A friend and I are going to be hiking for 3-4 days in NJ hiking north from Culvers Gap. How far can we expect to get…Vernon? How is this section of the trail compared to the section from DWG to Culvers? Is the secret hostel open for section hikers or should i not plan on staying there? anyone know of a shuttler in the area. bears gonna be a huge problem? thanks and hope to see some of you out there
A-Train
A-Train
Hey A-Train… I went from Culver’s Gap to the secret shelter. If I recall correctly… it was about 21 miles.Went to Vernon next day. There is a section just before Vernon that is about a 3 - 4 mile road walk… ugh!!Mostly good hiking. More of the NJ ridgelines. Very pretty. Don’t know why you couldn’t stay at the secret shelter… even if it’s full he’s got lots of lawn to tent in. Last year there was a report of a bear causing problems around Culver Gap. I “ran into” a large male who thought he owned the trail. Wouldn’t get off the AT so I followed him almost a mile. He wasn’t afraid of me at all!!! Just make sure you use the bear boxes at the shelters.
Moose
A-Train… 3 days will easily get you to Vernon and then some. I’ve done this stretch of the trail several times and I usually go another 4 - 5 miles to Waywayanda State Park, easy access at the ranger station. The trail from Culvers to High Point is exactly like DWG to Culvers, ridgeline with some rocks. After High Point, you leave the ridge and walk down in the valley. No more rocks, just dirt (or mud), swamp boardwalks, and even some roads just to keep things interesting. I don’t know much about the secret hostel, but the regular shelters are all in good shape with plenty of extra tent spaces. Almost every time I go out there I see at least one bear, but they’re not a problem as long as you use a little common sense. As stated above, use the bear boxes. Have a great trip.
Steve
I though NJ was so cool because of all the different terrain and habitat you hike through. The ridge by high point, then swamp/wetland, pasture, very nice. I would check with whoever does the trail work in NJ (AMC?) about the RELO around the road walk portion near Vernon. Apparantly they’ve worked their ass off building bridges and cutting trail. I know at least one person last year who hiked the relo instead of the roads even through it was not totally fininshed.
Grimace
Would be great if the relo was done. That roadwalk in the hot summer sun was BRUTAL!!! I seriously think it was the last straw for my knees.
Moose
I checked with the New York / New Jersey trail conference web site ( www.nynjtc.org ). They say that the Pochuck (Vernon) relocation is usable but not finished. They are planning on completing it by June 1st. The blazes still lead to the road walk, but a large boardwalk should not be too hard to find.
Steve
Hey, you still received “white blaze points”! The road WAS the old AT. We took that as far as we could follow it, talked to a farmer that asked if we were lost. Said no! We’re on the AT! He told us he hadn’t seen anyone hike this stretch in twenty five years. Sneakin’ through peolple’s back yards was a blast.
Bushwhack
If you’re trying to get into Vernon, it pays to blueblaze on the road straight into town. I road walked on the current AT route, that was a brutal road walk as moose said, I think was most unpleasant of all roadwalks because of heat even in April, but currently, you cross over some fields after cutting down a residential road and end up 2 miles outside of town. If you went straight on the original road, you’d end up in Vernon much quicker. I also recommend finding the relo, I hiked a bit of it.
Sweeper
The Vernon relo is open. I live 10 minutes from there and have walked it several times already. They are still putting a few finishing touches on the boardwalk (adding some here & there) but the walk is much nicer than the road walk. If any of you are birdwatchers, look for Common Snipe along the raised boardwalk. I saw 3 last week.
Little Bear