Kay’s Cottage Ruins from Cooper Gristmill

Could 23, 2021 – Chester, New Jersey

Problem: Reasonable

Size: Roughly 5 miles

Max elevation: 744 ft.– complete elevation achieve roughly 472 ft.

Route kind: Semi-Loop

Path Map: Cooper Gristmill & Elizabeth D. Kay Environmental Middle

Avenza App Map: Patriots Path Chester Path Map – Oct. 2017

Trailhead parking: Cooper Mill County Park – Chester, NJ 07930

Giant parking zone – moveable rest room on website

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Overview:

Black River County Park, a part of the Morris County Park System, consists of 858 acres. It contains 4 necessary cultural websites – the Cooper Gristmill, Elizabeth D. Kay Environmental Middle, Bamboo Brook Out of doors Training Middle, and Willowwood Arboretum – every of which isn’t solely price visiting in its personal proper, but in addition supplies entry to trails within the space. A extra complete description of every of those areas will be discovered on the Morris County Park System web page by looking for the title of the cultural website, not “Black River County Park.”

Cooper Gristmill, positioned on 14 acres, was in-built 1826 and is among the remaining restored water-powered mills in New Jersey. It’s listed on the State and Nationwide Registers of Historic Locations. It’s a dwelling instance of the state’s transition from an agricultural to an industrial financial system.

Cooper Gristmill is considered one of about 30 entry factors for the Patriots’ Path, which hyperlinks federal, state, county, and municipal parks, watershed lands, historic websites, and different factors of curiosity. The positioning is managed by the Morris County Park Fee.

The Patriots’ Path stretches from East Hanover, the place it connects with the Lenape Path in Essex County to Allamuchy Mountain State Park in Sussex County, intersecting with the Columbia Path in Washington Township.

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Historical past:

Kay’s Cottage ruins sits on property that’s now The Elizabeth D. Kay Environmental Middle in Chester. It was as soon as a part of a 233-acre property owned by Elizabeth and Alfred Kay referred to as Hidden River Farm. The property encompassed an array of habitats, together with fields, deciduous forests and a hemlock gorge set alongside the Black River. The Kays constructed carriage trails by way of fields and woods that wind right down to the Black River the place a dam was constructed to create a deep and calm swimming pool with a diving board. A summer time home was constructed alongside the ‘pool’ with showers, altering rooms, a hearth, and a terrace. Solely the stone foundations and partitions stay right this moment.

Elizabeth and Alfred purchased land in Chester in 1924, together with a late 18th century stone farmhouse that they transformed into a snug nation property. They lived in Chester throughout the spring, summer time and fall.

Beginning in 1962, the Kays started donating elements of their 233-acre Hidden River Farm to the Morris County Parks Fee for use as an environmental heart, the place “every day would convey a brand new surprise and problem to be taught.” The Elizabeth D. Kay Environmental Middle in Chester was devoted on October 28, 1993 for “the educating of kids and adults within the pure sciences and the appreciation thereof.”

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Trails Overview:

The Patriots’ Path is blazed with the path-and-tree emblem and the abundance of markers, makes it comparatively straightforward to comply with.

The part of the Patriots’ Path adopted on this hike is a degree and straightforward stroll alongside the Black River because it runs on an outdated railroad mattress for a lot of the route. There are uncovered roots by way of a lot of the path.

From Cooper Mill, the Patriots’ Path is coaligned with the Black River Path because it heads south (downstream), passing the place an outdated trestle of the Hacklebarney Mine Railroad spanned the river. The Patriots’ Path quickly joins the railroad right-of-way, passing alongside Kay’s Pond, slightly below outdated mine areas on the slope to the left. Past the pond is the refurbished dam and the Hacklebarney mine website, that are chained off. The path will be adopted as far south to Willowwood Arboretum in Far Hills, NJ.

Different Trails:

Orange Path ~ Follows a woods street that gives entry to Kay’s Cottage alongside the Black River. The path crosses the Black River on a wood bridge, climbs somewhat then descends to the river’s edge.

