Finding Assiniwikam Mountain and Learning About Trail Blazes

The Fat Man and I are back in New Jersey and we fell off the health and fitness wagon very badly.  Chinese Food and peanut butter and chocolate cookies were just a few of our vices.  After two days of watching Damages Season 4 on the sofa, we knew we had to get outside and hike.  

I purchased a new gliede (a guidebook that lies) that features day hikes near New York City.  Since we also wanted to stop at REI (Recreation Equipment Incorporated) on Route 10 West —  the hallowed hall of hiking — we chose Assiniwikam Mountain in West Milford, New Jersey (2.2 miles, 200 feet elevation gain). 

No bathroom? No problem.

Trailhead

The directions said to turn right onto Snake Den Road West, which is actually just called Snake Den Road.  If you go to the second Snake Den Road (East) and see the Weis Center, you’ve gone too far (click here for complete driving directions).

The gliede also neglected to mention that the red blaze trailhead is located at the Camp Wyanokie Scout camp, but then you must travel up the dirt road to the asphalt road and past several homes until you reach the end of a cul de sac, which is where the trail enters the woods. 

Turn right

When you see a tree that has 3 blazes arranged in a triangle it indicates a trailhead, which is the beginning or the end of a trail, depending on how you look at it.   A single blaze indicates to keep going straight. Unfortunately, no single trail blazes were evident on Snake Den Road.  

Turn left

 If you see two blazes with the top blaze pointing to the right, that means turn right.  The same is true for an opposite blaze.  Sometimes you will see a rock cairn (pile ‘o rocks that someone has stacked) to let you know you are on the right track.

This trail was very well marked once we found it.  We spent at least 45 minutes walking around the lake and campsites trying to locate the darned trail.  The Fat Man consulted his trusty map on numerous occasions, but to no avail.  We never imagined that the start of the trail would be nestled in between residential homes, but you learn something new every day.

Rock cairn

The red blaze trail meanders up a hill and we then took a left hand turn on the pink blaze trail, which is a loop that takes you to the overlooks and the ledges.  There were wet leaves on the trail and it started to rain, which made things a bit slippery.

We stopped at the first ledge and had lunch, which afforded us a great view of New York City in the distance.  Since it was overcast, the photo does not do it justice.  

View of New York City

On a clear day the view would be well worth the short climb.  The trip around the ledges was slightly challenging due to the weather.  

Assiniwikam Mountain overlook

I was surprised that such a short ascent caused me to cough up half my lung, but that’s the price you pay for sitting on your butt for several days.  I always say it takes six months to get in shape and about six hours to lose it.  

Heidi’s rating: ★ ★ ★ Wandering around for 45 minutes until we found the trail was a real drag.

The Fat Man’s rating: 2 swipes of Dial deodorant stick