330 State Park Road, Hope, NJ
Phone: (908) 459-4366
www.njparksandforests.org
NJ Department of Environmental Protection
Proceed southeast to the end of Honey Run Road. After 1.2 miles turn Left onto CR 610 North/Swazye Mill Road, and proceed 1.3 miles to merge Right onto CR 609 North. After approximately 1.8 miles, proceed straight at stop sign and the road becomes CR 519 North/Hope-Johnsonburg Road. Continue another 1.1 miles and turn Right onto Shiloh Road. Proceed 1.0 miles and turn Right onto State Park Road. The park entrance is 1.0 mile on the Left. Map
There is little night-time light pollution at Jenny Jump, and on a clear night the stars and planets are quite visible. The park hosts the United Astronomy Clubs of New Jersey’s Greenwood Observatory and an astronomy museum, which are open to the public on Saturday evenings from April through October. The observatory is south of Farview Road, near the headquarters building. Call the park headquarters for details.
 |
| Ruffed Grouse | Kevin Karlson |
| |
| | Jenny Jump State Forest is a remarkable and rugged example of Highlands glacial topography. It offers excellent trails, great birding in spring, summer, and fall and fine views of the Kittatinny Mountain and the Great Valley to the west, and Great Meadows to the east. The park includes nine hiking trails; make sure to pick up a map brochure at the Park Office. Boating, canoeing and fishing are allowed on Ghost Lake. Black bears are relatively common, and porcupines, at the southern limit of their range here, are occasionally glimpsed.
Once the leaves are down in this primarily deciduous habitat, it is easier to spot Ruffed Grouse, Wild Turkey, and Pileated Woodpecker. When snow blankets the ground, grouse and turkey tracks can often be seen, along with those of coyote, raccoon, black bear and, very rarely, bobcat.
The warmth of the season returns slowly to the area, and although early migrants such as Eastern Phoebe and Tree Swallow are found elsewhere in New Jersey in late March, they are usually not found here before April. Listen for the “drumming” of male Ruffed Grouse on their favorite hollow logs, a territorial display and a sound rarely heard elsewhere in the region or the state. Resident vireos, flycatchers, warblers and other Neotropicals begin to return in late April, and large waves of migrants can occur in favorable weather in May. Cerulean Warbler, a rare and declining species, is easier to find at Jenny Jump in May and June than just about anywhere in the bird’s limited breeding range. Spring wildflower displays delight the eye from mid-April through May.
Look for breeding warblers along with vireos, tanagers and thrushes on the six well-marked hiking trails, and hike up the Summit Trail for a view of the Pequest Valley and the distant Kittatinny Mountains. Fields and wooded edges are good habitat for butterflies and dragonflies. Pipevines, which are trailing woody vines, grow at Jenny Jump and serve as the food plant for the aptly-named Pipevine Swallowtail. The combination of food plant for the larva and wildflower nectar for the adult makes the sighting of this rare, iridescent blue butterfly a distinct possibility. Also try searching for frogs, salamanders, snakes and turtles during these warm months when the animals are most active.
Southbound migration starts in late August and early September and continues through the end of November. A good hawk migration lookout is the summit of Jenny Jump Mountain, reached via the Summit Trail.
|