Lake Marcia & High Point Beach via Appalachian Trail is a 4.6-mile out-and-back in High Point State Park near Mount Salem, NJ. The route passes High Point Beach and Lake Marcia before reaching High Point Beach at the turnaround, 2.3 miles in. It climbs 745 ft, with sections as steep as 20% grade. It scores 15/100 on the Ambleway Wildness scale: paved and peopled.
Elevation
0 mi1,086 – 1,634 ft · steepest grade: 20%4.8 mi
Getting there
Trailhead: Blue Trail 41.32932, -74.64313
Nearest town Mount Salem, NJ
Directions
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Lake Marcia & High Point Beach via Appalachian Trail
4.6 mi · ▲ 745 ft · 1 hr 54 min
Elevation 1,087–1,634 ft
Out & Back · High Point State Park
Trailhead: Blue Trail · 41.32932, -74.64313
Weather Sep 7: sunrise 6:32 AM · sunset 7:23 PM
Parking lot at the trailhead
- Start on Blue Trail, heading SW.
- 200 ftBear right onto Appalachian Trail, heading SW.
- 1.7 miPass High Point Beach.
- 50 ftBear left onto Monument Trail, heading W.
- 50 ftPass Lake Marcia.
- 0.3 miTurn left, heading NW.
- 0.1 miTurn right, heading SW.
- 0.1 miPass High Point Beach.
- 150 ftTurn left, heading S.
- 50 ftReach Lake Marcia, then turn around and head back the way you came.
- 50 ftTurn right, heading S.
- 0.2 miTurn left, heading N.
- 0.1 miTurn right, heading NE.
- 0.3 miBear right onto Appalachian Trail, heading S.
- 1.7 miBear left onto Blue Trail, heading NE.
- 50 ftArrive back at the trailhead.
Each distance is the walk from the previous step. Tap a step for a map of its junction.
Weather
Sunrise 6:32 AMSunset 7:23 PM
Sunset
The best sunset spot on this hike is 2.0 mi in (~66 min). Leave by 5:58 PM for the 7:23 PM sunset. Back at your car by 8:29 PM, after dark — bring a headlamp.
Good to know
- Parking lot at the trailhead
More from Blue Trail Trailhead
- AT Observation Platform–Appalachian Viewpoint, 4 viewpoints 3.7 mi · ▲ 720 ft
- High Point–High Point Monument, 7 viewpoints 4.3 mi · ▲ 820 ft
- Steeny Kill Lake–Lake Marcia, 3 lakes 4.9 mi · ▲ 932 ft
- Monument Viewpoint–Lake Marcia, 5 sights 10.4 mi · ▲ 1,556 ft
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