Saffin Pond–Blue Heron Lake, 6 sights is a 9.4-mile out-and-back near Mahola, NJ. The route passes Blue Heron Lake and Saffin Pond. It climbs 964 ft, with sections as steep as 15% grade, and is mostly dirt. It scores 14/100 on the Ambleway Wildness scale: paved and peopled.
Elevation
0 mi988 – 1,342 ft · steepest grade: 15%9.8 mi
Getting there
Trailhead: Orange/Highlands Trail 41.01593, -74.61429
Nearest town Mahola, NJ
Directions
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Saffin Pond–Blue Heron Lake, 6 sights
9.4 mi · ▲ 964 ft · 3 hr 37 min
Elevation 989–1,341 ft
Out & Back
Trailhead: Orange/Highlands Trail · 41.01593, -74.61429
Weather Sep 7: sunrise 6:32 AM · sunset 7:23 PM
Parking lot at the trailhead
- Start on Orange/Highlands Trail, heading E.
- 0.2 miPass Blue Heron Lake.
- 150 ftBear left onto Tiger Blood, heading N.
- 50 ftTurn left onto Orange/Highlands Trail, heading N.
- 0.5 miTurn right onto Weldon Brook/Highlands Trail, heading E.
- 1.4 miPass Saffin Pond.
- 100 ftTurn right onto Ogden Mine Railroad Trail, heading E.
- 50 ftTurn right, heading SE.
- 0.3 miContinue straight onto Ogden Mine Railroad/Highlands Spur Trail, heading S.
- 0.3 miTurn right onto Highlands Spur Trail, heading SW.
- 1 miContinue straight onto Yellow/Highlands Spur Trail, heading SE.
- 1 miReach Saffin Pond, then turn around and head back the way you came.
- 1 miContinue straight onto Highlands Spur Trail, heading N.
- 1.1 miTurn left onto Ogden Mine Railroad/Highlands Spur Trail, heading E.
- 0.3 miContinue straight onto Ogden Mine Railroad Trail, heading NE.
- 0.3 miTurn right, heading N.
- 50 ftTurn left onto Weldon Brook/Highlands Trail, heading N.
- 1.5 miTurn left onto Orange/Highlands Trail, heading N.
- 0.5 miTurn right onto Tiger Blood, heading W.
- 50 ftBear right onto Orange/Highlands Trail, heading W.
- 0.1 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
89% dirt11% unspecified
Weather
Sunrise 6:32 AMSunset 7:23 PM
Sunset
The best sunset spot on this hike is 4.0 mi in (~112 min). Leave by 5:11 PM for the 7:23 PM sunset. Back at your car by 9:29 PM, after dark — bring a headlamp.
Good to know
- Parking lot at the trailhead
More from Orange/Highlands Trail Trailhead
- Arapaho Trail–Blue Half Moon Trail, 3 sights 3 mi · ▲ 330 ft
- Blue Heron Lake–Arapho Trail Loop, 7 sights 3 mi · ▲ 198 ft
- Morris County High Point–Blue Heron Lake, 6 sights 5.8 mi · ▲ 308 ft
- Blue Heron Lake–Highlands Trail, 6 sights 8.7 mi · ▲ 501 ft
- Lake Shawnee–Saffin Pond, 6 sights 10 mi · ▲ 818 ft
- Ryker Lake–Blue Heron Lake, 7 sights 11.4 mi · ▲ 1,138 ft
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