The Paulinskill Valley Trail is a

rail trail A rail trail or railway walk is a shared-use path on a Right of way#Rail right of way, railway right of way. Rail trails are typically constructed after a railway has been abandoned and the track has been removed but may also share the rail corr ...

along the

Paulins Kill The Paulins Kill (also known as Paulinskill River) is a tributary of the Delaware River in northwestern New Jersey in the United States. With a long-term median flow rate of 76 cubic feet of water per second (2.15 m3/s), it is New Jers ...

river in

New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...

. It is the sixth longest trail in the state at . It was originally the mainline right-of-way of the

New York, Susquehanna and Western Railroad The New York, Susquehanna and Western Railway , also referred to as the Susie-Q or the Susquehanna, and formerly the New York, Susquehanna and Western Railroad, is an American Railroad classes#Class II, Class II Rail freight transport, freight r ...

and the predecessor

Blairstown Railway {{Blairstown Railway The Blairstown Railway (BRWY) opened in 1877 and ran between Blairstown, New Jersey, Blairstown and Delaware, Warren County, New Jersey, Delaware, New Jersey, a distance of approximately 12 miles (19 km). The single-t ...

which was later purchased by the Susquehanna.

Description

Vestiges of the railroad remain including several bridges, stations, mileage markers, telegraph poles and other railway artifacts like buildings both still standing and ruined. There are also numerous benches and signs explaining the history of the trail and what remains of the railroad. Over 200 species of birds have been sighted on the trail as well as a multitude of other wildlife. The Paulinskill Valley Trail intersects the Sussex Branch Trail at Warbasse Junction just north of Newton. as well as the 3.5-mile Great Valley Rail Trail, along Paulins Kill Lake. The trail is frequented by hikers, bicyclists, joggers and people who are just out for a stroll. Horseback riding is also permitted. Access is denied to motor vehicles, however, although trailheads typically provide some modest amount of parking. Although the trail is generally well-maintained from the

Paulinskill Viaduct The Paulinskill Viaduct, also known as the Hainesburg Viaduct, is a reinforced concrete railroad bridge that crosses the Paulins Kill in Knowlton Township, New Jersey. When completed in 1910, it was the largest reinforced concrete structure in ...

north, south of that location the quality of the trail is somewhat uneven. Over the years there have been surprisingly few encroachments onto the right-of-way. The most notable encroachment is at Blairstown Airport where the trail ceases to exist for about a half-mile (1 km). Signage directs the hiker to where the trail continues.

History

In 1886, the New York, Susquehanna and Western Railroad built the first part of the

railway tracks Railway track ( and UIC terminology) or railroad track (), also known as permanent way () or "P way" ( and Indian English), is the structure on a railway or railroad consisting of the rails, fasteners, sleepers (railroad ties in American E ...

that is now the trail. In 1962, the railroad ceased its operations on this line, and the tracks were removed. In 1985, the

New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) is a government agency in the U.S. state of New Jersey that is responsible for managing the state's natural resources and addressing issues related to pollution. NJDEP now has a staf ...

organized a meeting in Blairstown to decide what should be done with the intention of buying the land. A year later, in 1986, the NJDEP bought the land.

Bibliography

* * * * * *

References

External links

Paulinskill Valley Trail Committee

Trail history & Breakdown of each section

{{Rail trails in New Jersey Rail trails in New Jersey Protected areas of Sussex County, New Jersey Protected areas of Warren County, New Jersey Bike paths in New Jersey