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Trail Guides
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Deerpath Sanctuary
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4
 
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Turkey Hill Road and Tunnel Road, Bethlehem Township, NJ
Phone: (908) 766-5787
www.njaudubon.org
New Jersey Audubon Society
Exit driveway and turn Left onto Baptist Church Road. Continue 1.0 miles and turn Right at the stop sign onto CR 579/Bloomsbury Road. After 4.0 miles turn Right onto Tunnel Road. Note that CR 614 crosses CR 579 at about 2.6 miles. After 1.5 miles, look for parking on the Left shoulder of the road. The I-78 overpass is less than 0.1 mile down the road in clear view. The trail is to the Left and climbs up the side of the hill. For access to more trails, proceed to the end of Tunnel Road and turn Left on Route 173 West. After 0.6 miles turn Left onto Turkey Hill Road and proceed 0.2 miles. The Turnquist property trail is on the Left; parking is roadside on the Left side. Look for the Green Acres sign. To access the main trails, proceed another 0.8 miles and look for the old springhouse and NJ Audubon trail markers on the Left. Park on the Left shoulder of the road. Map
Open daily dawn to dusk for passive recreation only. Parking is available roadside only and is limited. There are three separate access points, one on Tunnel Road where there is more parking available and the other two on Turkey Hill Road (see directions). Trails are rated as easy; however, some trail areas are rocky and/or wet in places. The initial climb up the hill on Tunnel Road is very steep, but once at the top the trails are easy. No pets are permitted.
A power-line cut runs through the property, creating a woodland edge habitat. These edges provide shelter as well as food. As the morning sun warms up the edge, insects become active. Species like Blue-winged Warbler, Chestnut-sided Warbler and various flycatchers are possible.
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| Turnquist Property | Linda Gangi |
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| | The main section of Deerpath Sanctuary, with its two entrances, provides access to upland forest and wetlands habitat, while the area known as the Turnquist property contains meadow habitat. Nestled along the Musconetcong Ridge, the sanctuary not only shelters Neotropical migrants, it is also home to a number of species of frogs, salamanders and snakes, along with red fox, eastern box turtle and an occasional bear.
Visit the woodland part of the property at night to listen for resident Eastern Screech Owl. Use a trilling, descending whistle to try and strike up a conversation with one of the local owls. Wild Turkey are seen more easily in a wintry landscape than other times of year; look for them foraging in fields and along wood edges.
Follow the Springhouse Trail, marked in red, to locate a small vernal pool, and listen to the frog chorus welcoming spring. These seasonally wet areas are critical for amphibians that require water for egg-laying. During migration, listen for the song of common and rarer wood warblers. Hooded, Cape May and Black-throated Green Warblers are all possible sightings throughout the woodland section, while Blue-winged, Yellow and Chestnut-sided Warblers can be observed at field locations.
This site’s habitat diversity provides an opportunity to see a variety of breeding birds. Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Veery and Red-eyed Vireo are all possible in the woodlands. Meadow habitats may yield good looks at grassland species such as Field Sparrow, Eastern Bluebird and American Goldfinch. Butterflies nectaring on wildflowers in the meadow habitat offer a diversion mid-day when bird activity may decrease.
Hike any one of the trails looking for year-round residents and early winter arrivals. Hairy and Red-bellied Woodpeckers will be scouting their winter territories, while White-breasted Nuthatch and Red-breasted Nuthatch might be seen creeping up and down and along branches and tree trunks in search of insects. The ridgeline creates an updraft for migrant raptors; scan the skies for hawks, eagles, falcons and vultures.
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