[Journal entry for October 26, 2013; Henry Pond and Bear Swamp Lake] It’s another beautiful fall day. I head over to the New Jersey Highland to view the fall foliage, which though a little past peak, is still beautiful. I am aiming for the parking lot associated with Henry Pond, which is located behind Continental Soldier’s Park, off of Route 202 in Mahwah NJ. I turn off too early and find myself at an informal parking area along the Ramapo River at the end of Halifax Road, north of the park. I decide to park there and conduct further investigations on foot.

After viewing the Ramapo River for a few minutes, I cross a grassy field and join the loop trail around Henry Pond. It is one of several ponds in the flood plain of the Ramapo River. I visited another of them, Scarlet Oak Pond, a few days ago. I do not know whether Henry Pond is anthropogenic (which Scarlet Oak appears to be). It has a fairly natural looking shoreline and is fed and drained by two streams that connect to the Ramapo River. They are spanned by two pedestrian bridges, but I saw no signs of damming or other means to control their flow. I crossed the first bridge immediately and took the western section of the loop, which follows the Ramapo’s natural levies. I passed several oxbows and subsidiary channels with little water, muddy bottoms and overhanging trees. I also climbed down to the river bank several times and walked out onto gravel bars. The Ramapo is a minor New Jersey river, yet the flow is deep and strong enough so that it cannot easily be forded, even in this dry season.

I continued my walk around the loop, taking a few detours down to the shore of the pond. The fall foliage around it edges is pretty. A group of half dozen or so Mute Swans plied its water, as did ducks and cormorants. I soon crossed to the second pedestrian bridge to the east side of the pond. The view of the fall colors Monroe Ridge, the nearest of the hills of the New Jersey Highlands, is fabulous. Orange is the predominant color, though I am surprised that a significant percentage of the hardwood trees are still green. The ridge has a prominent rock ledge, Hawk Rock, about halfway up. I decided to make my way over to it after finishing the loop. I also viewed a shallow circular wetland located east of the pond. Its grassy surface was merely damp; we have had little rain this month.

I then walked through Continental Soldier’s Park to Route 202 and headed south along that highway, in order to use its bridge to cross Darlington Brook, a tributary of the Ramapo that flows down from the east. I passed the Darlington Schoolhouse, a historic 1891 building with a stone archway at its front. I then entered the Ramapo Valley Reservation, a park immediately to the south and used its bridge to cross the Ramapo River. I stopped briefly at Scarlet Oak Pond and was treated of another fabulous view of Monroe Ridge. I then took the Halifax Trail (blazed in green) up to Hawk Rock. It commands a very nice view southeastward across the lowlands of the Newark Basin. The area is suburban, yet with enough tree coverage to provide some very nice fall foliage. I could see Henry Pond beneath me, though much of its western half was obscured by the surrounding trees.

I decided to continue on the Halifax Trail, taking it into the Highlands. It descends down off the ridge and joins a woods road in Havermeyer Hollow, a narrow valley with a little stream its bottom. I poked around the stream for a while; its floodplain has some fairly large grassy glades. I then continued uphill along the woods road, passing some nice stands of beech trees, with their yellow fall leaves. Red and orange trees are scarce in this area. However, I did not pay sufficient attention to the blazes. The Halifax Trail must leave the woods road at some point, but I missed it and, though I backtracked some, I could not find the turn-off. Instead, I continued along the woods road until it intersected a wide fire-break (or maybe utility right-of-way). I turned left and hiked the fire-break uphill. Fortunately, I soon encountered the Halifax Trail again and so was able to rejoin it. I crossed a second right-away, where some gas pipes were being laid. I eventually came to the intersection with the Hoeferlin Memorial Trail (blazed in yellow) and took it southward to the north end of Bear Swamp Lake.

Bear Swamp Lake is an impoundment created by a concrete dam on Bear Swamp Brook, the outlet stream at its southern end. Tree stumps still produce from the lake, suggesting that the dam was built relatively recently. The northern end of the lake is indeed swampy – actually marshy, for the primary vegetation is grass not trees. Cattails are common and some stands of Phragmites are also present. The lake itself is about a half mile long and has one largish island. I walked down to the lakeshore several times, in order to view the lake and its island from several angles. The fall foliage around the lake shore is very beautiful, as is that on the nearby hills.

Several old stone chimneys stand at the southern end of the lake. They must have once been part of now-vanished lakeside cabins. A group of hikers were having lunch by one; they kindly took my picture standing next to it. I sat on a ledge overlooking the lake for a while, drinking coffee, which I had brought in a thermos, and watching the afternoon clouds. I then walked over to the dam. It’s concrete, but seems rather dilapidated.

My hiking map shows an overlook, Ilgenstein Rock, atop the hill immediately to the west of Bear Swamp Lake. I decided to huff up for the view. I took short section of the Cannonball Trail (blazed with a red C), passing an enormous, steep-sided rock outcrop. I then took the Crossover Trail (blazed in white), which steeply ascends onto the ridge. The overlook is at the high point – a broad rocky area surrounded by colorful trees. It looks out mainly to the east, with a good view of the lake and Rocky Mountain, immediately to the east of the lake. After a few minutes of viewing, I bushwhacked south – through too many brambles - along the ridge, until I found a vantage that looked southwest, towards a distance high ridge (I don’t know which one). I then headed back, making a quick detour from the Cannonball Trail to visit a small wetland, bordered by bright red trees.

I returned to the dam, crossed it, and headed north along the lakeshore, following a paved road (the Shore Trail, blazed in blue) that follows its eastern shore. I walked down to the lakeshore a couple of times, to admire the view. I could not quite see the overlook where I had just been, on account of the trees on the opposite shore of the lake. I then joined the Red-Silver Trail (blazed in red and silver), which loops around Rocky Mountain. I then took the Schuber Trail (blazed in orange) back towards Route 202. It passes close to MacMillan Reservoir; I bushwhacked down to its shore to view another beautiful set of fall foliage. Two wide, steeply-sloping rock ledges jut from the otherwise wooded northern shore of the lake. Numerous hikers were relaxing on them, basking in the warm late afternoon sun. I then walked back to Scarlet Oak Pond and from there, retraced my route back to my car.

About four and a half hours.