Maple Flats trailStart off from the parking lot and enter the woods at the main entrance. There are two trail posts marking the trail. There are a series of trail posts with numbers and geometric shapes.
When you reach trail post #1 go to the left and the trail will be marked with a triangle and a square. If you proceed straight up the hill the trail will be marked with a square which is called the Ridge Trail, but this is a separate walk.
Turn left at trail post #1 and cross a wooden bridge. It is a gradual uphill through this section and drier than the trails off to the south. At trail #2 you will turn right and walk up through large oak trres. You will cross a boardwalk with a fallen tree on either side. The trail becomes rocky and steeper at this point.
Cross another boardwalk and look for trail post#3. Turn left and continue on the trail here you will see a large boulder on your right. Emerge from the woods and you will be on the right of way of the pipeline. The left fork is the Triangle/Square Trail. Follow this and cross two more boardwalks. These wooden structures are particularly nice in the late winter and spring when the trails are very muddy. The trail meanders through two more boardwalks and comes out of the woods at trail post #11. You may turn right and walk down the hill on the right of way for the pipeline which takes you back to the base of the pond and the parking lot beyond. If you wish to complete the Maple Flats trail reenter the woods on the opposite side of the pipeline right of way and follow to tail post #12. Turn right and follow down hill to Trail Post #13 and then to the parking lot.
Ridge Trail Enter at the main trail head and enter the woods. Trails markers consist of geometric shapes posted to trees and wooden posts in the ground: square, triangle and circle. You will see tulip, oak, and black walnut trees along the way. Walk across wooden walkway to reach trail post#1 and turn left. Cross wooden bridge and follow to trail post #2(the large #2 is missing from the second trail posts but it is easily recognizable). At the beginning you will see both triangle and square tree symbols. Take the right fork and the trail climbs uphill. You will start to see Gray or Black birch trees and Basswood. Basswood was used by Native Americans during the winter and the "Hunger Moon." In February they would eat the buds from this tree. A third walkway leads to trail post# 3 where you make a slight right onto an uphill route. There are no tree symbols between posts 3 and 4.
In the summer months you will a variety of ferns along the way. There is also spicebush along the trail. Spicebush shows as yellow leaves in fall and has yellow flowers in the spring. Near trail post #4 the forest opens up and you will notice smaller trees such as Shagbark hickory (note the characteristic bark that appears to look like curled pencil shavings on the tree trunk) and Red Maple.
After you pass trail post #4 trail descends again as you approach trail post#5. At trail post #5 a fifth wooden walkway leads to a downhill creek; if you bear left you get a panorama of the Sourlands. Then you can bear right to continue onto Trail post #6. The distance to post #6 is considerable.
At this point you may descend the Texas Eastern pipeline right of way and go down hill to reach the pond and the parking lot, or continue up the hill a short distance (turn right) and follow into the woods on the Ridge Trail marked with a Square to trail post#6. There are two more boardwalks through this area. Once you reach Trail Post#6 there is a very steep section of trail with a handrail. You will then begin your descent to trail post#7. Turn right at Trail post#7 and travel to Trail Post #8 near a brook. The trail meanders again and there is another boardwalk that takes you to trail post#9. Continue straight and follow square trail markers to #10. You turn right downhill to #11 and again emerge from the woods at the pipeline right of way. Return into woods on the opposite side to find trail post #12 and trail post #13 which brings you back to the bottom of the hill and near the parking lot. The tree markers were posted with a square above a triangle on the final lap of the hike.
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