Skylands of New Jersey Tourism Council

Start your morning on a short walk through a picture perfect towpath that run through Somerset County. The D& R Canal offers three easy trails that skirt farm fields and wind through woods and old fields, and one crosses a slow, shallow stream.

A walk along the towpath in Spring can reveal treasured glimpses of wildflowers. Tiger lilies grow luxuriantly along the roadsides. The towpath is a long shaded dirt path along both sides of the canal. It's a great place to enjoy birds and turtles, flowers and trees. Access the towpath on Rt. 514 in East Millstone, Blackwells Mills (Park HQ).

Fleetwood Camera Museum
Nostalgic for the older crowd and fascinating for children who take photos using camera phones today, this museum shows the history of the camera. Visitors can see over 800 cameras at the Fleetwood museum, highlighting many that marked a turning point or the beginning of a new stage in camera design. The museum is housed in the Vermeule Community Center, a beautiful early 19th century mansion.

Chester
Head to Chester and take a short hike at Hacklebarney State Park. A favorite for avid anglers, hikers and picnickers, its hard to believe that the site was filled with iron mines in the 19th century. The gushing river against the grey boulders and dark green hemlocks creates a majestic beauty in any season. Be sure to bring your camera and a bagged lunch. Hacklebarney has over 100 picnic tables located throughout the park, although there are no picnic shelters.

Three rare and endangered plant species exist within the park: American ginseng, leatherwood and Virginia pennywort. Over a hundred bird species and wildlife such as black bear, woodchuck, deer and fox live in the park.

Have lunch at one of the many café's on Main Street in Historic Chester. Perhaps you will have time to shop for one-of-a-kind handcrafted goods in the dozens of specialty shops.

Another photo opportunity presents itself at Cooper Mill, a historic working gristmill running two sets of millstones. Guided tours are available on Saturdays from May to October. Visitors to Cooper Mill can watch the massive water wheel power shafts and gears that turn 2,000-pound mill stones as the master miller - in period costume - explains the history of the mill and the vibrant community once called Milltown.

Valley Shepherd Creamery
A few short miles away, tour a working creamery in New Jersey's countryside. Watch as they milk the sheep and make farm-fresh dairy products, including fresh sheep's milk yogurt they call "EweGurt" and most people call delicious. You will be impressed by this operation with a rotary milking platform that can milk over 300 sheep every hour. Valley Shepherd has combined years of artisan cheesemaking expertise with modern equipment from around the world and age old European sheep farming practices. They take pride in being able to educate and involve the visitor in daily life on a real working sheep dairy creating over a dozen of sheep and mixed-milk artisan cheeses.

The Sheepe Shop is a unique sheep and farm-themed gift shop, with furnishings, toys and artwork, and of course Valley Shepherds' own artisan Farmersville Cheeses. There are options for childrens' groups.

To assist with planning this trip, contact information, hours and other important details have been provided below. Also feel free to contact Skylands of NJ Tourism Council at 1-800-4SKYLAND or email

Resources

Delaware & Raritan Canal State Park
732-873-3050

Fleetwood Camera Museum
614 Greenbrook Road, North Plainfield, NJ 07063 -- 908-756-7810
Sat. 10 am -4 pm

Hacklebarney StatePark
908-638-6969

Cooper Mill
66 Rt. 24, Chester NJ -- 908-879-5463
July & Aug: Wed.-Fri. 10-3:45 pm; Sat 10-4:45 pm, Sun 12-4:45 pm
May-Oct: Sat 10-3:45 pm, Sun 12- 3:45 pm

Valley Shepherd Creamery
50 Fairmount Rd., Long Valley, NJ 07853
Tours take place on weekends April - early November only at 1 pm & at 4 pm
Spring Lambing Tours, April 15 - June 30
Summer and Fall Harvest Tours - Sept., Oct., and early Nov.

For more things to see and do in the area, dining recommendations and for information on extending your visit to the Skylands contact:

Morris Co.Visitors Center
973-631-5151

Somerset Co. Visitors Center
908-218-4300