The OFFICIAL Trans NJ Trail Thread

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Colliers mills was pretty crowded this weekend ... over by the safari drive thru at least. lots of people out looking at the animals. Saw some giraffe, some type of bull, horse looking thing, ostriches, and a lot of park personnel... guess they were keeping an eye on the people on our side of the fence to make sure they werent making any trouble. I had no idea about this area till i saw this post a while back. thanks! And if anyone is in the are , check out the rest of the WMA. Gorgeous views, beautiful, ponds, even some nice rocky, steep up and down hills.
 
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Bigblue14

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Xplorr313 said:
Hey guys, and gals, I decided to create an “official” Trans New Jersey Trail thread. This is where you can find the “official” route and any route info you need to know. Also, this thread will be good for those to post info about the route; like road closures, detours, dangers, trees down, and anything else that may restrict access to the trail.

If anyone wants a copy of the route, it is FREE and available at the bottom of this post. I will accept donations if you feel inclined to donate to the beer fund. The donations can be sent to xplorr313@gmail.com. The donations are not required though!

Previously I charged for the route due to keeping the route out of the hands of those who were only looking to “off-road” or “wheel” illegally on state land. I received a lot of backlash from the off-roading / Overlanding community for charging for the route. I put over 2 years of my life into making this route, please stay on the path and DO NOT “off-road” or “wheel” off of the path. This could cause closures and could also land you in major trouble with the state, for example: a hefty fine or even vehicle impoundment. I’ve seen and heard about it happening. Do not think it won’t happen to you. The state does have trail cameras along some of the more “prone to off-roading” spots. You will get caught.

The route is current and up to date as of 1-16-2020. The most recent revision of the route was done on 1-16-2020. If you have any version older than 1-16-2020 please reach out to me for an updated version. I will keep this post updated with the most recent version of the route.

I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THE LEADNAV APP FOR THE BEST EXPERIENCE. LeadNav is only for iPhones and iPads. The route can be used on other devices, but the route was made with and for LeadNav.

For those of you who are just learning about the Trans New Jersey Trail, the trail is a 450+ mile route that spans from High Point, NJ to Cape May, NJ. The trail consist of asphalt, gravel, sand, dirt, and some mud. The trail is 100% legal for all street legal vehicles. This means you must be registered, insured, and compliant with all DOT regulations (headlights, taillights, seat belts, turn signals, and so on).

The TNJT can be completed in a Subaru as long as the driver is experienced. There is NOTHING complicated on this route. There ARE bypasses for those who do not have a snorkel or the ability to traverse deep mud holes. The bypasses are clearly marked as separate routes. The Zillon Bypass is recommended for those who do not wish to traverse down an extremely tight trail and do not want to risk the couple extremely sloppy mud holes along that part of the TNJT. The Zillon Bypass is 100% asphalt that bypasses the tight trail and sloppy mud holes.

The whole route CAN be done in 3 days. I completed the route in 4 days when I ran it start to end non stop in 2017. My 4th day on the trail only consisted of 50 miles and I could have just finished it on day 3.

The trail has 3 sections North, Central, and South. I consider the North section to go from High Point, NJ to Round Valley Reservoir (Spruce Run Recreation Area [campground]). The Central section to go from Round Valley Reservoir to Brendan T. Byrne State Forest (camping is available in Brendan T. Byrne State Forest). The South section to go from Brendan T. Byrne State Forest to Cape May, NJ. If you feel inclined to turn it into a 4 day trip, I recommend stopping at Belleplain State Forest for an overnight stay.

I do plan to offer 4 versions of the TNJT. A full length version, which is what I have been passing out to everyone, and the three sections. This will allow daytrippers to do the route one section at a time. I will post when the 4 versions are available. Right now just the whole route is available.

Anyone have any questions, please reach out to me by email or ask here!
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Hey, I’ve been trying to do this trail. But when I try to open it on my iPhone it’s not working. I’m from Toms River an been looking for this trail but can’t find it. Any help would be much appreciated.
 
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Bigblue14 said:
Hey, I’ve been trying to do this trail. But when I try to open it on my iPhone it’s not working. I’m from Toms River an been looking for this trail but can’t find it. Any help would be much appreciated.
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It’s because it’s a zip file. To open it you will need to load it into a gps app like the one I mentioned in my original post.
 
