Sourland Mountain Preserve
Encyclopedia
The Sourland Mountain Preserve is located in Hillsborough
and Montgomery
townships, Somerset County
, New Jersey
.
The main feature of the preserve is the 5 miles (8 km) Ridge Trail [white squares], suitable for hiking
and off-road biking
. There are two shorter routes [white circular and white triangle blazes] and "connector" trails [white "C" blaze].The trails have been very well blazed by the Somerset County Park Commission. The Park Commission also tries to keep the map box just off the parking lot filled with trail maps. While located in a suburban section of central New Jersey, Sourland Mountain
is a heavily wooded and rocky place. The Ridge Trail can be quite difficult and technical in spots. At the top of the ridge, there are some very large and beautiful exposed boulder
s. Roaring Brook passes through the southern edge of the preserve. While not officially a part of the preserve, hikers often visit the brook to see one of the finest boulder fields in New Jersey. A complete circuit of the Ridge Trail for an experienced hiker will take about two and one-half hours. For anyone who hikes and lives in central Jersey, Sourland provides quick access to a hiking experience that can rival some of the trails in the Ridge and Valley section and the Highlands section of northern New Jersey.
Geologically, Sourland Mountain is composed of sedimentary and igneous rocks of Late Triassic and Early Jurassic age, and are part of the Newark basin
rift lake system. The main ridge in Sourland Mountain is intrusive diabase
(a type of igneous rock) associated with the same igneous event that produced the Palisades Sill
(the cliffs along the west side of the Hudson River across from New York City), and The Watchung Mountains
in Northern New Jersey. The sedimentary rocks are Late Triassic in age and are part of the lower Passaic Formation of the Newark Basin sedimentary sequence.
The park covers 3025 acres (12.2 km²). The name "Sourland" may derive from the soil, described as "sorrel-land" or reddish brown land. The quiet of this environment is almost complete, except for the song of a bird, the rush in the bush when a close-by deer is spooked. Seen in the park are red fox
, gray fox
, deer
, even a coyote
. Birds include tanager
s, wren
s, and chickadee
s.
As of about June 1, 2007, a new extension to the Ridge Trail will take hikers to Roaring Brook and one of the finest boulder fields anywhere in the Northeast. This trail extension is the result of a great deal of work and the help of 3M Company, a good friend of the Somerset County Park Commission.
Very recently added in Spring 2009, a newly blazed trail system runs North from Roaring Brook before turning East and back into the Preserve. The blazes for this trail system are red. The red square trail connects back to the Ridge Trail [white square].The red circular blazed trail goes north and ends at the gas line. These trails are excellent for hiking, but are clearly laid out for off-road biking, with many twists and turns taking good advantage of the topography. It is just a short hike or ride down the gas line to get back to the original Ridge Trail.
Hillsborough Township, New Jersey
Hillsborough Township is a Township in Somerset County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township population was 38,303....
and Montgomery
Montgomery Township, New Jersey
Montgomery Township is a Township in Somerset County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2010 Census, the township population was 22,254, which represents growth of 27% since 2000 and more than 130% since the 1990 Census population figure of 9,612.Montgomery Township was...
townships, Somerset County
Somerset County, New Jersey
Somerset County is a county located in the U.S. state of New Jersey. In 2010, the population was 323,444. It is part of the New York Metropolitan Area. Its county seat is Somerville....
, New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
.
The main feature of the preserve is the 5 miles (8 km) Ridge Trail [white squares], suitable for hiking
Hiking
Hiking is an outdoor activity which consists of walking in natural environments, often in mountainous or other scenic terrain. People often hike on hiking trails. It is such a popular activity that there are numerous hiking organizations worldwide. The health benefits of different types of hiking...
and off-road biking
Mountain biking
Mountain biking is a sport which consists of riding bicycles off-road, often over rough terrain, using specially adapted mountain bikes. Mountain bikes share similarities with other bikes, but incorporate features designed to enhance durability and performance in rough terrain.Mountain biking can...
