Ted Stiles Preserve at Baldpate Mountain is a 7 mile lightly trafficked loop trail located near Titusville, New Jersey that features beautiful wild flowers and is rated as moderate. The trail offers a number of activity options and is accessible year-round. Dogs are also able to use this trail but must be kept on leash.
dogs on leash
hiking
horseback riding
mountain biking
trail running
walking
forest
views
wild flowers
wildlife
rocky
The Ted Stiles Preserve stretches across almost 1,800 acres of a ridge running roughly east-west, between Fiddlers Creek Road to the south and Pleasant Valley Road to the north. Baldpate Mountain offers some of the most extensive and rugged walking in Mercer County. An extensive network of trails totaling about 10 miles. Some old logging roads and some specially built trails, lace the southern and northern flanks of the ridge, and a 2-mile trail runs along its spine. There are great views of the Delaware River to the south, historic farmland to the north, and on clear days the Philadelphia skyline to the southwest. Ruins of a 19th century settlement and scattered farms can be found on or near some of the Baldpate trails. Most trails involve climbing or descending, sometimes steeply. Some sections of trail may be wet and muddy. Some trails include steep stone steps, which require a moderate degree of caution. None of the trails are paved. NOTE: Park is closed for hiking Wed-Sat during winter for firearm hunting.
Park is closed to the public Wed-Sat for firearm hunting until February. Pretty disappointing as this information was not on the website beforehand.
awesome trail with various elements. Boulders, woods, and grass fields. A nice surprise for being in the center of the state.
great hiking trails very rough and Rocky. very hilly.
Would give it 5* - close to my house and perfect evening run with lots of options - but got almost run over by a mountain biker. Some of the trails are very narrow and I had to jump to the side, as he wasn't able to brake. So just be careful.
Had higher expectations for a preserve. A lot of invasive plant species along the trail. Not far enough for me from suburban noise of lawn mowers.
Decent trail, some rocks to climb on the summit trail, interesting ruins hidden near the trail in several locations. Peaceful and easy hike, nothing too tough. Several side trails not marked.
Great place, going back soon to see more of it since I couldn't stay long the first time. Love the uneven and rocky footing in places. Pretty secluded, but I was there on a weekday, only saw 3 people and a dog. Trails are really well marked, which is nice because I get lost and have zero sense of direction!
Delightful surprise. Beautiful views from the pine grove peak
Quiet,nice easy hike. The orange section of the trail was a bit muddy due to snow melting. Other than that, a good one.
I thought I was totally off base when I parked and followed a very obvious road up the mountain that wasn't part of the trail map. However, soon enough, I found that this road (long driveway) goes to the park's welcome area. So after situating myself the maps make total sense. Had fun, especially when playing "chicken" with the sun. The sun won, I didn't make it back to the car before sunset.
Easy trails, very few scrambles/rock steps. Weather looked glum today but turned out to be a beautiful day for the trail. Took the blue blaze around to the white and back towards what's left of the dilapidated buildings and then followed the blue back to the parking lot, a total of about a 3 mile hike.
Not a bad place for a run, getting big gain here won't happen but it beats the flat trails in the area.
Took my kids on this trail. Loved it. Scenic and challenging but not too difficult. Will be back to hike again.
This was a great hike that wasn't overly crowded on a Saturday afternoon. I hiked the Ridge trail which was a 4 mile out and back hike from the lodge/visitors center. Though there were no grand, sweeping views (except for at the lodge/visitors center) the scenery directly surrounding the trail was always beautiful and ever changing (boulders to densely wooded areas etc). Theres an abandoned farmstead a few minutes off of the ridge trail. In general, there was always something different (orchard, lodge,farm stead etc) to stumble upon-which kept my interest though I typically prefer a hike with a view as the reward. I would come back again as there were several other trails I didn't get to explore.
We hiked 3.8 miles with our dog on a beautiful sunny morning. With the dog and our 9 and 11 year old kids this is just the right hike in terms of elevation and difficulty. There are some rocks as you ascend to the loop on the blue path which may require some patience with dogs but it's traversable. Great hike and we look forward to coming again and trying the different trails.
good hike very pleasant
Great! First time and will be back!
This was great! I had no idea i lived five minutes from this park my whole life. I recommend following the path users created. It's a lot of fun. The established trails are a little short
Easy trails in peaceful nature. There are many different trail options and we often don't run in to a single soul. Hiking in the snow is fun too.
Great local options. There are flat and hilly trails to chose from and they are well marked. The seasons bring something new to the trails, view of Mercer county is worth the sweat. Love to mix the trails to break up the monotony. #trailmix
Fairly flat but a beautiful variety of landscape: gorgeous trees, open grassy fields, rocky paths and packed paths. So lovely!!
Great Hiking.. Blue summit trail is a must and is somewhat challenging with rocky incline.. Park trails are well marked and kept up with.. Great view of Delaware from Peak.. Great local treasure..
While it is fairly easy, I have always enjoyed going. Coming across the abandoned buildings is always a good time.
Parked off Church Road at Washington's Crossing State Park, took the red then the blue trail up the power cut up to the Ridge Trail. There was a little bit of a heavily wooded scramble up to Ridge Trail, with a nice easy-going walk from the parking lot all the way to visitor's center.
I disagree about things being boring—rather, I felt the abandoned farmstead and the picturesque visitor's center were almost magical when I got to them. Nice views at the top of the hill with plenty of picnic tables for a nice lunch.
My total loop was about 7 miles and left me feeling refreshed afterward. It's a good hike to share with someone who hasn't hiked. The first and last bits may feel a little rough to some, but the easygoing trip on the Ridge Trail will give plenty of time to relax and chat with a friend.
Very Easy, a bit boring. no real nice views. There is a small pond with frogs and fish next to a couple of abandoned buildings that is relaxing to sit by but other than that this trail is mostly for the people who live around the area. I wouldn't drive more than 15 minutes to get to it.
Good if you want to go for a jog or just get outside, nothing special though.
P T.
These trails are definitely challenging in the slushy snow but the old buildings and mountain views are quaint. It was nice to hear the birds and the train whistle while on the Ridgeline trail (white blazes). It worked out really well to start at Brickyard Road and head to the Church Road entrance to the trail (blazes red). I then continued to Ridgeline and the Ted Stiles Reserve main road to Fiddler's Creek Road back to Brickyard Road. My dad (an octogenarian) used to sled down this mountain as a kid. Trails are well marked and map is accurate. DO IT!
The blue trail is a really nice trail. All are well marked. Did the blue trail to the white, then completed the loop by taking the brown trail back to the blue trail. The kids enjoyed the rock scrambling.
decent place to clear your head! I found it to be well marked. I would rate it as moderate. I hiked the blue to white to red, to white to yellow and backtracked. It was about 6-7 miles and took about 2.5 hours! I enjoyed it and would go back. Def one of the better ones close to home, but I didn't work up a sweat!
Really nice trails - we parked at the visitor center. The parking was very limited unless I missed something. Parking at the Pleasant valley Rd entrance had a large lot. We were not able to find any tail map brochures at the visitor center area so download 1 (http://hiddentrenton.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/Baldpate-Map-Revised2.pdf) before going. We hiked the white trail out to the Pleasant Valley parking lot. This is an easy, flat, wooded 2 mile hike. Once at the other lot there are several trails and becomes more difficult with rocks, up/down hills, narrow trails, a little stream, cool bridge made of tree's, and some cool sites. Liked this hike a lot! Would park at Pleasant Valley Rd next time and explore more red/orange/blue trails on that end.