Brendan T. Byrne State Forest - Your Passport to Adventure - New Lisbon, NJ
N 39° 53.691 W 074° 34.508
18S E 536322 N 4416173
Formerly known as Lebanon State Forest, this is a popular geocaching and hiking spot. There is a terrific ranger station/welcome center (posted cords) to visit and some historic sites as well.
Waymark Code: WM87XR
Location: New Jersey, United States
Date Posted: 02/16/2010
Views: 8
Passport Program Information
The NJ Parks and Forests Service came out with a passport book for collecting stamps for visiting a select sampling of our states parks, forests and historic sites. Many fine places did not make the list but many beautiful and culturally important sites did make the list so I suppose it all evens out in the end. The passport book is divided into 3 sections, north, central and south Jersey. This stamp and Brendan T. Byrne State Forest represent the fourth listing for the Southern N.J. section. If it was not for the release of a puzzle cache a few years ago and my obsession at the time for first to finds, I would never have visited all 24 sites of central and southern NJ. The puzzle cache is called Passport To Adventure (South Jersey Challenge) and can be found HERE. The stamp and the passport books are free. To find out more about our fabulous passport program please visit HERE. The stamp for this park features Pakim Pond. It is the center of the forest's recreational activities and provides an area for swimming and a serene setting for boating and canoeing. There are also some sweet paddle-tos if you have half a mind.
The coordinates are for the main office and interpretive center. This is where one would get the stamp for the Passport to Adventure booklet. The left page, opposite the stamp reads "Nestled within Brendan T. Byrne State Forest is Whitesbog Village, a 19th-and 20th century blueberry- and cranberry-producing community where Elizabeth White cultivated the high-bush blueberry you see in supermarkets today. Adventurers can follow the sandy trails and roads that crisscross the forest. Walk through a cedar swamp in the forest's natural area, where you can enjoy a cool breeze and the sweet smell of magnolia"
Each page has fast facts beneath the narrative (see accompanying picture). Fast facts for this forest include keeping watch for the winter swam migration, insect eating plants (trail guide available to help you identify each species), and the annual blueberry festival in June. Finally, you can learn why blueberries only grow in acid soil.
Brendan T. Byrne State Forest Information
Whitesbog was an active 19th and 20th-century cranberry and blueberry producing community. This company town was founded in the 1870s by Joseph J. White. The commercial high-bush blueberry was developed here by Elizabeth White. Once a thriving town and one of the largest cranberry farms in the state, the now silent village is an example of the changes in agriculture in this state. The site is undergoing restoration and is leased to the Whitesbog Preservation Trust, a nonprofit organization dedicated to the restoration of the village. For more information on the village and events sponsored by the Trust, call (609) 893-4646.
Brendan T. Byrne State Forest has more than 25 miles of marked trails. The various trails and loops provide challenges ranging from long single track hiking trails to a trail accessible for people with disabilities. The Batona Trail is designed for hiking, cross country skiing, and snow shoeing (weather permitting). The Mount Misery Trail allows visitors the additional option of mountain biking, and the Cranberry Trail allows for access by wheelchairs in addition to all the other uses listed above.
The Batona Trail is almost 50 miles in length and links Brendan T. Byrne, Wharton, and Bass River State Forests. This portion of the Batona Trail is maintained by the NJ State Park Service and the Batona Hiking Club.