YMCA Camp Ockanickon, Medford, NJ

For Limoncello’s 9th birthday, she took a hike through Camp Ockanikon!

We are lucky enough to have a YMCA Camp Ockanickon in our “back yard.”  This 800 acres csmp is located in the heart of the South Jersey Pinelands.

This is alsp were I took Lager for first hike on March 31, 2016, where he was accompanied by his 2-legged cousin, James.

lager hike

 

Rita’s first hike was also at Camp Ockanickon on July 11, 2016. We took the same route as we did on Lager’s first hike!

File Jul 11, 8 30 17 AM

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!

Franklin Parker Preserve: Chatsworth, NJ

January 1, 2019 was unseasonably warm here, so Margarita kicked off 2019 with a 6.5 mile hike at Franklin Parker Preserve , a 16 square mile former cranberry farm located in the heart of the New Jersey Pine Barrens.

We had never hiked here before, and were surprised throughout our hike with so many exciting things!

First, we came across a suspension bridge to cross.

The forest trails were gorgeous.

We came across random huge Adirondack chairs to take a rest along our path!  Next time we will have to plan to stop and eat lunch here!

 

There was even an abandoned railroad.

The old cranberry bogs were mesmerizing, especially as the sun began to set.

There was a flooded area and Margarita refused to go through the running water, so I had to carry her.

 

This is a hike we will definitely be doing again with some of our other pups!