Highpoint #3: New Jersey

Standing before the Highpoint in New Jersey

Standing in front of the Official Plaque

On the east coast, it can be difficult to put together a road trip just to visit a single highpoint.  The activity is fun and all, but some of the highpoints are just not that compelling, or they are compelling but not worthy of an all-day drive just to see them.   However, if one has a road trip in the works anyway, then it is a pretty easy matter to tack on a nearby highpoint as an additional stop.  This is exactly what I did on Sunday when I drove to NYC to run the Bronx 10-Miler.  Northwest New Jersey was not all that much out of the way on the drive back to Washington, D.C.  Why not make a slight deviation to visit the highpoint there?  It could not have been easier. 

View of the High Point Monument from a Distance

Detailed View of High Point Monument

New Jersey might be the Garden State, but the state does have some mountains.  The Kittatinny mountain range, a subset of the Appalachian mountains, actually runs through the northwest corner of the state.  The highest peak in this range is called “High Point” and has an elevation of 1,803 feet.  Yes, the highpoint is actually called High Point.  To make it easy to visit, I suppose, High Point is located in High Point State Park and has a road to the top.  

The Steps to the Top, Inside of the Monument

The state park is pretty nice.  It stands out among state parks that I have visited, and, if I lived in the area, I would definitely make regular visits here.  The signage is very good to figure out which turns to make to arrive at the summit.  At one point, you will see a lake and a hill in the distance with a very large obelisk-shaped monument on top of it.  That’s the destination.  The road leads all the way up the hill, culminating in a parking lot just short of the monument.  The parking lot affords great views of the peaceful countryside all around.  The push to the summit, if you will, is just a short paved hill easily walkable in a minute or two (see top photo for a good view of the hill). 

View from the Top of the Monument

The monument itself is most impressive!  Seriously, it rises 220 feet above the natural highpoint for the state.  It’s so high, one has to stand by the parking lot to get a picture in frame with it.  Considering that many state highpoints have little more than a small sign or a tiny geodetic marker, New Jersey is especially impressive in making a mountain out of a molehill.  It is for a good cause though.  The monument was erected in 1930 to commemorate those who have fallen in war.  It is a fitting place for a tribute as it stands prominently and sees many visitors. 

View from the Top of the Monument

One can, of course, enter the monument and even climb to the top.  For the purpose of highpointing, this is an entirely optional exercise.  The goal is simply to reach the “natural” highpoints in each state.  With that said though, it did not seem fitting to come all this way without trying my hand at “climbing” to the top.  The steps go on for quite awhile, but it is possible to get to the top in less than 5 minutes, if you are reasonably fit.  I had just run a race that morning, so I was more than primed.  At the top deck, there are 4 windows looking outwards in each cardinal direction.  Three of them were obscured by condensation, so that really only left one dramatic view to take in.  Fortunately, it was a good one.  This is a pretty part of the country.  It was great to spend some time to enjoy it.  Upon descending, I spent even more time just soaking up the beauty.  This was not an especially difficult highpoint to get to, but it was a rather nice one.  This would be a great one to do on a motorcycle on a beautiful day.  It’s not a bad place to have a picnic either.  Gorgeous views just abound!  

One of the Many Gorgeous Views!