NJ Pine Barrens planning

[natureboy68]

Ok, thanks you guys! Due to the cold rainy weather, and time to catch up here, I've decided to go down to the pine barrens and hike the batona, my idea is to park at batso, is this a safe place for a car overnight? Then hike to lower forge, then back via Mullica river trail, or would a better option be to hump it all the way to batona camp and back? I could do two nights, but I won't have options for a shuttle, just an out and back...and I'm thinking July mid-week, I know the ticks will be bad, my gear is permethrin treated, and living on LI I've gotten pretty good at avoiding ticks and chiggers (which are actually lone star tick nymphs), so any advice is appreciated!! Thanks to kayak karl, silver surfer, silent bob, and all the other locals for inspiration!

[SilvrSurfr]

Ok, thanks you guys! Due to the cold rainy weather, and time to catch up here, I've decided to go down to the pine barrens and hike the batona, my idea is to park at batso, is this a safe place for a car overnight? Then hike to lower forge, then back via Mullica river trail, or would a better option be to hump it all the way to batona camp and back? I could do two nights, but I won't have options for a shuttle, just an out and back...and I'm thinking July mid-week, I know the ticks will be bad, my gear is permethrin treated, and living on LI I've gotten pretty good at avoiding ticks and chiggers (which are actually lone star tick nymphs), so any advice is appreciated!! Thanks to kayak karl, silver surfer, silent bob, and all the other locals for inspiration!

Your car is perfectly safe at Batsto.

In summer I tend to stay between Batsto and Lower Forge. Plenty of places to cool off in the Mullica or Batsto rivers since it's so darned hot in summer.

Depends on whether you want mileage or not - I've humped from Batsto to Batona - it's a pretty easy 12 miles or so but you won't be seeing the rivers from Lower Forge to Batona.

[natureboy68]

Cool! Good advice, That reminds me, any chance for fishing on any of those rivers?

[SilvrSurfr]

I've seen plenty of people fishing, but not sure what they're fishing for. One guy said he had caught some sunnies and a catfish. I was aware they had catfish, but didn't know sunnies could thrive in the acidic water.

[kayak karl]

Batsto, Bass River, Atsion Ranger Station and Brenden Byrne State Park are safe to park.
There are many two day trips:
Start at Batsto:
to Hawkins then Batona and back
to Hawkins then Lower Forge and back
to Hawkins then Mullica and back
to Goshen Pond then Batona and back
To Bodine then Hawkins and back

http://goo.gl/maps/WQKE

PM me your address and i'll mail you the maps of the park. there are other blazed trail other the Batona(Pink blaze)

KK&K

[kayak karl]

it's pickerel season http://forums.njpinebarrens.com/thre...3/#post-111544

[natureboy68]

Holy crap! NJ must be in bad financial shape!! $5/night plus $9.95 reservation fee!! Hope it goes to good use, and not the "general fund"...for lower forge CG BTW...

[SilvrSurfr]

I think the website reservation system gets the $9.95 for providing this wonderful electronic reservation system that is tent-centric and reduces the capacity of every campground by 75 percent. As an NJ resident, I was paying $3 last year and never saw a campsite sold out. Oh for the good old days!

[Ratdog]

Do we still pay the $9.95 if we just go to Atsion or Batsto and register?

[SilvrSurfr]

Holy crap! NJ must be in bad financial shape!! $5/night plus $9.95 reservation fee!! Hope it goes to good use, and not the "general fund"...for lower forge CG BTW...

When are you going and what site do you have reserved?