out those places....

I am, however, somewhat of a purist when it comes to botany & the most interesting stuff to me is when you see it in the wild... there's some neat stuff in the Pine Barrens even if the hiking might not be spectacular. I think BBG sometimes has field trips but am not sure.