Hoggencamp Mountain, Mines To Stahahe High Peak Hike

This hike is rather flat. The strenuous part of this hike is that the total length is around 9 miles. The hiking trails are flat most of the time, but it can be very strenuous on a hot day. The path to Stahahe high peak can be very confusing because it is not marked very well. I ended up getting lost when I was getting back to the road. This is a good hike that will allow people to enjoy nature and the trails provide some interesting rock formations and plant life along the way.

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Hoggencamp Mines To Stahahe High Peak Important Information

Trail Map: Trail Map 1
Suggested Phone GPS Apps: Alltrails.com, Avenza Maps, Google Maps

Difficulty: Moderate
Distance: 9 Miles
Elevation Gained: 900 ft
Portable Toilet At Parking: No

Trail Breakdown
White Trail To Red Trail – 0.55 miles
Red Trail To Lean-To – 1 mile
Red Trail To Ship Rock – 0.5 miles
Red Trail To Times Square – 0.7 miles
Long Path To Yellow – 0.8 miles
Yellow To Lean-To – 1.35 miles
Yellow To Boston Mine – 1.2 mile
Island Pond Road To Stahahe – 1.3 miles
Stahahe To Parking Lot – 1 mile

Link: https://www.mapmyhike.com/workout/2284997261

Note: The information is just an approximation.

Parking

41.234786, -74.148892

 

Start Of The Hike

The longing for another unexplored land grew stronger day by day, until I could no longer resist it. I packed up my backpack, carried plenty of water, and went on a hiking trip with a few people in June. The scorching hot sun made lots of people cancel and became uninterested with the hike but for me, I knew I needed to go. I miss hiking, as if something was missing inside my soul, a craving to be with nature, and to explore lands I have never seen before.

 

White Trail

On the silent and somber woods over which the light and shadow intermingle, their dance was majestic, sweeping all over the landscape, out of which a dirt footpath could be seen, going on and on forever. The cool summer wind rustled the leaves of the green forest, cooling our bodies, making the hike a wonderful experience. The trees have adorned the brightest of all greens, as the grass and shrubs stood tall along the sides of the footpath, making the scenery beautiful and pleasant to the eyes.

 

White Trail Ascent

A drop of sweat dripped out of my forehead and down my cheek, as I tried to ascend the white trail. The footpath turned into a slope, forcing us to use more of our energies just to get to the top of the hill. The warm morning sun shone brightly at us, making the ascent a little more taxing, and making our bodies sweat a little bit more. We made our way through broken branches, big loose rocks, and steep inclines just to get up the narrow footpath. With plenty of energy, we marched on, hoping to get to the top and hoping that a viewpoint was waiting for us up there.

 

First View

Some of the tall trees blocked my view but it did not matter, I loved looking at nature with all its might and wonder. The sun shed its light upon the bright green trees, the swaying grasses, and the vast sea of greens of the valley as I took my time admiring their bright features, thinking that nature was peaceful and joyful at the same time. There was something about the brightness and vividness of the green trees that exude happiness, knowing that in spite of all the stormy weather that came on this mountain, all was good with nature, and such a feeling was reflected inside of me, knowing that all was good with my life as well.

 

Red Trail

The hike had been bright and blue that to ramble upon a very flat mountain footpath, and see the light of the sun blaze down on the green leaves of the trees as the shadow and light dance on the ground, were such a delight that even though there was no cliff side viewpoint, the footpath itself was beautiful to my eyes. The light of the summer sun wasn’t that hot, and the cool breeze cooled our bodies from time to time, allowing us to explore the trail in appreciation rather than in annoyance or pain.

 

Red Trail Path

The rich and sweet smell of grass and leaves rose its way to my nose as we traveled through the flat mountain path. The leafy and greeny scent was everywhere, yet there was no pollen nor allergies that came, just the sweet scent of nature was there. We walked through the mountain, with the sun’s gentle rays following us. There was beauty in the place we traveled upon even though there were no viewpoints nor cliff side views, just various plant life thriving near the mountain footpath.

 

Red Trail Views

A deep rich valley of greens flashed before our eyes on one part of the trail. The infinite clear blue sky stretched itself over the landscape with a few clouds over the distance that seemed to be disappearing little by little. We stopped for a little to take a rest, and replenish our stamina. There were no tall trees to shade us but the rays of the sun were gentle on this summer day that the light of the sun felt like a blessing rather than a curse or burden we had to carry all throughout the hike.

 

Red Trail Clearing

At one point of the trail was a clearing, a bald or open path that had no trees and only small grasses could be found. The ground surface was a cold hard stone encompassing a large area of the landscape with a few cracks where various grasses and plant life trying their best to survive. It was a beautiful area to explore, just a flat surface made out of stone, and to our left, glimpses of a big and beautiful green valley could be seen.

