Trail Overview
This is a good introduction to Wharton State Forest and the Pine Barrens. Typically this is an easy route. Wet weather creates large "puddles" in depressions in the trail that require some attention. It makes for a nice morning or afternoon trip with friends or family. There are good opportunities for photography and outdoor recreation along this route.
Difficulty
Typically this route could be run with 2WD. The trails are mostly packed, gravelly sand. There are some spots that when dry are more of a sugar sand that can be challenging without 4WD. When it's wet, there can be "puddles" up to about 18 inches in depth that may have a soft bottom.
History
It's interesting to note that on this trail approaching the furnace ruins, Andrew Rider, owner of the Hampton Cranberry Bogs, his daughter, his brother, and another passenger were ambushed in 1916 by a group of robbers seeking the $4,000 cash payroll the Riders were carrying to the village. The Rider party was able to escape with the payroll, but Andrew, his daughter, and the passenger were wounded, and Andrew's brother, Henry, was killed. After the attack, the bandits fled into the woods. Luckily, a neighbor had noticed a strange car and was able to furnish the police with enough information to eventually capture most of the gang.
