Paulinskill Valley Trail:
New Jersey
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Description:
For a dose of rural scenery, head to the northwest corner of New Jersey, where this 27-mile rail-trail cuts a nearly uninterrupted path along the banks of the Paulins Kill, a Delaware River tributary that gives the trail its name. (Kill is from the Dutch and refers to a creek; it is used in areas of New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and Delaware).

Farms line the corridor; you are likely to be in the company of equestrians, bicyclists and hikers. When the snow flies, skiers, snowshoers and even dog sled teams hit the route. There are occasional hints of the railroad that carried coal, produce and dairy products to points east on the corridor. Look for the original railroad mileage posts.

From the trailhead in Knowlton Township, several miles east of the Delaware River, the trail travels east along the north side of the Paulins Kill. In about 1 mile you pass under the massive Paulinskill Viaduct, also know as the Hainsburg Viaduct, an impressive structure built by the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad in 1910. With seven arches reaching 115 feet up and stretching 1,100 feet from end to end, the viaduct was the world's largest reinforced concrete structure in its time.

At about Mile 5, the trail passes through the Blairstown Airport, known for its glider rides over the Kittatinny Mountain Ridge. A runway restaurant with picnic tables provides front-row viewing of the planes and gliders. Lake Susquehanna is just to the south of the trail.

In Blairstown Township, Footbridge Park is a good spot for taking a break or exploring the town. A large parking area makes this an informal trailhead for the rail-trail. The trail crosses the Paulinskill several times over the next 4.5 miles. Upon reaching Stillwater Road, the stream and the trail diverge, and the trail enters a wooded wetland.

Just before Paulinskill Lake the route is interrupted by a missing bridge. A side path descends from the corridor to the road below. After crossing Sussex County Route 614, the path ascends back to the railroad grade. Back on the trail you get an elevated view of the long, skinny lake and the cottages that line its shores. Another bridge has been removed 2.25 miles farther at NJ Route 622. As before you must descend from the trail to the road and then climb back up to the elevated rail corridor. Exercise caution using these unmaintained side paths.

When the trail enters the Paulinskill Wildlife Management Area, near Paulins Kill Lake, wildlife abounds. You may encounter wild turkey, whitetailed deer and numerous species of birds and ducks as you make your way through the hardwood forests and wetlands.

Don't miss this connection: The Sussex Branch Trail intersects the Paulinskill Valley Trail in Warbasse Junction. A trailhead near this junction provides parking and a restroom on NJ Route 663. Beyond this point the trail is not well maintained, so be prepared for what could be an adventure.

The remaining 0.6 mile includes several stream crossings with narrow footbridges. This part of the trail is little used and not maintained, so it may be overgrown and blocked by fallen trees or vegetation. The right-of-way ends abruptly at an active rail corridor. There is no public road access here.

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Parking & Trail Access:
To reach the Station Road Trailhead in Knowltown Township from I-80, take the Columbia Exit and follow SR 94 east. Turn right on Station Road. The trailhead is on the right side of the road just past the stone arch bridge.

To reach the northeastern endpoint from Newton, take US 206/SR 94 north. Bear right and continue on SR 94. Turn right onto Warbasse Junction Road. The trailhead will be on your left.

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Reviews: [3 trail ratings]
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My thoughts on the PVRT
By mrbadguy13 in December, 2011
This is my favorite trail to ride and hike/walk. Its just a 3 minute ride from where i live to access a trail-head. I have done all of the trail by biking it. and to a degree walking as well. the only thing that prevented me from putting all stars for the rating are the 2 things mentioned earlier, about the end points. in the east at sparta junction, it is quite over grown, but passable still. easy to walk it. the other end, after crossing under the Viaduct, and heading towards columbia, is very over grown, and a mosquito swamp. A lot of deep mud. that does indeed stink, and fester. The rest of the trail? Its fantastic. a lot to see. i keep finding things to look at and discover. animals abound. i see frequent bear, fox, and of course deer. People are polite on this trail. If you are biking this trail, just give a shout out to let others know you are approaching. Its a pet peeve of mine that more cyclist don't do this on trails. Cant wait to ride now!
Nice trail but
By dutchess31 in October, 2011
While this is a scenic trail, it's not as well maintained overall (even before Irene) as the Columbia Trail. I rode the Paulinskill trail a couple of weeks ago and as the other reviewer said, it is very washed out and has many wet spots. This is especially true of the section between Fredon & Blairstown, which is the section I rode. On the Northern end, by Newton, the trail is narrow, has high weeds/grass on both sides of the trail, and no to little gravel, just dirt. The Columbia trail, on the other hand, is very well maintained with lots of gravel and wide. You don't have to move to the grass to let someone from the other direction pass.
Hurricane Irene took a toll, but trail still open
By dhoerl in September, 2011
Sat Sept 3, 2011, I rode the trail from Warbasse Junction to Portland, PA - almost 60 miles round trip. It's a bit depressing that not a single other person has posted information since my report of July 2010 - maybe no one on this site ever uses this wonderful trail.

Anyway, as of Sept 3rd the trail has sustained a lot of damage from Irene but is still open. I was bound and determined to get to Portland PA - that is, to ride the trail to the end, then take the Columbia access piece to get to Columbia NJ, then over the pedestrian bridge to PA.

The trail is suffering from washouts - the thin gravel veneer has washed off, or worse, gotten into soft piles that make it hard to bike across. Then, there must be 30 downed trees - do not underestimate the effort to over come these. Then many cuts and otherwise are covered in either water or mud.

That said, I did make the whole trail and back. The last mile to Brugler road was just horrible. About 100 feet of the trail was overgrown with huge weeds - I had to carry my bike over this section. But what waited was worse: about 200 feet of stream - the trail was completely underwater so I had to push my bike through this fecund odiferous water.

At the end - GREAT NEWS - the owner of the private road taking you to Brugler Road has remove the "Private" sign: there is a road gate on the South side, but you take the road to the West to get to Brugler. There is also a gate there but all the "Private" signs are gone!

From there road through Columbia Management Area to Rte 46, then over to PA. I rode back on Rte 94 to Station Road.

I met several groups of equestrians - had some nice chit chat with them. The trail is in much better shape the closer to Blairstown you are.

Again, this is a great trail and if you have not ridden it and you live in NJ your loss.
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