Welcome to Kincaid Woods!
Kincaid Woods
Kincaid Woods, a part of Morris County’s Pyramid Mountain, is located mostly in Boonton along Kinnelon Road just after it becomes Powerville Road.
White Oak Kincaid Woods
The woods, officially opened to the public circa 2009, were once farmland owned by a local family by the name of Kincaid. Evidence of old farm stone walls can still be found in the woods. The hike is located in the Stony Brook Mountains which are named for the nearby Stony Brook, a tributary of the Rockaway River.
Kincaid Woods Hike 9.19.12
From the kiosk in the parking area, follow the trail as it meanders through a meadow.
Meadow Kincaid Woods
(Please keep in mind I took this hike in September 2012 about a month before Hurricane Sandy arrived. The following describes the hike as I encountered it at the time)
Kincaid Trail Trailhead
The yellow blazes of the Kincaid Trail will appear on wooden posts.
Kincaid Trail Meadow
Enter the woods heading east on the Kincaid Trail.
Bridge over Stony Brook Tributary
Pass over a stream (a Stony Brook tributary) and through wetlands on a raised wooden bridge.
Black Dot Trail Trailhead
From here, be on the lookout for the Black-Dot Trail trail head which will appear on the right.
Stone Wall
Head southwest on the black dot trail which passes over an old Kincaid Farm stone wall. From here, the Black Dot trail will begin to loop to the northeast.
Northern Red Oak Kincaid Woods
Come to the end of the Black dot-trail after crossing another old stone wall.
Black Dot Trail End
From here turn left back on the Kincaid Trial heading northwest (turning right on the Kincaid trial leads to Pyramid Mountain).
Kincaid Coppice Red Maple
From here a coppice Red Maple with the yellow blaze of the Kincaid trail becomes visible.
Rockaway Valley Mine Remnants
Soon a remnant of the Rockaway Valley Mine (aka DeCamp Mine) will come into view. Minerals mined included pyrite & magnetite. Minerals was shipped to the Musconetcong Ironworks in Stanhope NJ via the nearby Morris Canal. Tailings from the old mine may be found scattered about.
American Beech Kincaid Woods
From the mine area, continue following the Kincaid trail west back through the wetlands, over the boardwalk and into the meadow where the hike began.
Kincaid Woods Wetland
Directions (as taken from the NYNJ Trail Conference Web Site)
Take I-287 South to Exit 47 (Montville/Lincoln Park) and turn left at the bottom of the ramp onto Main Road (Route 202). Continue to follow Route 202 as it turns first sharply left, then sharply right. In 0.6 mile, just before reaching a fire station, turn right onto Taylortown Road and continue for 3.1 miles to a “stop” sign at Powerville Road (after 1.8 miles, Taylortown Road becomes Rockaway Valley Road). Turn right onto Powerville Road (the road is open only for local traffic because a bridge is out ahead, but the parking area for the hike is before the bridge, so you should go around the barricade) and continue for 1.2 miles to Kincaid Road (Powerville Road bears left at this intersection). Turn right onto Kincaid Road and immediately turn right into a gravel parking area.
Feel free to comment below with any bird sightings, interesting plants, memories or suggestions! Thank you and have fun exploring!
