Duke Reservoir–Vista Lake, 13 lakes is a 4.5-mile out-and-back in Duke Farms near Raritan, NJ. The route passes Frog Lake, Snake Lake, Turtle Lake and 6 more before reaching Duke Reservoir at the turnaround, 2.2 miles in. It is mostly level, with 54 ft of elevation gain. It scores 0/100 on the Ambleway Wildness scale: paved and peopled.
Elevation
0 mi33 – 102 ft5.2 mi
Getting there
Trailhead: Nevius Street 40.56503, -74.63582
Nearest town Raritan, NJ
Directions
AMBLEWAYwww.ambleway.com
Duke Reservoir–Vista Lake, 13 lakes
4.5 mi · ▲ 54 ft · 1 hr 32 min
Elevation 32–101 ft
Out & Back · Duke Farms
Trailhead: Nevius Street · 40.56503, -74.63582
Weather Sep 5: Overcast, high 78°F / low 67° · precip 1% · wind 5 mph · sunrise 6:30 AM · sunset 7:26 PM
Bikes allowed on the whole route · Transit-accessible: Somerset St & First Ave stop 218 m from the trailhead · Parking lot at the trailhead
- Start on Nevius Street, heading S.
- 0.5 miTurn right onto Arboretum Way, heading W.
- 50 ftPass Frog Lake.
- 50 ftPass Snake Lake.
- 0.2 miContinue straight onto Turtle Lake Path, heading SE.
- 0.2 miPass Turtle Lake.
- 50 ftPass Heron Lake.
- 0.4 miPass Boathouse Lake.
- 0.2 miBear right onto White Oak Path, heading E.
- 0.1 miTurn right onto Wildflower Meadow Path, heading SW.
- 0.1 miPass Otter Lake.
- 50 ftSharp right, heading SW.
- 50 ftTurn left, heading SW.
- 50 ftTurn left, heading SW.
- 200 ftTurn right onto Great Meadow To Orchid Range Path, heading SW.
- 0.1 miContinue straight onto Great Meadow Path, heading W.
- 400 ftPass Mermaid Pool.
- 50 ftPass Vista Lake.
- 50 ftBear right onto Woods Lane, heading W.
- 200 ftBear right onto Old Foundation Lane, heading NW.
- 350 ftTurn left onto Old Foundation Way, heading W.
- 0.2 miPass Great Falls Lake.
- 150 ftTurn left onto West Way, heading NW.
- 500 ftReach Duke Reservoir, then turn around and head back the way you came.
- 500 ftTurn right onto Fox Hollow Lane, heading N.
- 0.2 miTurn right onto Old Foundation Lane, heading S.
- 350 ftBear left onto Woods Lane, heading N.
- 150 ftBear left onto Great Meadow Path, heading N.
- 500 ftContinue straight onto Great Meadow To Orchid Range Path, heading S.
- 0.1 miTurn left, heading SE.
- 150 ftTurn right, heading SE.
- 50 ftTurn right, heading SE.
- 50 ftSharp left, heading SE.
- 50 ftContinue straight onto Wildflower Meadow Path, heading SE.
- 0.1 miTurn left onto White Oak Path, heading NE.
- 0.1 miBear left onto Turtle Lake Path, heading E.
- 1 miTurn left onto Nevius Street, heading NW.
- 0.4 miArrive back at the trailhead.
Each distance is the walk from the previous step. Tap a step for a map of its junction.
Trail surface
38% grass33% paved14% dirt13% gravel2% boardwalk
Weather
OvercastTemperature 78°F67°
Precip1%Wind5 mphUV7Humidity75%
Rained 1.7″ yesterday · trails may be muddy
Hourly temperature
80°65°
Sunrise 6:30 AM12 AM3 AM9 AM12 PM3 PMSunset 7:26 PM
Sun
73°62°
Mon
80°61°
Tue
82°62°
Wed
87°67°
Thu
84°69°
Fri
75°58°
Sunset
The best sunset spot on this hike is 0.3 mi in (~7 min). Leave by 6:59 PM for the 7:26 PM sunset. Back at your car by 7:48 PM — 6 min before dark.
Good to know
- Bikes allowed on the whole route
- Transit-accessible: Somerset St & First Ave stop 218 m from the trailhead
- Parking lot at the trailhead
More from Nevius Street Trailhead
- Great Oak–Otter Lake, 8 lakes 2.1 mi · ▲ 27 ft
- Wood Duck Lake–Snake Lake, 5 lakes 2.2 mi · ▲ 27 ft
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