High Point State Park may Close.

[STEVEM]

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]

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]

STEVEM thanks for the heads up!

[Toolshed]

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]

it won't affect walking

[kayak karl]

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...820.xml&coll=9
like to see them try

[warren doyle]

Swimming without a crowd and sleeping up at the monument.....

[Appalachian Tater]

Doyle, your selfish & criminal behavior will not go unchecked. The park police will still be operating.

[warren doyle]

I quiver in my thrift store hiking shoes.

[STEVEM]

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]

I quiver in my thrift store hiking shoes.

my hero!

[Mr HaHa]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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.