Scenic Overlook
September 17, 2007
Here’s a brisk fall hike that’s just long enough to give you a cardio workout, but with an even greater benefit.
Stop by the Tourne, a sprawling 540 acre Morris County park that encompasses land in Denville, Mountain Lakes and Boonton Township. You could choose a long flat hike through the scenic woods and meadows that ultimately leads to Birchwood Lake. Or you can climb to the top.
The Overlook trail loop is roughly a half-hour walk. The first few minutes are deceptively level, but plan to chug upwards for about ten minutes, until the angle gets a bit kinder as the trail encircles the top of the hill.
At the top, you are at nearly 900 feet. At one clearing, your view is the pristine, undeveloped highlands to the north. Next overlook, you’ll see the walls of trees that cover the Tourne, to the south.
But the lookout that faces due east will stop your trek. A gap in the trees, from where you stand on the jutting rocks at the top.
It is one of the rare views across 40 miles of northern New Jersey that catches just a hint of the city skyline in the distance. To mark the spot, there is a simple memorial to the fallen World Trade Center towers. A simple wooden pole, decorated with yellow ribbon, a bundle of flags, some stuffed animals, and a sun-faded photo of the skyline with still standing towers.
You can catch your breath here. The little memorial—–and the photo—fills in the gap with a poignant reminder of how this view has changed.
Here, at the top of the Tourne, you are closer to New York City than you ever imagined.
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