ABOUT THE PARK: Things To Do - Sandy Hook - National Park Service
$15 parking fee Memorial Day - Labor Day, otherwise no fee
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| The sign is a lilliputian misleading since dogs are non allowed on the beach from March fifteen - September 15. |
DIRECTIONS: GPS Coordinates 40.426093, -73.984232
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| The far goal of Parking Lot D. |
TRAIL MAPS: Sandy Hook Trail Map - National Park Service
Fort Hancock Map - National Park Service
HIKE DISTANCE: 8.9 miles
THE HIKE:  |
| We headed direct for the beach because I wanted to grab the early on morn Sun before clouds started rolling in. |
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| New York City waaaaaay upward ahead. |
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| We left the beach heading towards the visitor center. |
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| Around to the correct of the visitor view ... |
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| ... in addition to thence across Hartshorne Drive ... |
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| ... to a boardwalk. |
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| Spermaceti Cove |
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| There is supposed to live a loop trail at the goal of the boardwalk through a holly wood but it was closed. |
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| So dorsum over to the visitor view inward search of the hiking trail. |
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| The hiking trail was nowhere to live constitute thence nosotros cutting through Parking Lot E... |
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| ... in addition to headed dorsum to the beach. |
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| Ah ha, from the beach I spotted a trail marker. |
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| This trail Pb to .... |
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| ... Nike Pond ... |
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| ... which has been overtaken past times phragmites. The trail continued to the left, likely the business office I could non find, thence I decided to run that means on the provide road to run across where it comes out. |
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| Lots of deer hang out dorsum here. |
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| Back at that dilapidated trail marking ... |
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| ... in addition to dorsum on the beach. |
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| Our initiatory of all balloon of the twenty-four threescore minutes catamenia (#6 of the year) but it would non live our last. |
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| Another trail marking on the beach. |
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| We weren't going to live able to run on along the beach without going into the H2O (we could on the provide road because tide was lower past times then). |
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| Coney Island |
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| We turned left on Fishing Beach Road ... |
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| ... where the South Beach Dune Trail (yay a sign!) crossed over. We went right, left would live the provide route. |
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| Three robins inward a tree. |
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| A robin, a cedar waxwing in addition to a woman soul eventide grosbeak . I had no thought what the eventide grosbeak was (lower right) thence I posted the motion-picture demo to a aeroplane ID grouping on Facebook. Not alone did I larn the ID correct away but was also told this is a real rare discovery inward NJ. On overstep of that, I did non fifty-fifty know the aeroplane was inward the motion-picture demo until I uploaded it on my laptop. |
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| Robins hanging out alongside cedar waxwings. |
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| A tree of cedar waxwings. |
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| The trail ends at the paved multi-use trail. |
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| A lilliputian chip ahead, crossing dorsum over Hartshorne Drive to ... |
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| Horseshoe Cove |
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| This mallard twosome stalked us begging for handouts. No doubtfulness it is what they quest maintain run conditioned to :( |
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| This guy constitute his ain breakfast. |
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| Red-breasted Merganser |
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| Back on the multi-use trail. |
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| Coming into Fort Hancock. |
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| Running brusk on time, nosotros left the multi-use path in addition to cutting through town to ... |
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| ... the Sandy Hook Lighthouse |
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| Into the mortar battery across the street. |
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| Staying behind the wall, this comes correct dorsum out on the multi-use trail. |
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| Again, due to fourth dimension restraints, turned correct equally much equally I would quest maintain liked to quest maintain explored more. |
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| Battery Gunnison |
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| And dorsum to the beach. I had intended to accept the multi-use path dorsum but walking on pavement is thence boring. Walking on sand is non easy. Sand it is. |
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| Not inward March alongside a snowfall tempest a comin inward a few hours. |
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| Looking dorsum at the lighthouse from Gunnison Beach. |
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| I saw this lilliputian semipalmated sandpiper heading to the correct all past times himself. |
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| He met upward alongside a zillion of them heading direct for him. |
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| Then they all simply sort of stood around. Maybe they were having problems finding the trail too. |
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| Northern Mockingbird |
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| Now that the tide is low, nosotros tin rest correct on the beach without getting wet. But what is that upward ahead? |
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| A balloon total of aureate foil things. |
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| I did non desire to popular it in addition to shipping aureate foil things all over the house thence I tied the balloon to Brodie's pack. |
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| Look how total his pack is, equally were the pockets of my backpack. It's all materials nosotros picked up. |
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| Back on Fishing Beach Road from earlier. |
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| Now a left on the South Beach Dune Trail. |
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| It did non terminal real long before ... |
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| ... ending upward dorsum on the beach again. |
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| Back on that trail to Nike Pond... |
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| ... in addition to thence staying left at the pond in addition to next the trail I could non discovery at the commencement of the hike. |
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| It comes out at the narrow paved path at the visitor view where correct leads to the boardwalk, left to the beach but in that place is no sign in addition to it is real slowly to miss. |
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| A brusk distance on the multi-use trail dorsum to our car. And that balloon alongside aureate foil things inward it? Brodie rubbed upward against a thorny branch, it popped, in addition to aureate things went everywhere. Well, nosotros tried. |
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| But nosotros did choose out, are yous laid upward for this? TWENTY THREE Mylar balloons, 3 vinyl balloons in addition to other assorted litter. And nosotros did non fifty-fifty brand a dent inward the litter that was there. I had to halt taking balloons because nosotros could deport no more. |
