Hacklebarney State Park - Long Valley, NJ - Wikipedia Entries on Waymarking.com

"The freshwater Black River briskly cuts its way through rocky Hacklebarney State Park, cascading around boulders in the hemlock-lined ravine. Two tributaries, Rinehart and Trout Brooks, also course their way through this glacial valley, feeding the Black River. Even in the heat of midsummer, the temperature of Black River gorge is cool and refreshing.

Three rare and endangered plant species exist within the park: American ginseng, leatherwood and Virginia pennywort. Over a hundred bird species and wildlife such as black bear, woodchuck, deer and fox live in the park.

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There were a few people working at the welcome center when I arrived. One of the young men who was a college student (geology) gave me a guided tour of the field and inspired me to do an earthcache Falling for the HIghlands). This is supposed to be the sister park of Voorhees State Park, which is very nearby.

There is very limited access for handicapped people. There are restrooms, water fountains and a few trails to investigate the area. I had a very nice time, stayed for a few hours and learned a great deal about the local geography.

"Deep in the ravines of Trout and Rinehart Brooks are remote places that one can view the glacial moraine of millennia ago, when an ice sheet covered the region. The rock strewn landscape is all that remains of that major geological event; it is also a place that is endowed with a fascinating history.

It is said that the word Hacklebarney has a Native American derivation. Depending on which source one reads, it may have come from the words haki, meaning “ground” and barney, a variation of bonihen, “to put wood on fire,” or hakiboni, “to put wood on a fire on the ground” or “bonfire.” Other explanations come by way of the area’s iron-mining history. The first concerns an iron mine foreman named Barney Tracey, who was lovingly but persistently heckled by his workmen – hence the name “Heckle” Barney. Another tradition says the name came from the Irish miners and their home village in Cork County. Finally, the land near the Hacklebarney forge may have been owned by a Barney Hackle.

Whatever the origin of its name, we do know that Hacklebarney Memorial State Forest Park Reservation, or Hacklebarney State Park, as it is now called, was established because of the generosity and vision of Adolphe and Sarah Borie. Their vision for Hacklebarney has endured long after their deaths and continues to guide the destiny of the park once described as “the most beautiful park in New Jersey.”

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I also found this interesting excerpt from the American Guide Series:

"Left on this twisting road to Hacklebarney State Park, 1m.. 137 acres of hemlock, mature hardwood, dogwood, laurel, and azalea. The gorge of Black River, a good trout stream, runs through the park and flowering shrubs and ferns. Although the park has no roads, it is well covered by trails for hikers and is equipped with fireplaces for picnicking. A parking area for automobiles is at the entrance. In early days the land was owned by an Irish settler named Barney Hackle, " --- New Jersey, a Guide to Its Present and Past, 1939; page 514