Batona Trail, New Jersey

[watchingtrainsgoby]

If you can pay attention to your surroundings, you'll quickly realize that the "Pine Barrens" aren't really that barren at all.

Yeah the Pine Barrens are a really amazing place really. I've hiked sections before but this year I plan on doing it end to end. My favorite thing about the pines is the ecosystem. I love studying the plants and animals that I come across in this area. There are a few plants and critters that are found only in this area. There are carnivourous plants and blue and huckleberries like you wouldnt believe. If you can deal with the ticks and chiggars its a wild place.

[brocken spectre]

The Pine Barrens are awesome!

[brocken spectre]

[Dogwood]

I don't think it will look like that when I'm out there from Jan 3 - 5, 2010!

[Foyt20]

Actually, barring some snow, it kind of looks like that year round.

[brocken spectre]

I took those pictures about a month ago (mid-November) and we haven't had snow yet, so it probably does look the same. I am also going overnight on Christmas eve weekend. The forecast keeps changing from rain to snow to rain....I hope it will be snow.

[timebreaks]

do you need permits to camp along the Batona trail?

[GoldenBear]

http://tinyurl.com/PL-BatonaTr

And you'll find the words "Camping along the trail is permitted ... A permit is necessary ..."

[bullseye]

do you need permits to camp along the Batona trail?

Yup. It's like $2.00 per person per night, and you can either get them in the mail or pick them up at Batsto Village. Also, you are supposed to use the designated campsites (Carranza, Lower Forge, and there's one at the southern end who's name I forget - maybe Bodine Field).

[kayak karl]

Yup. It's like $2.00 per person per night, and you can either get them in the mail or pick them up at Batsto Village. Also, you are supposed to use the designated campsites (Carranza, Lower Forge, and there's one at the southern end who's name I forget - maybe Bodine Field).

Buttonwood Hill is the new blue blaze just south after Batsto. And Its not Carrannza, its Batona Field. extreme southern is Bass River. they will not mail them, you must pick them up.

[bullseye]

Buttonwood Hill is the new blue blaze just south after Batsto. And Its not Carrannza, its Batona Field. extreme southern is Bass River. they will not mail them, you must pick them up.

The campsite across the road from Caranza Memorial is Batona Field? Learn something new every day, we just called it Carranza. Haven't been down there recently - when did Buttonhill open? How far is it off the main trail?

[Dogwood]

http://tinyurl.com/PL-BatonaTr

And you'll find the words "Camping along the trail is permitted ... A permit is necessary ..."

The designated campsites are fine(use them, they are in nice places) but if you were to somehow find yourself having to sleep off the trail in the woods a bit between the designated camping areas there probably isn't going to be anyone around to hassle you about it.

[bullseye]

The designated campsites are fine(use them, they are in nice places) but if you were to somehow find yourself having to sleep off the trail in the woods a bit between the designated camping areas there probably isn't going to be anyone around to hassle you about it.

Except a piney or two, and maybe the jersey devil.

[General Fireball]

I guess I've hiked about half of it . . . the Pine Barrens are beautiful, in their own way. It's certainly easy hiking. The only negative thing I can say is that last I knew, there was one rather long (like three mile) asphalt roadwalk on the trail. Other than that, a nice walk.

[woodstock64]

I Live in EHT, NJ and am considering a weekend hike of the Batona Trail in November. Many posts here describe the trail as full of ticks etc, but all appear to be based on summer hikes of the trail. Has anyone hiked this trail during the autumn or winter months and if so what were the trail conditions? Thanks.

[Dogwood]

Ticks are why I hike it in winter or fall during decent weather. No tricks! I mean ticks! The WORST tick infestations I've experienced ANY WHERE in the U.S. is in southern NJ! IMO, it's the only down side to hiking this easy to hike short trail(2 days if I take my time). When I just have to get away to the woods for a while on short notice and I can't take off time from work, it's a good trail for me because it's near home, it's short, and I can do it in a weekend or one long day.

Oh, try not to schedule this hike during a summer weekend or on a popular holiday like July 4 - not because of all the multi-legged ticks but because you may run into too many of the 2 legged variety - road crossings and some of the "official" camping areas can get busy with party goers.

I think it was a VERY wise idea to ban ORVs, ATVs, motorcycles, 4WDs from many areas in the "Pines" - erosion and trash were starting to have their impact! It's cleaned up and revegetated quite nicely now where there were previous problems in the Pine Barrens.

Trail tread is largely through sandy FLAT pine forests but also is routed through/near some FLAT cedar bog areas, along a few ponds/lakes, and takes in short distances along FLAT dirt roads in the Pine Barrens. If you have ever walked around Stafford Forge Wildlife area near EHT it's much the same stuff.

IMO, with decent weather, NOV can be a GREAT time to head out to this trail. The leaves on the deciduous trees will have colored and fell by then though. Might open up some additional views for you which would make spotting wildlife easier.

Go do it!

[woodstock64]

Wow Dodwood,
Thanks for the quick reply. That is exactly what I hoped to hear. I had been scheduled to head down to Shenandoah NP this weekend with some friends to backpack a section of the AT but due to family issues had to bail out at the last minute. I'm determined to get out into the woods for a weekend of backpacking anyway and since the Batona is so close it seemed like the ideal trail. May even take my 12 yo son who was also scheduled to go this weekend. He's never been backpacking so the Batona may actually be a better choice for his 1st trail as it is flat. He'll get some trail legs without the pain of large elevation changes. Would have preferred hiking before the leaves fell but with Holloween coming up the earliest I could get out will be November. If your interested, I wouldn't mind another hiker joining us.