Wednesday, April 29, 2015

Baldpate Mountain Family Hike Trip Report 4/12/14

Baldpate Mountain Hike
Hi guys! I've finally gotten around to writing up a trip report for our hike at Baldpate Mountain. Sunday was a beautiful day so we had to take advantage of the great weather and head outside. We decided on Baldpate Mountain which wasn't far from us, located in the Hopewell Township, NJ, about a 20 minute drive from our home.

The trailhead has a map. Here is a portion of it. We took the blue summit trail up. It says 1.3 miles, but I clocked it at 1 mile to the meadow area with my Runkeeper App.
Baldpate Mountain Hike Summit Trail Map
Not far from the start were rocks on the trail the kiddos liked to step on along the way and at about .2 miles in is a neat rock for the kiddos to climb, a great picture taking opportunity. :)
At around .3 mile we came across these rocky steps that the kiddos loved. They thought of it as a rock scramble (they couldn't see the steps) and at one point we had to redirect them to the trail. ;)
Baldpate Mountain Rocky steps
At around .6 mile, it was neat to hike around this big rock.
Baldpate Mountain Hike
At a mile in we got to the meadow-like area and picnic tables.
Baldpate Mountain Hike
From this spot you can see a nice view of the Delaware River and the city of Trenton.
Baldpate Mountain Hike
On a clear day like the day we visited, if you stand in the right spot you can also see Philly in the far distance. It is hard to see from my pic but the buildings are there.
Baldpate Mountain Hike
We enjoyed our lunch at the top and hung out for a while before heading back down. You can also continue on to the white trail if you want to go further to make your hike longer, but we were all ready to head back.

The kids always have to use the log as a balance beam. This log is very close to the trailhead, so we know we are close to the car at this point.
Baldpate Mountain Hike
Here is the trailhead parking lot. This hike is very popular so there were a lot more cars in the lot than when we first arrived.
Baldpate Mountain trailhead
Overall, a great hike for all ages. We did two miles roundtrip but you can easily make the hike longer by going on many of the other trails the ridge trail connects to. It is perfect for families with kids of small ages as 1 mile to the summit is very doable. Make sure to bring snacks or even a picnic lunch as it breaks up the hike when you get to the summit before you descend. 

8 comments:

  1. Looks like another beautiful hike! I honestly never would have imagined until reading your blog how many great hiking trails Jersey has. Guess I shouldn't have just assumed it was a small state that was all city, beach and houses. You have some beautiful country trails there too!

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  2. Great hike. The boys are so cute climbing on the rocks and walking across the log. Love that you all are such an active family.

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  3. Fun rock formations - such a draw for the kids. Haha from the picture... I thought there was a rock scramble as well :)

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  4. Thanks Kristy! Yeah, I was surprised when I moved here too! I'm in Central Jersey and surprisingly there is a lot of farmland and woods out here. Hiking is not the same as when I lived in WA but the hikes here are perfect for the kiddos!

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  5. Thanks Abby! Yeah, I just hope that the kiddos will continue to stay active and like it.

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  6. Yes, the rocks are a huge draw for my kids! Lol, yeah it's hard to see the steps from that picture. :)

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  7. Looks like another cool hike! Great pics!

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