Barclay Farmstead Trail; Cherry Hill, NJ

The Barclay Farmstead is comprised of 32 acres and was built in 1816 by a Quaker farmer named Joseph Thorn. It is now owned and operated by Cherry Hill Township.

Porter completed this 0.66 mile hike with our friend Heather and her pup, Kayla.

The Farmhouse

The Outbuildings

The Hike

Brendan T. Byrne State Forest (Pakim Pond Area): NJ Pine Barrens

2023 began with a sunny 60°F day… so we decided to do a New Years Day hike in the Brendan T. Byrne State Forest which is made up of 38,000 acres, and is located in the Pine Barrens of New Jersey.

Whiskey and Porter did very well on this hike!

Historic Smithville Park, Mount Holly, NJ

The Smithville Village is listed on the National and New Jersey Registers of Historic Places. Smithville began as a small mill operation on the Rancocas Creek and grew to a major industrial plant which employing hundreds of workers from the 1860s to the 1920s. Smithville was well known for its high-quality woodworking machinery, the Smithville-Mt. Holly Bicycle Railroad, and the Star high wheeled bicycle.

2023 with Jägermeister and Our Friend Heather with Her Dog Ellie

2020 with Margarita and Porter

For Margarita’s 10th birthday, she hiked at Historic Smithville Park with brother Porter and Cousin Clyde!

2013 with Limoncello 

3.8 mile hike in Historic Smithville Park

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Blueberry Hill Conservation Area; Gibbsboro, NJ

Margarita and Porter went on this hike with their fur-cousin, Clyde.

Blueberry Hill Conservation Area consists of 134 acres of wooded area in Gibbsboro, NJ. It features both paved and unpaved trails that are suitable for hiking or biking.

At 192 feet, Blueberry Hill is one of the highest elevations in Southern New Jersey.

From the top of the hill on a clear day you can see the Philadelphia skyline off in the distance.

The Philadelphia Skyline is just beyond the treetops

There is also a great view of a quarry at the top of another hill.

Margarita checkin out the views from the top of the hill as we approached the quarry:

A section of the quarry:

Porter and Clyde stop for a play-break:

Cousin Clyde is so handsome:

We enjoyed this adventure at yet another hidden gem we never knew existed in our area!

Parvin State Park: Pittsgrove Township, NJ

This 1,952 acre state park is located on the edge of the NJ Pine Barrens.

This park has some pretty cool history. This park served as home for the Civilian Conservation Corps from 1933 to 1941, a summer camp for the children of displaced Japanese Americans in 1943, a POW camp for German prisoners in 1944 and temporary housing for the Kalmycks who fled their homelands in Eastern Europe in 1952.

The park was purchased in 1930 for use as a state park. The remains of Native American encampments have been found in five different locations within the park.

We hiked the Parvin Lake Trail, which is 3 miles long.

Cheers to another great hike!

Amico Island Park: Riverside, NJ

Amico Island Park is a 55-acre peninsula in Riverside, NJ. This park features upland forests, freshwater ponds , wetlands, river shoreline and meadows at the confluence of the Rancocas Creek and Delaware River.

There were several entrances to the beach and Delaware River:

Confluence of the Delaware River and Rancocas Creek:

Great view of the Philadelphia Skyline too:

Beautiful views of the Riverside Marina:

Tall Pines Nature Preserve: Sewell, NJ

“Happiness is a long walk with a friend.”🐶🐕🐶

Whiskey and Porter got to meet their adorable new cousin, Clyde! These 3 canine cousins enjoyed a great hike at Tall Pines State Preserve !

Rancocas State Park: Hainesport, NJ

Whiskey and Porter took their first hike together at Rancocas State Park in Hainesport, NJ.

We walked the Creekside Trail (blue trail) which was 3 miles

A lot of the hike was alongside the Rancocas Creek

Abandoned log cabins by the Rancocas Creek

Porter was not fond of the muddy spots so Brian had to carry him!

“Of all the paths you take in life, make sure a few of them are dirt.” ~John Muir

Black Run Preserve: Marlton, NJ

Porter went on his first hike in Black Run Preserve.

The Black Run Preserve is 1,300 acres of permanently preserved land in Evesham Township. A teacher that I used to work with retired in 2012 and helped found the Friends of the Black Run Preserve volunteer organization.  Their mission is to preserve and protect the unique natural beauty and Pine Barrens ecology.