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jbwood5
05-23-2004, 15:43
Can't add much info., but I stopped there for lunch on 5/2/04 and it seemed just fine. It has an outside picnic table. It is a little bit of a hike to the shelter, but easy. I believe the water is from a nearby stream, but I did not go looking for it. Ticks were bad in this area in early May.

Footslogger
05-23-2004, 17:11
Stopped to sign the shelter register on my thru last year. I managed to stay there for around 3 minutes. Absolutely the worst mosquitoes I experienced on the entire AT last year. It was July and from all indications there is quite a bit of water out behind the shelter. Anyway ...can't comment on the accomodations, since my time there was short.

mooseboy
04-19-2005, 14:46
I stayed there on 4/15/2005 as part of a NJ Section hike. It was the worst sleep of my hike, in that I got almost none.

Although the shelter itself was in good repair, there was the din of revving engines down below (I'm guessing less than a mile away) from about sundown till 2 AM. At about 11 PM a huge white 4X4, full of revelers, barrelled right up the road to the front of the shelter, its huge headlights shining right in. They saw me in the shelter (alone, I might add) and turned back out. Even though the road below is supposed to be barricaded, I guess with a large enough vehicle you can get around that.

The register made mention of many bear visits. Indeed, at 4 AM the same night, I heard the heavy footsteps of a bear not far from the bear box. I had latched the bear box as best I could, which was tough since the clasp had been broken, and put a large heavy rock on top of it, but was still concerned. My light didn't reach far enough to see the creature, but I made some noise and didn't hear from it again.

Location: it is in a shallow valley between ridges, which gives it a spooky, hidden feeling. As I mentioned, it is too close to roads that are heavily used by hard-tooling night racers, and is in fact ON a road that is supposed to be blocked off, but accessible by determined drivers with large vehicles. Even though it was a sunny, dry spell of weather, the area around the shelter was muddy and boggy.

There was water available from a small spring, though the walk to it was very muddy even in sunny weather, a bear box, and a picnic table. The shelter itself was fine, but my experience there was a bit annoying.

Toolshed
04-21-2005, 08:06
I use to hike in the area frequently. The place was a party spot at one time, but I don't ever recall and actual barricade on Brinks Road(from the south). Just that the road is washed out and in very bad shape. So much so that I decided not to take my 4x4 any further than the washout one fine day, though I did take my Mtn bike up there.

From the North, there is no barricade nor is there any washout, though a stream now follows part of the raod for a distance. Also there are houses on both sides of the old road and right across as well.

Alligator
04-21-2005, 08:37
I seem to remember seeing a large earthen mound in the road last summer. I don't remember exactly which direction it was.

The drainage was not very good the night I stayed here, but it was quite a downpour. The only time I ever got flooded out in my tarp.

whcobbs
11-16-2005, 12:17
Stayed overnight at the Brink Rd shelter 7 Nov 2005. More than 9 inches of rain in October had filled the "vernal" pools this autumn. The spring is down a blue blaze trail (blazes skimpy) about 100y behind the shelter. Like some other NJ shelters, the shelter floor is barely a foot off the ground. The "privy" is open air. Through the night myself and three sheltermates heard an owl and some coyotes. The bear boxes (2) are usable. It is possible to run by the AT, 1000 y uphill from the shelter on the blue-blazed road, so look sharp.
Walt

SGTdirtman
02-20-2006, 18:43
I wasnt fond of the brink road shelter, I stayed for lunch a few times, its in a valley and has alot of bugs and not alot of room... I usually hike south through this region and if your doing the same its easier to just hike an extra 1-2 miles untill you get to the deleware water gap recreation area and set up camp right off the trail on rattlesnake moutain. If your hiking north you may be stuck camping there since the next shelter is gren anderson a good 7 miles north and they dont allow free camping off the trail to the north.

Pole Climber
05-01-2006, 08:04
I agree with SGTdirtman. I was there on 4/27/06. Was not impressed. Since I was hiking south--went on to rattlesnake mt. Good stream just before you start to climb.

Navigator
06-26-2006, 16:15
6/20/06 Brinks shelter is mosquito heaven. There is a good area to pitch a tent just past the shelter on the left. Good reliable spring behind shelter to the right. Privy up hill to right of shelter.

BigToe
06-26-2006, 19:34
Navigator, I stayed there 6/19/06! We must have been just a day apart on the trail. It was mosquito rich - I was in my hammock so the bugs weren't bad but the folks in the shelter said they hardly slept between covering up to get away from the mosquitos and uncovering to try and get relief from the heat. The water source was fine and tasty. The open air privy was actually quite nice. It rained pretty hard that night and I didn't see any flooding. The night I was there traffic noise wasn't evident but it was a weeknight.

The mosquitos got a lot worse as I went north, with the worst in the woods just before the Pochuk Quagmire. The Quagmire was actually beautifully bug free as it's an open boardwalk and in the sun all the way.

Cookerhiker
06-29-2006, 16:32
I section hiked some of NJ in June, '04 and like you guys, suffered with heat, humidity, and mosquitos. I found them worse at Waywayanda Shelter than Pochuck. Re. Brink Rd. Shelter, I stayed there after a few days of heavy rains. The shelter was a virtual island surrounded by rivulets of wter everywhere.