Inexperienced Path ~ The part between the Patriots’ Path and the Orange Path is a woods street and straightforward strolling. South of the Orange Path it turns into a bit extra rugged because it turns right into a slender footpath that sidehills the steep slope above the east financial institution of the Black River. The path is rocky in locations, uneven with brief steep elevation adjustments and is poorly marked with quite a few blow downs.

Crimson Path ~ Follows a woods street simply above the the Inexperienced Path because it heads north. It will definitely leaves the woods street and continues on a footpath. It ends at a junction with the Orange Path.

Connector Trails ~ There are a number of brief connector trails which might be used on this hike. They’re blazed with the 2 colours of the paths that they join.

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Hike Overview:

With excessive temperatures anticipated for the weekend, I used to be seeking to do a hike with some shaded trails and water, whereas conserving the elevation achieve to a minimal. This turned out to be the right hike for a sizzling and humid day. Not solely have been the entire trails that have been hiked shaded, however the scenic panorama and the stone ruins stored it attention-grabbing as effectively. By getting an early begin, we had the woods largely to ourselves.

The parking zone on a Sunday at 8:40 am.

By the point we returned to the parking zone at about 11:30 am, it was at or close to capability.

The point of interest of this hike is Kay’s Cottage and the encircling space, however the remainder of the hike was fulfilling as effectively. Despite the fact that this hike is on the decrease spectrum of a average hike, sections of the Inexperienced and Crimson Trails gave it a extra backwoods really feel.

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The Hike:

From the northwest nook of the parking space, proceed west to the stone Cooper Gristmill. The mill, in-built 1826, is open for excursions in the summertime and on weekends within the spring and fall. Descend the steps alongside the mill and head south on the blue-blazed spur of the Patriots’ Path (blazed with the path-and-tree emblem), which crosses a number of tributary streams on wood bridges and a number of other moist areas on puncheons.

A couple of third of a mile from the beginning, the path turns left onto an deserted railroad grade – the previous route of the Hacklebarney Department of the Central Railroad of New Jersey, in-built 1873 to hold iron ore from mines alongside the river and deserted in 1900. The path follows this railroad grade for the following mile. Though it was deserted over a century in the past, the right-of-way is in remarkably good situation.

Half a mile from the beginning, you’ll cross Kay Pond (previously referred to as Hacklebarney Pond) on the precise. Right here, the railroad needed to be blasted by way of a rock minimize, and the drill marks from the blasting should be seen within the rock. The small constructing on the south finish of Kay Pond was as soon as used to retailer ice minimize from the pond within the winter.

After passing the stone dam on the finish of the pond, the path goes by a bridge over the Black River (closed to vehicular visitors), turns left, and passes a fenced-in space on the left. That is the location of the previous Hacklebarney Mine, the place a substantial quantity of iron ore was mined within the final quarter of the nineteenth century. The path proceeds alongside the scenic river. Quickly, the railroad grade ends and the path continues on a barely rougher footpath parallel to the river.

About 1.2 miles from the beginning, after crossing two wood footbridges over tributary streams, the path reaches deserted concrete abutments within the river, the remnants of a former bridge. Right here, the path bears left and begins to go uphill on a large woods street. It quickly reaches the beginning of the Inexperienced Path, which begins on the precise.

Flip proper on the Inexperienced Path, marked by three inexperienced blazes on a submit. The Inexperienced Path follows a large path for about 350 yards (0.2 mile), then reaches a 4 manner junction with the Orange Path.

Flip proper on the Orange Path and comply with the woods street downhill in direction of the Black River. The path passes a junction with the Inexperienced/Orange Connector Path (you’ll return again to this spot) and continues throughout the Black River on a wood bridge. The path continues uphill, away from the river then curves to the left, parallels the river from excessive above and begins to descend because it approaches the river.

Because the path descends, the river will become visible, hold a watch out on the left for stone steps main right down to Kay’s Cottage. Take the steps downhill to the ruins of Kay’s Cottage subsequent to a dam and waterfall. It’s possible you’ll wish to take a while right here to take a look at these attention-grabbing stone ruins.

