Cooper Mill

Located in Chester, NJ this hike will take you along the black river, on trails, farm roads, and carriage roads. This place has a ton of history. You can almost smell the bread and cornmeal when you visit the Cooper Mill, found at the beginning (or end) of the hike.

This are no strenuous climbs or rock scrambles on this hike, the trail is mostly flat with a few gradual climbs, which would make it a perfect place for a trail run. Just like most of the hikes in New Jersey, there are ghost stories associates with parts of the hike, but this might be a good thing if you are trail running. You might clock in a new personal best.

The Black River is also a great place to fish for trout, but it can get extremely crowded. I recently had a fellow wade his way right into the area where I was casting. At that point I started looking for a heavy rock to throw, when a rainbow trout hit my spinner and that made everything fine and dandy 🙂

See this:

Near the Cooper Mill, we found a large growth of skunk cabbage.

Skunk Cabbage

Great side trips on the hike include Kay’s summer cottage ruins and the Kay environmental center, where you can check out a butterfly conservatory during certain times of the year.

I'm not even going to ask...

Road to Kay Environmental Center

The Black River

Where to Eat (post hike):

Pizza Pub! This place is at the top of my list for favorite places to eat in New Jersey. They have a nice selection of beer on tap, the Balsamic Chicken wrap is unbelievable, and once you are done with the meal you get free zeppoles for desert.

Pizza Pub