 

Red Trail Clearing End

At the end of the clearing was a dead end with no visible trail markers to be found which was not really surprising as we chose not to follow the trail markers in order to explore the area. At the right of the dead end was a rapid descent that a lot of hikers seemed to have taken as I could see a narrow dirt footpath made by the boots of many human beings.

I rapidly descended down the trail and into the narrow footpath with 1-2 dead branches sticking out. A sharp pain shot up my right arm as it touched one of the branches. I cringed and pulled my arm back, as red blood trickled slowly down on my arm. The branches had many sharp thorns and I shudder to think that a human being placed these branches there. I looked at my arm, it appeared as if a big cat slashed my arm with its claws as the wounds appeared to be three lines parallel to each other. They were not deep, but the pain felt like sharp needles that continuously pricked me over and over as we marched on.

 

Red Trail After View Point

The red trail became very flat again as we dived deep into a footpath filled with trees. The stinging sensation from my wounds haunted me with each step that I made and I could see a few drops of blood staining the brownish pants that I was wearing. The pain was disappearing but I still felt annoyed that I was wounded. It was a situation that didn’t have to happen and yet I was grateful that my group members did not suffer the same fate as I did.

 

Intersection And Lean-To

At a big intersection was a lean-to.

 

Red Trail After Lean-To

The red trail continued on, but the footpath turned into a flat stone surface. In here, there were barely any trees near us, and a few gentle winds passed us by, cooling us and comforting our bodies while we hike underneath the rays of the sun. White squared trail markers with a red on the middle could be found on various big rocks along the trail. They were easy enough to spot which makes traversing the trail rather easy with very little chance of getting lost.

 

The rays of the sun was starting to get hotter and I could feel sweat building up inside my shirt. The red trail continued to be a flat rock surface with barely any tall trees near us. I could feel dryness in my mouth and thirst in my throat as the heat of the sun was getting more and more intense. As the trail descended down to a forest, we felt lucky and fortunate that we can take refuge next to the big trees blocking the sun.

 

Red Trail After Lean-To Bridge

Further up the red trail was a crudely made bridge that seemed to be created by a few hikers. The bridge allowed us to continue traveling without getting our boots wet from the murky and dirty water underneath it. The bridge felt stable and strong as it did not shake nor rattle when I stepped on it. To my surprised, there were no mosquitoes nor insects near by. No sounds of buzzing or annoying bites could be felt. The landscape was free of parasitic mosquitoes and we were lucky enough to be on the right day and time for it to be free.

 

Red And Blue Trail Intersection

A steep incline surprised us along the trail. It was a bed of smooth rock as far as my eyes could see. At the top to my right was a dead tree devoid of any leaves, yet a few hawks decided to make that tree their home. They would fly by us a couple of times out of curiosity and go back to the dead tree after a while.

 

A pile of rocks awaited us at the intersection between the blue and red trail. The cairn was carefully built with the big rocks at the bottom and small rocks at the top. The last few rocks on the top looked like a skull from a certain angle and I had no idea whether that was intentional by the one who created the cairn or accidental. The cairn looked tall and beautiful to my eyes as if someone very skilled had made it.

 

Ship Rock

A huge colossal rock that looked like a whale jumping out of the water could be seen. The cracks on the rock made the structure looked like it had an eye and mouth as if the whale breached from the surface at the perfect moment. At the back of the sculpture was a dead tree that allowed me to climb the great big stone structure. Sadly, there was nothing to see at the top as the trees blocked my view. Yet, in here, the fresh mountain wind that blew in from time to time, felt good on my body, rejuvenating my mind and replenishing my energy.

 

Red Trail After Ship Rock

The trail consisted more and more of the flat surface we had before with a few big rocks that had the trail markers. While the trail was easy on the legs, it did not have any view and anything interesting. Just a flat trail that we followed on and on.

 

Tall ferns and wild grasses made their home on this part of the mountain. The landscape sparkled brilliantly and cheerfully with the afternoon sun shinning its light on every plant life I could see. We marched on a beautiful meadow like landscape, yet there were no animals nearby nor birds singing a tune, just us underneath the ever growing presence of the hot sun.

 

Hoggencamp Mountain

Hoggencamp mountain was a big flat rock surface that had a diameter that was somewhat huge. Huge rocks taller and wider than me scattered all through out the landscape. A rock that seemed to have been sculpted to look like a chair was at a corner, with a small tree providing shade to anyone who wanted to sit. It was a peculiar spot on the mountain and I could not get a clear shot of the beauty of it as the strong mountain wind kept blasting in, swaying the small tree back and forth.