When you find yourself able to proceed, climb again up the stone steps, flip proper and retrace your route again to the bridge. Aspect word: we turned left and walked the Orange Path for about 300 toes to its terminus on the base of the river, however there may be nothing to see in that path.

Simply after crossing the bridge, flip proper on the Inexperienced/Orange Connector Path which begins on a woods street, however quickly descends in direction of the river on a footpath.

The path leaves the river and begins to climb the hill, though the footpath is discernible, we didn’t spot any blazes. There was multiple path moving into the identical path so we could have been on the unsuitable path or a blowdown could have altered our route. We didn’t see the place the connector path ended and the Inexperienced Path began. Finally the inexperienced blazes appeared and we adopted them alongside the steep hillside on a slender footpath. After a number of ups and downs and climbing over blowdowns, the path descends to the Black River immediately reverse of Kay’s Cottage Ruins.

The sq. concrete block on the precise is the place the diving board was positioned.

When you find yourself able to proceed, proceed south on the Inexperienced Path which climbs and descends alongside the river. The path is slender and runs alongside the steep hillside, so take care as you traverse this portion of the path. This part of path is extra wild and has a sense of remoteness. In about 425 yards, the Inexperienced Path reaches a stone chimney and stone foundations on the precise.

This can be a good place to take a break and luxuriate in the great thing about your environment.

When you find yourself able to proceed, proceed uphill on the Inexperienced Path a brief distance to its terminus at a junction with the Crimson Path. Proceed uphill, now following the purple blazes. DO NOT TURN RIGHT. The Crimson Path curves to the left and heads in a northeasterly path on a degree broad monitor which quickly turns right into a extra rugged footpath because it descends somewhat. The Crimson Path runs parallel to the Inexperienced Path, greater up the slope. The Crimson Path passes a junction with a pale Grey Path which connects to the Inexperienced Path down beneath. Veer proper at this junction to proceed following the purple blazes. The Crimson Path now begins a gradual climb and in nearly half a mile from the junction with the Inexperienced Path, the Crimson Path ends at a T-intersection with a woods street, the route of the Orange Path.

Circled are three inexperienced blazes indicating the tip of the Inexperienced Path.

Whereas I used to be standing by this tree ready for my mountaineering mates to catch up, A coyote got here up the slope, walked alongside the path for about 15 toes, then ran up the hillside. Each time that I raised the digital camera, it will run about 10 toes greater, all of the whereas taking a look at me. It was watching me as I used to be watching it. I’ve seen a number of coyotes within the woods, however this was the most important by far.

Flip left on the Orange Path which heads north on the woods street.

In about 210 yards, the Orange Path involves a Y-intersection with one other woods street and veers left. Flip RIGHT at this junction, the route of the Blue/Orange Connector Path.

In about 220 yards, the Blue/Orange Connector Path involves a Y-intersection with the Patriots’ Path. This junction just isn’t effectively marked, however you must flip left right here. Just a few toes after turning left, you’ll cross the junction with the Inexperienced Path on the left that you simply took earlier within the hike. Proceed forward on the Patriots’ Path. From that time you may be retracing your steps, heading north, again to the Cooper Gristmill, the place the hike started.

Once we returned to the parking zone at roughly 11:30 am, it was at or close to capability.

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Assessment:

A wonderful hike alongside the Black River with quite a few factors of curiosity. This hike is ideal for a sizzling and humid day as all the hike was shaded from the solar. A great mixture of effectively graded woods roads/railbed and rugged footpaths. Kay’s Cottage Ruins are eye-catching as is the view of them from throughout the river. The paths are effectively marked, however the junctions might use some signage. The Inexperienced Path, south of the Orange Path, is a extra wild and distant space. Though we did not see some blazes in that space, it might have been attributable to a blowdown alongside the path that redirected our route. Carry a map and compass and also you shouldn’t have any points. Though the parking zone was full once we returned, we began early sufficient (8:40 am) that we solely encountered a number of individuals all through the hike. All in all an excellent day on the paths.

Professionals:

Kay’s Cottage Ruins, Black River, giant parking zone, effectively marked trails, scenic panorama.

Cons:

Path junctions might use some signage.

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Take a hike!

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Sources:

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