The Sussex Branch Trail is a
rail trail
A rail trail is a shared-use path on 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 right of way with active railways, light rail, or streetca ...
in
New Jersey
New Jersey is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York (state), New York; on the ea ...
,
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...
, with a total length of .
The Sussex Branch Trail follows a portion of the
Sussex Branch line of the former
Erie Lackawanna Railroad
The Erie Lackawanna Railway , known as the Erie Lackawanna Railroad until 1968, was formed from the 1960 merger of the Erie Railroad and the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western Railroad. The official motto of the line was "The Friendly Service Route ...
(and predecessor
Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad that traverses through
Sussex County from
Allamuchy Mountain State Park in
Byram Township to
Branchville.
New Jersey acquired the right-of-way for the trail in two transactions during 1979 and 1982.
The trail transects swamps, lakes, fields and several small communities. There are many features of the trail's former life as a railroad, including cuts through bedrock, underpasses for farm equipment and bridges crossing the
Pequest River and
Paulinskill River. It goes under the
Pequest Fill south of
Andover
Andover may refer to:
Places Australia
*Andover, Tasmania
Canada
* Andover Parish, New Brunswick
* Perth-Andover, New Brunswick
United Kingdom
* Andover, Hampshire, England
** RAF Andover, a former Royal Air Force station
United States
* And ...
. The cinder base of the trail is suitable for hiking, horseback riding, biking and cross-country skiing. The Sussex Branch Trail also crosses through
Kittatinny Valley State Park
Kittatinny Valley State Park is located in Andover Township and extends into Andover Borough, New Jersey. Features include Glacial lakes, limestone outcroppings, former railroads, and a small airport. Lake Aeroflex and Gardner's Pond form p ...
.
The Sussex Branch Trail intersects the
Paulinskill Valley Trail
The Paulinskill Valley Trail is a rail trail along the Paulins Kill river in New Jersey. It is the sixth longest trail in the state at . It was originally a right-of-way of the New York, Susquehanna and Western Railroad and the Blairstown Railway. ...
at Warbasse Junction
just north of Newton
as well as the 3.5-mile Great Valley Rail Trail in
Augusta, south of Branchville, New Jersey.
Gallery
File:Sussex Branch Trail, Andover, NJ - Morris and Sussex Turnpike crossing.jpg, Overpass for the Morris and Sussex Turnpike
File:Sussex Branch Tunnel under Pequest Fill, Andover, NJ - looking north.jpg, Underpass for the Pequest Fill
File:Sussex Branch Trail, Andover Township, NJ - railway cutting.jpg, Bedrock cut, the "Slate Cut"
References
External links
*
Rail trails in New Jersey
Bike paths in New Jersey
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