Yellow Trail

Dogs Leashed

Features Birding · Fall Colors · Lake · River/Creek · Spring · Wildlife

This is a great family trail with plenty of scenery changes and no challenging sections. It is also diverse in character that adults will absolutely appreciate. This is a 4 star family hike, but a 3 star hike if you compare it to other Northern NJ challenging trails.

Start the hike immediately to the right of the parking lot, where you pick up the old Ogden Mine Railroad Trail that is marked yellow on the south side of Weldon Road. This leisurely hike down a slight incline takes you past Saffin Pond and past an old gate that is a remnant of the mining days.

The rail trail stops here and becomes doubletrack with slight inclines and soon skirts a private property where the trail actually is on a kept lawn for a very short period of time. Be respectful and pass quickly.

At the 1.9-mile mark, the Yellow Trail intersects with a working gravel road that leads to a pump station one-tenth of a mile away. Before this, turn left around Weldon Brook Lake onto a rougher doubletrack trail that takes you past the east bank and further out into the wilderness. Spend some time viewing the wildlife here, as a Great Blue Heron has been spotted on several occasions as well us ducks, turtles, and a rare water snake.

This general area is wetlands though the trail is well maintained and only muddy in spots. The most difficult "climb" begins at the 2.4-mile mark; be sure to stay on yellow as the trail soon splits (mile 2.54) onto a great singletrack section that must be heaven for mountain bikers.

Here you leave the wetlands behind for a while and enjoy some minor switchbacks, open bedrock sections, and glacial boulder deposits that can be quite large.

After intersecting with White Trail, there is more wetlands and evidence of beaver activity with a partially chewed tree and even a beaver lodging in the distance if you look hard enough. There are also a few brook crossings that are quite lovely.

Another lesser "climb" starts at 4.6 miles in, and traverses through several switchback sections and around huge rocks that can be climbed for those inclined to do so.

A little less than a mile later, leave the doubletrack behind and head west back towards Saffin Pond. At around 5.9 miles be sure to bear right and stay on yellow, ignoring the signs pointing toward Saffin Pond. At 6.3 miles you'll parallel Weldon Road for a while and hear cars again, a sign the hike is just about over.

Typical northern New Jersey woodlands. Ponds have ducks, turtles, frequented by a Great Blue Heron, and there is evidence of a beaver as well.