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View Full Version : High Point State Park may Close.



STEVEM
04-02-2008, 19:28
I'm not sure if anyone cares, but New Jersey is pretty much broke. The last one to leave here is reminded to turn off the lights and lock the door.

The newest proposal to save money involves closing several State Parks, including High Point. There's no mention of the AT in the attached newspaper story. I would suspect that the AT would remain open, but that all side trails and access to the lakes and monument would be closed. I might also expect that parking areas used for access to the AT would be closed.

http://www.njherald.com/314426482000840.php

CrumbSnatcher
04-02-2008, 19:39
I'm not sure if anyone cares, but New Jersey is pretty much broke. The last one to leave here is reminded to turn off the lights and lock the door.

The newest proposal to save money involves closing several State Parks, including High Point. There's no mention of the AT in the attached newspaper story. I would suspect that the AT would remain open, but that all side trails and access to the lakes and monument would be closed. I might also expect that parking areas used for access to the AT would be closed.

http://www.njherald.com/314426482000840.php
i think most would be interested the trail goes thru the park. nice little place,cool observation tower. except for the water fountain in front of the headqtrs. building (my vote for one of the worst water source's)the water has a high content of sulfur? i believe. hope times get better for all of us.happy hiking

CrumbSnatcher
04-02-2008, 19:42
STEVEM thanks for the heads up!

Toolshed
04-02-2008, 19:49
1015 was discussing this AM and it centered around things like bathrooms, pools, campgrounds and snack centers being closed. Hiking Trails woul likely stay open. But then again, one can never be too sure when most of the criminal element in NJ is in the government.

Lone Wolf
04-02-2008, 20:57
it won't affect walking

kayak karl
04-02-2008, 21:11
it won't affect walking
our parks down here willbe closed to walking as per article in paper http://www.nj.com/news/sunbeam/index.ssf?/base/news-3/1207120811292820.xml&coll=9
like to see them try:D

warren doyle
04-02-2008, 22:39
Swimming without a crowd and sleeping up at the monument.....

Appalachian Tater
04-02-2008, 22:42
Doyle, your selfish & criminal behavior will not go unchecked. The park police will still be operating.

warren doyle
04-02-2008, 22:47
I quiver in my thrift store hiking shoes.

STEVEM
04-02-2008, 23:04
My favorite New Jersey Park Police story:

A few years ago I came home from work one night and found my wife in the driveway with a small cooler. She says that she made a picnic meal and wanted to go to High Point Park since it was such a nice day.

So we drive to Sawmill Lake which is surrounded by maybe 50 campsites, most with tent platforms and all with picnic tables. The campsite was entirely empty so we parked the car and set up our meal at one of the picnic tables.

We no sooner start our meal when a NJSPP truck pulls up and turns on his red lights. He swaggers over and tells me that I'm breaking the law by picnicking at a picnic table in an area not designated for picnicking. Of course he said we needed to leave immediately. I assured him we wouldn't litter and would leave in a half hour. He found this unacceptable and threatened to arrest me. My tax dollars at work. So we drove home and finished our meal on the deck.

I am sure "Rambo" won't lose his job, and can almost guarantee they'll be real nasty to any hiker they find outside the AT corridor.

sofaking
04-03-2008, 01:18
I quiver in my thrift store hiking shoes.


my hero!

Mr HaHa
04-03-2008, 08:50
I'm not sure if anyone cares, but New Jersey is pretty much broke. The last one to leave here is reminded to turn off the lights and lock the door.

The newest proposal to save money involves closing several State Parks, including High Point. There's no mention of the AT in the attached newspaper story. I would suspect that the AT would remain open, but that all side trails and access to the lakes and monument would be closed. I might also expect that parking areas used for access to the AT would be closed.

http://www.njherald.com/314426482000840.php Perhaps NJ. could learn something from the great state of Ohio. Simply stop funding your park system for 25 years,watch it deteriorate to the point where no one wants to go to them, and problem solved!

sly dog
04-03-2008, 09:41
Steve,
I had a good time there. When my brother was thru hiking in 06 I met him and a crew there. The office was closed and we wanted to camp in the campground so we headed to the area and started to set up camp(about 8 or so of us) and we were going to tell the ranger we will pay for the site when he comes around. Well we didn't have a permit and he ended up driving past out site at least twice in the morning and never said a word to anyone. There were only like 2 families camping in the whole camp ground so we stuck out like a sore thumb and we hung in camp till at least 11 drinking and eating. I guess the ranger that was on duty didn't mind us being there.

