Emma G.
Yelp
***3 1/2 stars***
South Mountain is one of those places I often end up hiking at by default because it's in a really convenient location - half an hour from home, and easily accessible for other chums by virtue of being a few minutes off 78. It's definitely gotten more crowded over the years, but not oppressively so for the most part, and the terrain is rugged and diverse enough to provide a decent workout.
I came here with one of my chums for a 5.8-mile Saturday midday hike. Our itinerary took us from the Locust Grove parking lot, up the yellow Lenape Trail to Washington Rock, north to Maple Falls and Balls Bluff, before arriving at Hemlock Falls for a quick break. The return trip took us on both the Rahway and River trails (they intersect a ton), before finishing up on the Fairy Trail back to the parking lot. If you're going later in the morning, the parking lot will likely be full - we ended up parking across the street at the library. Not a huge deal, and tons of free spaces on the weekend.
The initial climb up to Washington Rock is really the only significant challenge from a wind standpoint, and I like to get that sort of workout done early on before the haunches get tired. It's a solid warmup for the rest of the adventure, especially since the final mile or two is almost completely flat down by the Rahway River. There is some mild up and down the rest of the way to the waterfalls, but nothing insane. We saw a lot of hikers, old and young, fit and not-so-fit, and no one seemed particularly troubled by the terrain.
The biggest downsides for me are the touristy areas by Hemlock Falls and the Fairy Trail. If you're into photo ops, it's tough to get one of the waterfalls that doesn't have a handful of children romping about in front of the camera. And I may be biased when it comes to the Fairy Trail because my first visit to it years ago was purely accidental and there was no one around (it seemed to get a ton of publicity over the past few years that really ramped up the crowd factor), so it had kind of a magical quality like you just stumbled across a fun, fantastical secret. It doesn't have that anymore, unless you're about 4 years old, and they've actually had to cordon off certain areas of it because the nearby foliage is getting trampled. It's a shame, and I honestly don't know how you rectify it at this point.
By and large, the trail markings were excellent. Not only were intersections often noted, but they included a "you are here" map for perspective. Love that touch. A few of the trails weren't marked, and we did get slightly off track during an attempt to locate the dog park, but I at least partially blame us for getting distracted from our official route. Also, it's almost impossible to get authentically lost in an Essex County park - at some point, you're going to come in contact with a highway.
The bathroom situation is one of the better ones. The parking lot has not one, but THREE port-a-potties, though only one of them had toilet paper at the time. (I always recommend carrying a roll in your backpack because...you never know). South Mountain is also one of the more civilized parks in the area in the sense that it's super kid friendly in parts with some touristy sections, so if you really need to find bathroom accommodations at some point on your journey, it's not too difficult.
The canine situation was excellent. We had double-digit pooch sightings, including a German Shepard puppy named Cora who was still mastering the art of licking without nibbling, as well as a noble creature named Benny (see attached).
This park is a little too civilized for my taste, especially because of the crowds and traffic noises in several stretches, but it has enough unique features to make this one a positive recommendation overall.