Tractor
07-19-2009, 08:50
Tented near there 7-8-09. Shelter basically in a sea of mud. Mosquitos owned it then. Water was fine just behind and to the right a little.

soulslosher
08-31-2010, 21:06
I spent the night here on 8-28-2010.

Brand new privy, built in 2010. Water is clean and reliable. It was an interesting location, but I didn't much like how the shelter basically sat right on a dirt road..
As of now, there is only one bear box--and it is a good one. I didn't see any blazes to the privy or the water source, just orange tape wrapped around branches marking the way.

GoldenBear
06-02-2013, 22:43
Spent the night here last week.

The guide book states it will hold five people, and that is how many we had on this rainy night -- and it was pretty tight.

The spring has excellent flow, but be aware that the trail to there from the shelter is not well marked. I would not recommend doing so in low light, as following the spring trail is a combo of blazes, ribbons, and watching where the path is worn.

Bear box was clearly being used for holding people's trash, which is disgusting. If you love the A.T. enough to walk on it, love it enough to keep it clean!
Unless, of course, you're a narcissist.

HikerMom58
03-23-2014, 13:18
Check this out everyone!!! :banana

https://scontent-a-iad.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-frc3/t1.0-9/1385266_10201971071054755_1097747963_n.jpg

Brand new shelter in NJ!!

no-name
03-23-2014, 13:42
Wow, that looks great!! Looks like a good spot for a one nighter for me. Thank you to everyone who helped with this!!!!! :)

JohnThe Snail
06-10-2016, 19:30
Stayed here last night on a three day section hike. The new shelter was really nice, will hold 8 easily, more in a pinch. Privy well taken care of and bear box in great condition. There were four tents set up with room for more.

Saprogenic
03-04-2017, 17:56
Was the spring still flowing?

MikekiM
06-02-2017, 15:24
Any updates on the Brink Shelter? might be hitting on one leg of a section.

Curious if there is water. Also concerned about open access to/from the road.

Saprogenic
06-03-2017, 20:56
Those dirt roads are closed around it. There was water, it's a good 100yds away though but it's easy to find. Keep walking til you find the clean little pool. I was there 2 weeks ago.

MikekiM
06-20-2017, 15:46
So Brinks proved to be a great source.. Water is a few hundred yards behind the right side of the shelter. Flowing well and ice cold.

The new shelter is really nice. Didn't stay long; I tanked up, had a snack and moved on.

ChrisMek
07-31-2020, 15:43
Google reporting that Brink Road Shelter is Permanently Closed. Can anyone Confirm this?
46658

danil411
08-06-2020, 21:53
I would be surprised since it is new, but remember that AT parking lots, privies and shelters in NJ were closed due to Covid. According to ATC website, the privies and shelters are still closed.
Worth a call to the park which sponsors the overnight lot you are considering (ie like Culvers Gap). It may not show on NJ Park websites (it didn't a couple of months ago) but the typical overnight parking lots had No Parking 8pm-5am signs.. I am told overnight parkers were towed. This was when NJ had the 8pm curfew. Either way worth a call b/c the websites were not updated and I would not want you to make the trip to find out you cannot park.

ChrisMek
08-07-2020, 09:32
Thanks! I am planning a section from DWG to NY/NJ State line and Brink Road was in the plan. I won't be leaving any cars and we all hammock, so the only issue would be the Privy. I live right Near Waywayanda so I can check the Shelter there and maybe eve stop in at the office.

Thanks for the Ideas!

verysimple
08-23-2020, 06:21
I would be surprised since it is new, but remember that AT parking lots, privies and shelters in NJ were closed due to Covid. According to ATC website, the privies and shelters are still closed.
Worth a call to the park which sponsors the overnight lot you are considering (ie like Culvers Gap). It may not show on NJ Park websites (it didn't a couple of months ago) but the typical overnight parking lots had No Parking 8pm-5am signs.. I am told overnight parkers were towed. This was when NJ had the 8pm curfew. Either way worth a call b/c the websites were not updated and I would not want you to make the trip to find out you cannot park.I thru-hiked NJ few weeks ago and all shelters were open. Aka available for use.
Perhaps not officially, per covid guidelines, but nobody was stopping hikers from getting in there and getting some sleep.
Same for privies - available for use and were stocked with sanitizers, etc


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ChrisMek
08-24-2020, 15:05
That is Great News! Thank you for the info!This is exactly what I was Hoping for, and actually what I was expecting!



I thru-hiked NJ few weeks ago and all shelters were open. Aka available for use.
Perhaps not officially, per covid guidelines, but nobody was stopping hikers from getting in there and getting some sleep.
Same for privies - available for use and were stocked with sanitizers, etc


Sent from my SM-N975U using Tapatalk

danil411
08-25-2020, 12:46
Was at 1 shelter last week and the water cache was in the bear box like any other year. Shelter log said all the NJ shelters that normally have water caches do this year.

Have fun.