Tennessee Viking
04-03-2008, 12:14
I'm not sure if anyone cares, but New Jersey is pretty much broke. The last one to leave here is reminded to turn off the lights and lock the door.

The newest proposal to save money involves closing several State Parks, including High Point. There's no mention of the AT in the attached newspaper story. I would suspect that the AT would remain open, but that all side trails and access to the lakes and monument would be closed. I might also expect that parking areas used for access to the AT would be closed.

http://www.njherald.com/314426482000840.php
Tennessee went through something similiar years ago where a number of state parks were being threatened to be closed to fix the budget. But ended pissing a lot of people off, and was dropped.

Blissful
04-03-2008, 13:29
Too bad. High Point had great rangers that liked hikers. Could send drops there, etc. Bathrooms were nice to have, along with water.

Don H
04-03-2008, 13:37
I'm doing a section hike through NJ in a few weeks and had a mail drop planned for Highpoint SP. I just got off the phone with a nice lady at the park who told me the park is slated to close on July 1st. They will accept mail drops until that time. I also will camp near the Highpoint shelter and take a side trip to monument.

envirodiver
04-03-2008, 13:41
Tennessee went through something similiar years ago where a number of state parks were being threatened to be closed to fix the budget. But ended pissing a lot of people off, and was dropped.

That's when Tenn. started having fees for a number of Parks to help defray the costs of upkeep and Maint. If I have to pay fees for somnething I would rather it go to Parks than many things that it goes to.

ki0eh
04-03-2008, 15:20
Perhaps NJ. could learn something from the great state of Ohio. Simply stop funding your park system for 25 years,watch it deteriorate to the point where no one wants to go to them, and problem solved!

New Jersey and Ohio seem very similar in a lot of ways despite the dramatic differences in population density. Neither seems to have any clue about tourism or providing meaningful tourist information. I suppose there's no large areas in either NJ or OH that depend on tourists to the extent there are in NY, PA, WV, etc. so it hasn't been made a statewide priority.

Appalachian Tater
04-03-2008, 16:57
I'm doing a section hike through NJ in a few weeks and had a mail drop planned for Highpoint SP. I just got off the phone with a nice lady at the park who told me the park is slated to close on July 1st. They will accept mail drops until that time. I also will camp near the Highpoint shelter and take a side trip to monument.Make sure to take the trail through the white cedar swamp in the Dryden Kuser Natural Area. It's pretty cool.

Old Hillwalker
04-03-2008, 17:04
My favorite New Jersey Park Police story:

A few years ago I came home from work one night and found my wife in the driveway with a small cooler. She says that she made a picnic meal and wanted to go to High Point Park since it was such a nice day.

So we drive to Sawmill Lake which is surrounded by maybe 50 campsites, most with tent platforms and all with picnic tables. The campsite was entirely empty so we parked the car and set up our meal at one of the picnic tables.

We no sooner start our meal when a NJSPP truck pulls up and turns on his red lights. He swaggers over and tells me that I'm breaking the law by picnicking at a picnic table in an area not designated for picnicking. Of course he said we needed to leave immediately. I assured him we wouldn't litter and would leave in a half hour. He found this unacceptable and threatened to arrest me. My tax dollars at work. So we drove home and finished our meal on the deck.

I am sure "Rambo" won't lose his job, and can almost guarantee they'll be real nasty to any hiker they find outside the AT corridor.

Was this guy carrying a high holster 9mm and lots of Rambo tattoos? If so he either has a twin or moonlights on the Ouachita trail in the Zarks.

STEVEM
04-03-2008, 17:20
Make sure to take the trail through the white cedar swamp in the Dryden Kuser Natural Area. It's pretty cool.

Good call Tater:

At 1,500 feet above sea level, the Atlantic white cedar swamp in Dryden Kuser Natural Area is the highest elevation swamp of its kind in the world. A self-guided trail booklet for those who wish to hike the swamp trail is available at the park office. Endangered species include the three-tooth cinquefoil and Cooper's hawk.

http://www.njparksandforests.com/parks/highpoint.html

KirkMcquest
04-03-2008, 17:30
I'm not sure if anyone cares, but New Jersey is pretty much broke. The last one to leave here is reminded to turn off the lights and lock the door.