 

I stood upon a big rock at one edge of Hoggencamp mountain with various trees and shrubs at the bottom of my feet. The fierce winds kept bursting in, trying to push my body and force me out of the rock. The winds kept our bodies cool even though we were underneath the hot sun on top of this mountain, for that I was grateful. I looked at the view before me, a vast ocean of green below and an expansive deep blue sky above. The thin clouds near the horizon were starting to dissipate as if the clouds were getting ready to disappear and I took that as a signal that it was time for us to move.

 

Times Square

At the bottom of Hoggencamp mountain was a peculiar big rock that looked like one of those bullets from the game Super Mario Brothers. At the base of the rock was this reddish soil that may have come from the bark of a tree but I did not know how the bark of a tree could grind itself to very small pieces in the middle of nowhere. Still, the rock was particularly interesting as I went on top of it, circled around it, and even poked at it.

 

Long Path

The Long Path was flat and even, with barely any incline nor decline, with plenty of shade that hid us from the sun. It was a delightful trail that went deep inside a forest, with various peculiar shaped trees in the path. The path was rather short than long because after a few minutes, we saw the yellow markers telling us to make a right.

 

Octopus Tree

Beautiful tree we saw in the trail.

 

Yellow Path

The forest was silent, and the cool air that surrounded us kept us cool throughout the footpath. The map indicated a few mines near the yellow trail but as I explored the surrounding area, I could not find any mine nor any opening that leads to a mine. While the yellow trail was nice, pleasant and a great footpath filled with shade and interesting trees, we were rather disappointed that there were no mines that we could find.

 

 

The yellow path turned into an open area with a stone surface as we headed to the lean-to we saw before. The bright sun showered its rays on our bodies but to my surprised, the rays were not heavy nor burning. They were rather mild and soft as we continued on our journey. The cool and clean mountain wind was prevalent on this part of the trail, nourishing our bodies and keeping us very comfortable. We walked on the footpath filled with energy, and a zest for adventure that still could not be quenched.

 

Tall beautiful trees, wavy green grasses and wild plant life scattered their way throughout footpath. The landscape glowed in a greenish color, with a few birds passing us by. They flew from left to right, chasing each other while beautifully flying with the wind. The tree with the yellow marker stood proudly. Tall in height, it towered over us, with its crown full of leaves providing shade to any weary hiker who may pass by.

 

Boston Mine

Disgusting black mud that might be filled with parasitic bacteria seemed to ooze out of the mouth of the cave with a few protruding rocks dispersed on various spots on the ground. It felt like a sewer than a cave as the eerie black water gushed out of the opening. I hopped from one stable rock to the next, making sure not to fall down to the horrific mucous near my feet. I took a few pictures and left, promising myself never to come near that hideous and ugly thing ever again.

 

Going To Stahahe High Peak

Blue Trail – Unmarked

The path to Stahahe high peak was an unmarked trail according to the map but a few blue markers could be seen on the footpath. Thick brown leaves covered the land, they were dry and brittle, a sure sign that they were very old. The old leaves cracked and split apart with every step that I made, making a crunchy noise that sounded like a bone being split into two. The trail took us on an ascent and I could feel that fatigue has consumed my members as each step seemed to have been taken in agony, and yet we marched on ever so slowly to the top of the footpath.

 

Top Of Blue Trail – Make A Left

Directly straight was a view but it was not Stahahe high peak that we saw from the Internet. After a few minutes walking to the left, we found Stahahe high peak.

 

Stahahe High Peak

The once clear blue sky was now filled with clouds and the once brightly lit sun that was running rampant in the sky could no longer be seen. My group members sat on a cool wide stone while I explored the surrounding area. The wild cool winds followed us here, with the bright blue lake glimmering underneath the diffused light coming from the sky. The radiant beautiful forest, shimmered under a soft silvery light which made the landscape echo in beauty. We all took the time staring and appreciating the landscape that nature had prepared for us.

The land looked cheerful and happy, with each tree dancing slowly to the song of the wind, the clouds chasing each other on top of us, and the lake glowing in serenity. Such feelings went straight through our hearts and souls, and for a moment we were all in silence, just staring at the land, happy that we all live in a beautiful world.

 

Getting Lost

Thick bushes greeted us when we were trying to get back. The bushes hid the footpath and without any markers, it took us a little bit of time to find the way.

 

Island Pond Road

Straight and flat, the last final trail to the parking lot was a road with various little grasses and plant life growing inside it. We traversed the footpath knowing that the adventure was almost over but there was satisfaction in our voices as we all conversed with each other. The hike was pretty good even though there was barely anything to see and most of the trails consisted of walking inside a forest or on a flat stone surface. I said goodbye to the two girls I hiked with and went on my way home.

 

 

For More Hikes

For more hikes similar to this one, you can go to my Best New Jersey Hikes Or Best NYC Hikes.