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Former Admin
10-19-2002, 11:29
Info, questions, comments, experiences (good or bad) regarding - High Point Shelter

Past/Present hikers - what can future hikers expect here? Have any good stories or memories from here?

Future hikers - any questions?

ez-does-it
10-21-2002, 17:44
Being from New Jersey this is one of my favorite shelter areas to go to.The shelter is in good shape and there is a bear box to the left of the shelter for storing your food.On both sides of this shelter is a stream that has never stop flowing so there is pleanty of water.On your right side of this shelter is a jeep road leading way up to the fairly new out house.Before you cross over a
very small bridge there are many nice spots for tenting out.;) :p

show me the monkey
03-08-2004, 12:22
Thanks for the thumbs up Easy! I've been the high point shelter caretaker since 1988 and always appreciate positive comments like that!
Vagabond Vinny AT 91

magic_game03
03-08-2004, 14:13
it's hard to stop at High Point when there's that secret..............
oops.........
cats out of the bag.

Jersey was my favorate state. hard to believe if you've never hiked it. you would expect the worst.

also, ALL the maintainers rock. i didn't personally meet a one of them, but you'll know what i mean if you ever hike through there. like the saying "it's not what ya see, it's what ya don't see," in this case it's "i didn't met them, but I felt like i did."


magic

jbwood5
05-23-2004, 17:50
I stayed there on 5/4/04 and all was fine. The water is convenient and the site was clean. I had no mice problems. I thought I smelled a bear nearby but never saw it. The privey was in good shape too.

Now to really date myself....:rolleyes:

The last time I hiked up to High Point which was about in 1971, the trail went right up to the monument and it was a rocky ascent. Also, the trail below crossed a small farm field and dumped out on the road. Then you had an ungodly road walk to Unionville.

Does anyone know when all that changed?

NJHiker
07-19-2005, 19:00
Just an FYI....
The monument at High Point State Park reopened June 1, 05. The tower was closed in 1996, due to poor repair and some dummy that painted the inside of the limestone obelisque with swimming pool paint.

The views from the top windows in the monument are amazing. NYC in the distance to the east, Bear Mountain(NE), Catskills(N), Port Jervis NY(NW, Pocono Mountains in PA(W) the Kittatiny Ridge(WSW-S) and farm valleys(SE) in NJ create a beautiful panorama.

I start every year with a hike here, visit the shelter for lunch then return to the car via the tower....it's gorgeous, even for NJ.

To address the changes since '71, last time I hiked the High Point to Pochuck section was 3 years ago before a re-route that cut out most of the road march and provided boardwalks and bridges. Now the trail meanders along east side of the state park's public access road to the tower, then down to the shelter. The tower is accessible by using a red/green blazed "tower trail" that connects to the re-routed AT...the AT leading you withing 130 yards of the shelter. From there, it continues down the side of the ridge, into a valley, but has been re-routed away from State Line Rd. There is a nicely built boardwalk (thanks Eagle Scouts and volunteers) crossing a swamp, then a suspension bridge and finally the AT traverses the perimiter of a large field, crosses an old rail bed and then climbs up to Pochuch shelter. Hidden amongst that is the secret shelter...ask locals for the location. Shhhhh....it's a secret. :jump

Back on topic....the High Point shelter has a great water source, is maintained by the state park rangers, so it's always in top condition.

adagio
08-20-2005, 23:04
Back on topic....the High Point shelter has a great water source, is maintained by the state park rangers, so it's always in top condition.
The High Point Shelter along with all of the other shelters, AT, and side trails are maintained by volunteers of the NYNJ Trail Conference with help as needed from NJ State Parks.

MarkTurtle
10-05-2005, 10:06
The Good--very nice setting with a couple little flowing creeks right out front with nice cold water and green frogs. Good outhouse with its own toilet paper. I found a nice grassy spot near the shelter for pitching my tent.

