Stokes State Forest Adventure #1

Stokes State Forest, in Branchville New Jersey was our next adventure destination. Stokes State Forest is located in Sussex County New Jersey off of route 206. We decided to make this our next hiking spot because Stokes features a range of diverse terrain, outstanding views from Sun Rise Mountain, and a trail map with a plethora of trails to choose from. If you're looking for a hike that will offer a tranquil setting but provide a work out, this hike is for you. However it's short in length, this loop is approximately 4 miles and features some of Stokes more difficult trails. The trails in the loop are Coursen, Stony Brook, AT, Tower, and ending back on Coursen.

From the parking area, we made our way to the Coursen trail. We headed east towards the Stony Brook trail and enjoyed the vibrant reddish brown color scheme of the forest. What's nice about taking Coursen first is it's calm, flat, and doesn't have a lot of rocks. After about a third of a mile, we had found the turn for Stony Brook not knowing the steady 0.7 mile climb we were in store for. The semi-rocky ascent to the AT on Stony Brook is masked by the peaceful flow of the brook that runs parallel.

Reaching the AT was a treat. The transition from Stony Brook to the AT was out of this world. Once we made it on the AT, the color schemes were much different compared to the bluish-green hue of the previous trail. More vibrant greens, and lighter grey from the rocks were prevalent. The terrain goes from being loose and rocky, to more compact with smoother rocks, mainly because the AT is hiked more frequently. About halfway through I found this little guy.

Munching on our excellent trail mix creation and loving life, we continued on. One thing you'll notice on this part of the AT is the way it fluctuates with density. There are times where the trail gets narrow, and the thickets on each side become denser, and your whole surrounding becomes slightly darker. I almost felt slightly claustrophobic! After about a mile we close Tower Trail, and stopped for lunch enjoying the wonderful view.

Excited to check out the Tower trail, we continued on. This is where the hike gets difficult. The initial descent down to Coursen is a rocky start. I had made the mistake of wearing these. It was a tad to rocky for being a novice in those shoes. Around a half mile down is where Tower starts getting darker, and returns to the bluish-green hues of the damp forest. I was intrigued by all of different types of mushrooms that grew along side the trail. Yellow ones, orange ones, red ones! I felt like I was in Super Mario World for a second!

 

We made the mile long trek down from the AT and knew that our adventure was over when we reached the Coursen junction.