Hike Description:

The 3,500-acre Mahlon Dickerson Reservation is the largest park in the Morris County park system. It has a number of developed recreational facilities, but also many remote sections. This hike traverses less-developed sections of the reservation. For the most part, it follows the white-blazed Pine Swamp Loop Trail, but it also includes the loop of the Purple Trail, which follows a cascading stream for part of the way.

From the north end of the parking area, follow a paved service road marked with the teal diamond blazes of the Highlands Trail, passing through a picnic area. When the paving ends, proceed ahead on a gravel road, continuing to follow the teal blazes.

In 0.2 mile, you’ll reach a T-intersection with a sign, which marks the start of the loop of the Pine Swamp Loop Trail. Turn right and head downhill on a gravel road, now following both white and teal blazes. After crossing a brook, bear left at a fork (the right fork, blazed with black diamond-on-teal diamond blazes as a spur of the Highlands Trail, leads to the Snow Bowl parking area on Weldon Road). The trail now begins a gradual ascent.

At the top of the climb, you’ll reach an intersection with a bench and a kiosk. Here, the Purple Trail crosses. Turn right, leaving the road, and follow the Purple Trail into the woods on a footpath. After traversing a level area, the trail descends gradually and curves to the left, joining a woods road that comes in from the right. In a short distance, you’ll reach a limited viewpoint (partially obscured by vegetation) over the Jefferson High School and Middle School below and the hills beyond.

The Purple Trail continues to descend. At the base of the descent, the trail reaches a cascading brook and turns left to parallel it, heading upstream. The trail bears left, away from the brook, descends to the brook in an area where the brook widens into several branches, then again bears left and climbs away from the brook.

The Purple Trail ends at a wide woods road – the route of the white-blazed Pine Swamp Loop Trail. Turn right and follow the trail downhill to cross a brook (the same brook that the Purple Trail parallels) on a wooden footbridge. The trail now climbs gently and bears left at a fork, continuing through dense thickets of mountain laurel. Soon, it bears right and continues on a footpath, which approaches Sparta Mountain Road, just to the right.

At the next intersection, the trail turns left onto a woods road. Then, at the following intersection, the White Dot Trail (black dot on white) proceeds ahead on the woods road, but you should turn right to continue on the joint Pine Swamp Loop/Highlands Trail.

The joint Pine Swamp Loop/Highlands Trail crosses a stream on a boardwalk and again approaches Sparta Mountain Road. Here, the Highlands Trail turns right, but you should turn left to continue on the white-blazed Pine Swamp Loop Trail, which climbs a little, levels off, and gradually descends.

After bearing right at a junction with the western end of the White Dot Trail, you’ll begin to notice hemlock and mountain laurel along the trail. You’re now entering the Pine Swamp, after which the trail is named. Characterized by spruce, hemlock, rhododendron and mountain laurel, this swamp is remote and gives a feeling of deep wilderness. For the next half mile, the trail follow a woods road through this interesting swamp. 

After crossing another stream, the trail climbs slightly to reach a junction. The Green Trail begins on the right, but you should bear left to continue along the white-blazed trail.

Still on a wide woods road, the trail now climbs gradually to the highest point in Morris County (1,395 feet), marked by a bench and a sign placed by the Morris County Park Commission. The actual high point is a short distance to the right of the trail.

The trail now begins a steady but gentle descent. Just ahead, it reaches a fork where the Red Dot Trail (black dot on red) begins on the right, but you should bear left to continue on the white-blazed Pine Swamp Loop Trail. In another half mile, after a slight climb, you’ll reach a junction. Turn left here, then left again in another 75 feet (where the Red Trail, on the right, leads to the trailer area). The second turn once marked the beginning of the green-blazed Boulder Trail, named for the interesting large boulders which can be seen on both sides of the trail. The green blazes have been obliterated (you should continue to follow the white blazes), but the boulders remain.

In another half mile, a triple blaze marks the start of the Purple Dot Trail (black dot on purple), which proceeds ahead on the woods road, but you should turn right onto a footpath, continuing to follow the white blazes. When the footpath ends, the trail turns right onto a woods road, briefly joining the Purple Trail. Then, in 100 feet, it turns left onto another road (following the sign to the “picnic area”). At the next T-intersection, you turn left again and soon reach the start of the loop of the Pine Swamp Loop Trail (marked by a sign). Turn right (again following the sign to the “picnic area”), and follow the road back to the parking area where the hike began.