The Bad--No picnic table! :( The bear box has a working lid, but the bottom is full of rust holes allowing mice access. The shelter bldg is deep and has a very low roof, so it's always dark inside even during the day. There were mice droppings on the floor. The roof is made of corrogated metal and (at this time of year--October) every 15-30 minutes an acorn would come sailing down. When it hit the roof it sounded like a rifle shot.:eek:

Kerosene
10-05-2005, 10:47
Mosquitos can be a problem here in the warmer months. There are a number of nicely spaced trees for hammocks.

vipahman
10-27-2005, 21:39
Me and my buddy were late getting to this shelter and had to hike 1.7 miles in total darkness from NJ-23. Oh, did I mention that the heavens were pouring, the temp was in the 40s and my hood became a water reservoir that I ended up emptying into my back. Talk about being cold and wet and shelterless. So we get to the shelter a good 1 1/2 hours later and find that it's totally occupied and there are five 2-3 person tents strung around the area. Strange given that it was expected to be a really bad weekend weatherwise.

Anyway so what does this have to with the shelter. Well it does have a lot of open areas for pitching tents and another 1 1/2 hours later we managed to pitch and settle into 2 tents in what I can only describe as the worst rain experience I've ever had. It rained continuously from about 4pm to 7am. But I did thrive on the adventure.:banana

TT1
06-12-2006, 13:57
Just spent a night in the shelter this past weekend, which was very comfortable. There's a brand-new bear box and picnic table. The shelter was spin 'n' span, the privy is private and 'functional,' and the setting was gorgeous. Got a good night's sleep! The trail in New Jersey is fantastic.

stbob
02-15-2016, 20:19
Tented at this shelter saturday night 2/13. Daytime temps in the low single digits, overnight temps -10°F. Shelter is in need of a new registry..
http://i987.photobucket.com/albums/ae357/stbob/High%20Point/hp003.jpg

http://i987.photobucket.com/albums/ae357/stbob/High%20Point/hp009.jpg

http://i987.photobucket.com/albums/ae357/stbob/High%20Point/hp013.jpg

Good water source...
http://i987.photobucket.com/albums/ae357/stbob/High%20Point/hp008.jpg

Tenting area...
http://i987.photobucket.com/albums/ae357/stbob/High%20Point/hp015.jpg

My tent...
http://i987.photobucket.com/albums/ae357/stbob/High%20Point/hp004.jpg

An access road that continues past the old privy...
http://i987.photobucket.com/albums/ae357/stbob/High%20Point/hp010.jpg

The old privy...?
http://i987.photobucket.com/albums/ae357/stbob/High%20Point/hp011.jpg

4eyedbuzzard
02-15-2016, 21:13
Haven't been there in many years. The fire ring is interesting - because I thought NJ had a ban on fires for the entire AT. Have they changed the policy?

show me the monkey
03-01-2016, 11:26
Haven't been there in many years. The fire ring is interesting - because I thought NJ had a ban on fires for the entire AT. Have they changed the policy?
I don't think the policy has changed? I maintained this shelter for over 20 years and almost always had to dismantle an "illegal" fire ring.

jgil
10-24-2017, 22:05
Planning to hike from Culvers Gap to High Point and stay the night then hike back the next day. How are the water sources around here? and am I allowed to stealth near this shelter or do I have to stay at the shelter? thanks

Slo-go'en
10-24-2017, 23:06
Planning to hike from Culvers Gap to High Point and stay the night then hike back the next day. How are the water sources around here? and am I allowed to stealth near this shelter or do I have to stay at the shelter? thanks

Can't comment on water, but the recent rain might ensure some. You have to camp at the shelter site. From a previous post back in 2005, there are tent sites near the shelter. It was raining the night I was there, so wasn't interested in tent sites that night and didn't make note of any.

Back on the trail
10-25-2017, 16:04
you'll only be a short time on your trip but - Gren Anderson shelter has a great spring by it, so you can top off there. then you hit a stream once you pass the big pavilliion on the hill. Then nothing really until High Point rangers station. There might be water at rutherford but didn't stop to check that shelter out.

show me the monkey
01-05-2018, 09:31
Planning to hike from Culvers Gap to High Point and stay the night then hike back the next day. How are the water sources around here? and am I allowed to stealth near this shelter or do I have to stay at the shelter? thanks
The shelter is located at the junction two creeks with good water. The larger one always runs even during dry years and hikers tend to wash their dishes/ body in it, so go upstream a little.
Many flat tenting spots around the shelter and along the access trail. You are allowed to camp, but open fires are illegal.