Columbia Trail
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The Columbia Trail is a rail trail in rural northwestern New Jersey created from portions of the former Central Railroad of New Jersey High Bridge Branch stretching from High Bridge, in Hunterdon County, to Flanders, in Morris County. Built in 1876, the railroad branch line was used for passenger and freight traffic. The type of freight most commonly moved was iron ore from mines in Morris County to be used in the foundries at High Bridge or Wharton.
In 1976, the branch was deemed redundant by its new owner Conrail, and the rails were ripped up in 1980. Since then, it has been a recreational trail serving the surrounding communities. In the mid-1990s, Columbia Gas Company brought the trail right-of-way and laid an underground gas pipeline under the right-of-way along the length of the trail. The trail and bridges were resurfaced in 2004. The Hunterdon County Department of Parks and Recreation and Morris County Department of Parks and Recreation now operate and maintain the trail under lease, although ownership of the right-of-way remains with the Columbia Gas Company.
The Columbia Trail in Morris County is quite scenic, as the meandering and sceninc South Branch of the Raritan River parallels the trail along most of its route through the county. An excellent half-way point along the trail in Morris County is Long Valley, New Jersey. The trail crosses a road near the small commercial district in Long Valley. Just north of Long Valley, Patriots Path provides links east towards Route 513 and west towards Schooley's Mountain Park.
Beyond the northern end of the trail at Flanders, an active rail line is still in service and operated by the Morristown and Erie Railway to Wharton, New Jersey. The trail connects to the New Jersey Transit Raritan Valley Line at High Bridge and connects to Patriots Path in Long Valley, New Jersey.
A notable portion of the Columbia Trail is the Ken Lockwood Gorge, between Califon and High Bridge (2.5 miles north of High Bridge). The South Branch of the Raritan River parallels the trail through the gorge, and is a scenic fast-flowing small river with recreational activities, especially fly fishing. A 60-foot trestle carries the trail over the river in the gorge. The Columbia Trail owes its name to a train wreck that occured on the tressel on April 18, 1885, when an iron ore train led by the Columbia Engine derailed and crashed on the tressel and into the river below.
A worthwhile side hike from the Columbia Trail starts at the Ken Lockwood Tressel, down the side of the embankment next to the tressel to the dirt road along the river. Follow the scenic river upstream for about a mile north and rejoin the Columbia Trail where a road crosses both.
There are few remants of the former rail line along the rail trail, except for the occasional rotting railroad cross ties along the trail. There is a small section of track preserved in Califon and a small and rarely open museum dedicated to the rail line history is located in the preseved train station in the town center.