. There are two shorter routes [white circular and white triangle blazes] and "connector" trails [white "C" blaze].The trails have been very well blazed by the Somerset County Park Commission. The Park Commission also tries to keep the map box just off the parking lot filled with trail maps. While located in a suburban section of central New Jersey, Sourland Mountain
Sourland Mountain
Sourland Mountain is a long ridge in central New Jersey, extending from the Delaware River at Lambertville to the western end of Hillsborough Township near the community of Neshanic , through Montgomery Township and into Hopewell Township in Mercer County. It comprises the largest contiguous...
is a heavily wooded and rocky place. The Ridge Trail can be quite difficult and technical in spots. At the top of the ridge, there are some very large and beautiful exposed boulder
Boulder
In geology, a boulder is a rock with grain size of usually no less than 256 mm diameter. While a boulder may be small enough to move or roll manually, others are extremely massive....
s. Roaring Brook passes through the southern edge of the preserve. While not officially a part of the preserve, hikers often visit the brook to see one of the finest boulder fields in New Jersey. A complete circuit of the Ridge Trail for an experienced hiker will take about two and one-half hours. For anyone who hikes and lives in central Jersey, Sourland provides quick access to a hiking experience that can rival some of the trails in the Ridge and Valley section and the Highlands section of northern New Jersey.
Geologically, Sourland Mountain is composed of sedimentary and igneous rocks of Late Triassic and Early Jurassic age, and are part of the Newark basin
Newark Basin
The Newark Basin is a sediment-filled rift basin located mainly in northern New Jersey but also stretching into south-eastern Pennsylvania and southern New York. It is part of the system of Eastern North America Rift Basins.-Geology:...
rift lake system. The main ridge in Sourland Mountain is intrusive diabase
Diabase
Diabase or dolerite is a mafic, holocrystalline, subvolcanic rock equivalent to volcanic basalt or plutonic gabbro. In North American usage, the term diabase refers to the fresh rock, whilst elsewhere the term dolerite is used for the fresh rock and diabase refers to altered material...
(a type of igneous rock) associated with the same igneous event that produced the Palisades Sill
Palisades Sill
The Palisades Sill is a Triassic, 200 Ma diabase intrusion. It extends through portions of New York and New Jersey. It is most noteworthy for The Palisades, the cliffs that rise steeply above the western bank of the Hudson River...
(the cliffs along the west side of the Hudson River across from New York City), and The Watchung Mountains
Watchung Mountains
The Watchung Mountains are a group of three long low ridges of volcanic origin, between 400 ft. and 500 ft. high, lying parallel to each other in northern New Jersey in the United States...
in Northern New Jersey. The sedimentary rocks are Late Triassic in age and are part of the lower Passaic Formation of the Newark Basin sedimentary sequence.
The park covers 3025 acres (12.2 km²). The name "Sourland" may derive from the soil, described as "sorrel-land" or reddish brown land. The quiet of this environment is almost complete, except for the song of a bird, the rush in the bush when a close-by deer is spooked. Seen in the park are red fox
Red Fox
The red fox is the largest of the true foxes, as well as being the most geographically spread member of the Carnivora, being distributed across the entire northern hemisphere from the Arctic Circle to North Africa, Central America, and the steppes of Asia...
, gray fox
Gray Fox
The gray fox is a mammal of the order Carnivora ranging throughout most of the southern half of North America from southern Canada to the northern part of South America...
, deer
Deer
Deer are the ruminant mammals forming the family Cervidae. Species in the Cervidae family include white-tailed deer, elk, moose, red deer, reindeer, fallow deer, roe deer and chital. Male deer of all species and female reindeer grow and shed new antlers each year...
, even a coyote
Coyote
The coyote , also known as the American jackal or the prairie wolf, is a species of canine found throughout North and Central America, ranging from Panama in the south, north through Mexico, the United States and Canada...
. Birds include tanager
Tanager
The tanagers comprise the bird family Thraupidae, in the order Passeriformes. The family has an American distribution.There were traditionally about 240 species of tanagers, but the taxonomic treatment of this family's members is currently in a state of flux...
s, wren
Wren
The wrens are passerine birds in the mainly New World family Troglodytidae. There are approximately 80 species of true wrens in approximately 20 genera....
s, and chickadee
Titmouse
The tits, chickadees, and titmice constitute Paridae, a large family of small passerine birds which occur in the northern hemisphere and Africa...
s.
As of about June 1, 2007, a new extension to the Ridge Trail will take hikers to Roaring Brook and one of the finest boulder fields anywhere in the Northeast. This trail extension is the result of a great deal of work and the help of 3M Company, a good friend of the Somerset County Park Commission.
Very recently added in Spring 2009, a newly blazed trail system runs North from Roaring Brook before turning East and back into the Preserve. The blazes for this trail system are red. The red square trail connects back to the Ridge Trail [white square].The red circular blazed trail goes north and ends at the gas line. These trails are excellent for hiking, but are clearly laid out for off-road biking, with many twists and turns taking good advantage of the topography. It is just a short hike or ride down the gas line to get back to the original Ridge Trail.