Vernon’s Stairway to Heaven from Route 94. (Photo by Bill Truran)
One of my major goals when I began this column was to inform readers about the history of our area.
Another was to highlight aspects of our beautiful Sussex County that newcomers may not be familiar with or that longtime residents may have forgotten, overlooked or not noticed because they are always present.
So, with summer in full swing, I’d like to review some “staycation” fun and healthy activities.
Here, I’d like to speak about some peaks. The peaks are mountain peaks.
Sussex County is in the New Jersey Highlands region.
While much of the nation knows of New Jersey as the Shore, we are also the Garden State because of the truck farming (as I learned it as a kid, that meant produce, such as tomatoes and lettuce, was trucked to market).
So the Highlands is where we live with lakes, vales and mountains.
Sussex County has the highest point in the state. You can follow Route 23 to the upper parts of the northwestern section of the county. Here are vast state parks of Stokes and High Point.
If you go to the High Point Monument, you can just sit in your car and see almost the whole width of our county, over toward the east to the ski areas and almost to West Milford and Passaic County.
Previous columns spoke in detail about the park. Here’s a little “history and mystery”: the stately Kuser Mansion had, about 1910, two Civil War cannon and caisson reputedly from the Sussex Squadron of General Kilpatrick’s Harris Light Cavalry regiment, and these artillery batteries have disappeared without a trace.
Another car trip is to Sunrise Mountain. Here is another great view of our county from a rock outcrop over a steep slope. Only 100 yards away is one of the grand stone structures representative of the trail shelters along the Appalachian Trail; it includes another vista of the valley of our county.
It is not often that you can see one of the strong and large stone shelters that through-hikers (those going from Georgia to Maine) look forward to sleeping in or nearby.
About 8 miles south of Sussex County is a world-class feature shared by New Jersey: the Delaware Water Gap. Going along Route 80 West, you can pull into the lot right before the bridge and park to take the Tammany Trail. An outstanding hike is about 1.3 miles up to the top, three hours or so round-trip. Further along the trail atop the mountain is the beautiful Sunfish Pond.
Vernon has a scenic walking path through wetlands, then a cow pasture, with the route known as the Pochuck Boardwalk. If you are ready for a good climbing hike, then you can continue up the mountain on what is called the Stairway to Heaven. You could proceed to the Wawayanda State Park facilities and activities further along the mountain.
The last two mountaintop activities are real hikes. Be safe, prepared and in shape; take precautions; and carry essentials.
These trips are certainly ways to get the lay of the land here, and, really, you can’t top this!
I hope you enjoy summer and the wonderful vistas and sights of our Sussex County before the season passes into fall, creating new adventures to pursue.
Bill Truran, Sussex County’s historian, may be contacted at billt1425@gmail.com