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Just so everyone knows, the wonderful Governor of NJ stated, as of last night at 8pm, for all NJ State Parks and Forest are closed. Don’t get caught in the parks and forest running this trail. You may face a fine for being in the park/forest.
 
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bradwesley

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@OP I just wanted to say thanks for this!

I finally was able to get my new Tacoma DCLB a little muddy last weekend.

I entered around Bastos Village and spent a few hours meandering south. It was great!

I did end up encountering a tree across the road during a narrow spot and had to back out quite a ways.

My RTT made this fun as it completely blocks the rear view mirror.

How do you guys typically clear downed trees? Does a winch help with that? I see axes are not uncommon gear in bed racks.
 
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bradwesley said:
@OP I just wanted to say thanks for this!

I finally was able to get my new Tacoma DCLB a little muddy last weekend.

I entered around Bastos Village and spent a few hours meandering south. It was great!

I did end up encountering a tree across the road during a narrow spot and had to back out quite a ways.

My RTT made this fun as it completely blocks the rear view mirror.

How do you guys typically clear downed trees? Does a winch help with that? I see axes are not uncommon gear in bed racks.
Click to expand...
You’re welcome! Winches do play a big part in moving down trees, also wrapping a strap around the tree and pulling it with the truck could help as well if you don’t have a winch. I’ve used axes, machetes, and the above before to move downed trees. The machete helps with the smaller branches if I don’t have a clear spot for the strap or winch line.
 
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bradwesley

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Xplorr313 said:
You’re welcome! Winches do play a big part in moving down trees, also wrapping a strap around the tree and pulling it with the truck could help as well if you don’t have a winch. I’ve used axes, machetes, and the above before to move downed trees. The machete helps with the smaller branches if I don’t have a clear spot for the strap or winch line.
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Awesome thanks. Looks like I need to move straps up on the wish list. :)
 
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Dusther210

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I encountered 2 down trees this past weekend, both on the same road. I was able to remove one by strapping it to my truck and dragging it. The other blockage I couldn’t bypass or remove... it needs a chainsaw. I will try to get coordinates and the pics of them up here soon...and adding a chainsaw to my wishlist
 
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lilbear105 said:
The downed tree was at
MGRS: 18SWJ 37237 91794
GPS: 40.84731, -73.98832

no pictures, it turns out my camera wasn’t on during that part of the trip, but I’m pretty sure if you head north on D-S Rd from 563 you’ll find it... if you don’t let us know :)
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Thanks. I’ll have to get out there and scope it out.
 
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No! The state has it backwards (go figure). They’ve opened Atsion Family Campground but remaining closed are the remote locations like Batona Camp. Even the hike in/paddle in sites at Lower Forge are closed.
 
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RyanGreener

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Oddly enough, I downloaded the GPX file in the original post but it won't import into my Garmin HomePort app. Is anyone else having trouble with it or is it just me?
 
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I just completed the route this Monday 14 - Wednesday 16 September with Leon's route and it was awesome. We only had 2 3/4 days to complete it so we had to shave off some of the Southern portion of the route.(We went from Brendan Byrne and jumped down to Moorse Beach) The route was great. We averaged 20 miles an hour and covered 160 miles for the first 2 days, we we're filming the route, which slowed us down some. But the campsites were exactly where we needed them, first night was at Spruce Run, great views and clean site, second night was at Brendan Bryne and we had the whole place to our selves.

Some highlights: I would love to drive again the first few dirt roads out of Highpoint was ruff and a lot of fun, the views of the horse farms near Princeton were great. But the trip REALLY picked when we got to Six Flags. From then on the Pine Barrens roads and Cranberry Bogs were amazing! You can spend an entire week down there.

Some updates on the route: Carry Warren RD- Not Passable (in the first hour of the trip) was VERY washed out, we had to use the front locker to get through the wash then a large tree was down on power lines. We didn't have a chain saw or the time to cut it down. Our truck was a 2017 Tacoma with an Alu-cab Canopy camper, full skids, bumper, winch so we are an extra 2kLBS, if the tree was cut down it is an awesome obstacle for sure.

3 full days needed for sure, we had to drive back home on day 3 to Sussex County so we made the call to shave off a little of the route to ensure we got home at a reasonable hour to get back to work the next day.
 
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