The newest proposal to save money involves closing several State Parks, including High Point. There's no mention of the AT in the attached newspaper story. I would suspect that the AT would remain open, but that all side trails and access to the lakes and monument would be closed. I might also expect that parking areas used for access to the AT would be closed.

http://www.njherald.com/314426482000840.php

I've found that this could sometimes be the best scenario. When a park closes, visitors can use it without being hassled. Parking gets tougher, trails get a little over grown, but the park becomes less monitored.

Brushy Sage
04-03-2008, 18:54
Unless the incoming administration does a better job of funding the park and forest services, we can expect to pay more and more fees. For example, I wonder how long the GSMNP can justify providing shelters for free.

Appalachian Tater
04-03-2008, 19:00
Unless the incoming administration does a better job of funding the park and forest services, we can expect to pay more and more fees. For example, I wonder how long the GSMNP can justify providing shelters for free.It's not for free. We pay taxes. The problem is what the taxes are being spent on may not be what we ought to be spending them on, like parks.

Don H
04-04-2008, 15:15
Make sure to take the trail through the white cedar swamp in the Dryden Kuser Natural Area. It's pretty cool.

How to I get there? I have a ATC map but don't see it.

Appalachian Tater
04-04-2008, 15:23
If you are at the High Point monument, it is about a mile north on the Long Path, before you get to the NY border.

You go downhill, through the parking lot, past the concession stand and bathrooms on the left and then between two big rocks. The trail is well-trodden and -blazed and has spectacular views in that area.

(The High Point monument is the obelisk, not the tower.)

STEVEM
04-04-2008, 15:39
How to I get there? I have a ATC map but don't see it.

Here's a map that may be helpful:

http://www.localhikes.com/HikeData.ASP?DispType=1&ActiveHike=0&GetHikesStateID=&ID=4348

Don H
04-05-2008, 11:11
Tater and SteveM thanks!

Tosto
05-05-2008, 23:48
This is strange too because NJ has one of the highest tax rates in the nation. You're definitely right about the lack of tourism though. I'm from the "nice" part of NJ and I've never heard of anyone coming for vacation.

jersey joe
05-06-2008, 09:12
Tosto, we are neighbors...
You are right, our tax rate is rediculously high.
What our governor seems to be doing now is trying to balance the budget at a time when running up deficits is the norm. I give him credit for trying.

Foyt20
05-08-2008, 11:27
This is strange too because NJ has one of the highest tax rates in the nation. You're definitely right about the lack of tourism though. I'm from the "nice" part of NJ and I've never heard of anyone coming for vacation.

The problem with NJ is that we have the highest tax rates, but the government WASTES money all the time. There are innumerable instances where the governer or elected officials pander to certian demographics (Abbot School Districts for example) and put out contracts that are just insane. As an example, using the same plans, materials, common wage (for union workers) it costs DOUBLE to build a school in an abbot district, then in a standard school district.

There is waste all over the state. NJ is not broke, it just needs to change its spending habits.

jersey joe
05-08-2008, 13:48
The problem with changing spending habits is that no matter where you try to examine and cut where money is being spent, there will be a group of people that will oppose cutting spending there. This situation where they are trying to trim the parks budget is just one of those areas, albeit a drop in the pan at 8 million bucks.

KnowledgeEngine
05-08-2008, 15:05
Here in Arkansas a law just passed a year or two ago that gives all our national parks on state land, and state parks a much greater cut of all fees and fines collected. In the past a lot of it went to the feds for "redistrubution" But now a much greater percentage of monies stay with the local park that collected them.

Grumpy Ol' Pops
05-08-2008, 20:12
There is waste all over the state. NJ is not broke, it just needs to change its spending habits.

The solution is very simple: let's tell all the politicians that if they cut the budgets, whether city, state or federal, they can keep half of all the dollars reduced from the budgets. The only rule is that they cannot raise the budget for the following years to make up for the decreases in funding. It might take two or three years, but the politicians will soon find that their snouts no longer have anything in the troughs to take and they'll lose interest in "politics." Then we might be able to get a few leaders who have real ideas and experiences in office -- people who care about what's happening.
New Jersey is a large part of the problem -- we all know that! And the other states follow our examples. The governor needs to let a few thousand real working class people have a copy of the budget and a supply of red pencils -- then he'd see how the real world lives on average incomes!!