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Trail Guides
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Lusscroft Farm
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5
 
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Neilson Road, Wantage Township, NJ
Phone: (973) 875-4800
www.njparksandforests.org
www.lusscroftfarm.com
NJ Department of Environmental Protection
Turn Left out of parking area onto CR 650 East. After 5.0 miles turn Right at the stop sign onto CR 519 South. After 0.4 miles turn Right onto Neilson Road. After 0.8 miles Lusscroft Farm is on the Left. Map
Open daily dawn to dusk, but it is advisable to call High Point State Park Office for information pertaining to access, as they oversee this property. There is a small parking lot at the Turner House. Parking is also allowed on roadsides. Snow during winter months may make parking on roads difficult or not possible. There is no staff onsite. Restrooms are portable. Avoid areas planted for crops and where animals are being pastured. There are some private residences on the property; these should be avoided. Hunting is allowed; wear appropriate clothing (i.e., hunter or blaze orange) in season.
Dress warmly when visiting here in winter. The mountainside exposure leads to occasional harsh weather conditions. If cows are still on the property or the leasing farmers spread manure on the cultivated fields, a wide variety of seed-eating birds are attracted to the site for winter gleanings, especially during periods of snow cover.
Lusscroft encompasses a variety of habitats such as grassland, fallow and cultivated fields, wetlands and streamside. Along with being adjacent to two major state parks, this is a likely place to see almost any songbird during spring migration. However, because of the small size of each particular habitat type, do not expect a huge variety of species at any one time. Rather, expect the unexpected.
Habitat diversity benefits the many species of birds that nest here. Look for nesting Eastern Meadowlark in the grasslands along CR 519. Watch for Barn Swallow scooping mud and track its flight to its nest location, which is likely being plastered under the eaves of one of the farm buildings. Indigo Bunting, Scarlet Tanager, Yellow Warbler, Killdeer, Eastern Bluebird and Carolina Wren are all known to breed in the area.
Migrating raptors coming off of the Kittatinny Ridge hunt the open areas and forest edges. Cooper’s, Red-tailed, Broad-winged or Red-shouldered Hawks are frequently sighted. Scan woodland edges for resting raptors. The vibrant colors of a stand of sugar maples--once tapped for maple sugaring--and the valley views from the higher elevations can be spectacular on a clear day. Check the website for the September Jersey Fresh Wine and Cheese Event, which will allow access to the historic Turner House.
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| Eastern Bluebird | Lloyd Spitalnik |
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In 1930, James Turner gifted his 577-acre Lusscroft Farm to the State of New Jersey for agricultural research. Until 1970 it formed the central core of the North Jersey Dairy Branch of the New Jersey Agricultural Research Station. Here the technique of artificial insemination was perfected, allowing for vast improvements in not only the genetics of dairy cows but all types of livestock. Today the property is owned by the NJ Department of Environmental Protection and administered by High Point State Park in cooperation with the State Agricultural Development Committee. The original 23 buildings built between 1914 and 1930 can still be seen on the property. Lusscroft Farm is of ecological significance, falling within two Natural Heritage sites; Wallkill and Papakating Creek, as well as being contiguous with High Point State Park and Stokes State Forest, providing a “greenway” corridor for animal movement. In addition, the grassland habitat from the continued agricultural use is of particular importance for grassland-dependent bird species, which are in decline. For more information about Natural Heritage sites visit www.njparksandforests.org/natural/heritage/.
taking a look at Rutan Hill, the land rising adjacent to Lusscroft Farm along Nielson Road. It is the only place in New Jersey to see an extinct volcano. Approximately 440 million years old, this ancient landform is comprised of a rare type of igneous rock known as nepheline syenite.
About 0.1 miles north of the parking area is a gravel road leading left up the mountainside. Take the steep 0.4 mile walk to view an artful two-story log cabin. The cabin was constructed in 1930 from salvaged hand-hewn American chestnut barn beams. About four tenths of a mile south of the parking area is a wooded road that runs up the mountain through a draw of mixed hardwoods. This trail passes the ruins of a farm, a plane crash site, an old mine, a mountain wetland and goes to the Appalachian Trail.
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