Columbia Trail (High Bridge) — Attraction in High Bridge

3 1/2 stars

I'm a native of the Kingdom of Hunterdon but this is an area I'm not that familiar with - I grew up on the opposite, western side of the county, so my experience with High Bridge, Califon, etc. is pretty limited. I came here this past Saturday though (with a cameo appearance by one of my chums) to get some non-mountain hiking in on a gorgeous day. It had its moments, but ultimately I'm not crazy about completely flat surfaces and there just wasn't much variety in the adventure.

My chum and I set off a little after 9am from the parking lot right off Main Street in High Bridge and just north of their main drag. Again, this is not a town I drive through often but it was very easy to locate the parking area once I'd gotten a quick look at the map. The parking is adjacent to some playing fields, and thankfully that meant multiple port-a-potties. I used one afterwards, which was about as clean as they get. The itinerary was pretty straight-forward - I walked from the High Bridge parking lot north through Ken Lockwood Gorge, and probably got about 15 minutes north of Califon before turning back. It took almost five hours and I would guess was about 12 miles all told (I love my Fitbit but I think it exaggerates constantly).

The gorge is by far my favorite part of this walk. The optics are the best here - you're surrounded by high cliffs above and the Raritan River below, and it's pleasant to hear the roaring water in the background as you saunter through this section. There's also some gorgeous old houses off to the side with oodles of character (I made a mental note to look some of them up on Zillow when I got back), including multiple ones with little bridges and chicken coops. There's a makeshift fairy village situation off to the sides of the path, which is a nice little quirk. I think the one over in Maplewood at South Mountain is more intense, but this version covers more ground. And of course because it's Hunterdon, one of the fairy/gnome houses had a Confederate flag decoration. Who says the War of Northern Aggression stopped at the Mason Dixon Line?

Once you get past the gorge though, the walk for me is pretty bland. I'm certainly very pro woods and whatnot, but the lack of distinguishing features makes this a bit of a snooze. I did enjoy the quick trip into downtown Califon, especially the little preserved railroad station from the 1800s. It looked like there were a few possible eating options as well a block or two off the trail that I briefly pondered before continuing on my journey.

The canine chum situation was excellent - it was truly a bevy of pooches from beginning to end, with a curiously high percentage of German Shepherds. The wildlife situation was active as well, with a great many squirrels and chipmunks scampering around in the unseasonably warm temps.

This one was just okay for me. I liked the clean bathroom accommodations and the ease of the path, but I need my walks/hikes to have a little more...

Probably one of the best rail trails in New Jersey. This is the southernmost trail head that follows the former right of way for the High Bridge Railroad, later the High Bridge Branch of the Central Railroad of New Jersey. The trail is wide and flat and mostly surfaced with crushed stones, though a short section right at the start is paved. The trail itself is great for walking, jogging, bicycles, and horseback riding. The parking area is quite large, and though this is a very popular trail, we’ve never had difficulty finding a spot. There are currently 3 portable toilets in the lot but a new permanent bathroom is currently being installed.

A small section of track still remains in the ground set upon wooden ties. This was part of the High Bridge Junction linking the High Bridge Branch to the main line headed south. The other portion of the junction connecting to the main line north followed the road back towards...

Wish i could give it more stars!! Incredible. People along the trail were so kind. Some shared that we should come back in the fall for the leaves, but also spring for daffodils, and summer for picking raspberries! Fairy houses and gnomes hidden everywhere. So much fun for the kids to look for and admire. Beautiful, mature trees offering shade and natural beauty. There's even a clean, spacious bathroom with flushing toilets, and warm running water and soap! Looks like a cute café and shops right by the entrance id like to check out next time. We will definitely visit this many more times. Oh! Bring a small toy (such as a a Happy Meal toy, or dollar store thing). There's a blue wooden box marked for kids to give one take one. How sweet is that? Of course , my youngest found an Ernie figurine and so we had to re-take photos of all the houses we already found so Ernie could be in the...