Parker Loop at High Point State Park
A couple of weeks ago, my husband and I woke up early and drove up to Northwest NJ for an all-day hike at Parker Loop at High Point State Park and Stokes State Forest. We ultimately hiked 13.4 miles, and it took us about 6 hours.
We’ve wanted to get to the Parker Loop at High Point State Park for a while. Parker Loop at High Point State Park is just over 2 hours away and the highest point of elevation in NJ. The Parker Loop at High Point State Park was about 15 miles long, but there were a lot of spots, you could quickly go off trail, or get lost. If we did it again, we would follow the blue path which ultimately takes you about 15 miles but is much easier to follow.
The trail at Parker Loop at High Point State Park is moderate. It was only difficult for a couple of climbs and also due to the length. It had everything from climbing, to scrambles, to stream crossings, and walking along dried up water beds.
There are no major parking lots on Parker Loop at High Point State Park and we ended up parking on the side of the road. Parker Loop at High Point State Park started off easy and flat. We wandered through the trail for a couple of miles before hitting a stream.
I’ve never crossed a stream before, so it was terrifying. What if I fell in? My husband just went across like no big deal.
After the major stream crossing at Parker Loop at High Point State Park, we followed the trail for several more miles. There are spots that it’s easy to get lost because the trail isn’t the best marked. We added a few sections and had to double back a few times at Parker Loop at High Point State Park. Ultimately, we would have followed the blue path which does about the same thing but is easier to follow.
We got to a beautiful campground and lake around mile 6 of Parker Loop at High Point State Park. You can rent cabins and hang out there; it looks like a beautiful and peaceful spot to relax.
As we kept going along Parker Loop at High Point State Park, we noticed how many large trees were down. New Jersey has had a lot of storms recently, so I have to wonder if it’s from that, but we noticed dozens, maybe even 100.
Around mile 9 of Parker Loop at High Point State Park, comes the longest and steepest climb which takes you to the top. The view is one of my favorites, and if you look, you can see PA, NY, and NJ. (The Northern NJ tri-state).
Finally, we headed back to the parking area of Parker Loop at High Point State Park. Since we had gotten lost a few times and doubled back, we had no idea how long the trail would be for us. We ultimately did 13.4 miles. It was a lot of fun, and we are looking forward to doing a few more all day hikes before it gets too hot.
You Can See More Hikes Here.
Questions for you:
Have you ever gotten lost?
During one of our first hikes, we got completely lost at Bear Mountain and ended up taking an Uber back. Thank goodness there was one. We learned a lot from that, and how to be much safer hikers.
What is the longest hike you’ve done? Have you ever been to Parker Loop at High Point State Park?