New Jersey has some lovely places with lovely names – Cape May, Stone Harbor, Spring Lake, to name a few. We also have some lovely places with names that are a bit strange, and even spooky. Only in New Jersey can you drive down Shades Of Death Road, get off at Jenny Jump State Forest, and head to Ghost Lake for hiking, boating, fishing OR ???!!!  ‘Better Beware!’

‘It’s called Ghost Lake for a Reason’ is the caption under a photo of Ghost Lake in the book titled Weird NJ and the paragraph continues on about several unusual occurrences, which happened near the lake. This article is part of a section titled ‘Roads Less Traveled’ in which the above tale is part of five pages dedicated to unusual events that have taken place on Shades of Death Road. Now, as you all know, I am trying to encourage people to get out and explore our beautiful surroundings and to always keep your eyes peeled for any and all interesting sites or events on your trips!  Well, on this trip you might want to be extra ‘aware’ as I will be sending you down Shades of Death Road and you will be walking around Ghost Lake!!!

NOTE:  When reading articles about Ghost Lake, they sometimes mention people seeing a mist – Look at photo Allamuchy Trail, that is Ghost Lake and I believe I see a mist on a clear day!

Today’s photos are actually a culmination of several visits to Ghost Lake, with my most recent trip taking place this morning, on this sullen and foggy day!  It wasn’t a long visit, I just wanted to get some photos that would best represent all the hype and lore concerning GHOST LAKE!   The remainder of my photos will give you, “The other half of the story of Ghost Lake”!! or “Take you to the other end of the spectrum”!!  I believe after your photo tour, words like serene and beautiful will come to mind and make you ALMOST FORGET the initial sinister sounding tales earlier inferred.  NOTE:  This is one of those places where you don’t even have to get out of the car to get a nice view, as a matter of fact, you don’t even have to stop your car, just take a look as you pass by on Shades of Death Road, the Lake is literally a few feet on the other side of the guard rail!!  There are two parking areas off Shades of Death Rd., both allow for some nice easy visits for our Friends with mobility issues!!  Make a mental note to check this site/sight out!!

Please visit the Ghost Lake Album at my Flickr site – https://www.flickr.com/photos/charliefineran/albums/72157632220007126

GHOST LAKE TRAIL:  connects Ghost Lake with the Jenny Jump parking area for campers, a 1.3 mile trail with about a 400 foot elevation change.  Ghost Lake is about 600 ft. above sea-level and the camping parking area is abt 1,000 ft. above sea level.

DIRECTIONS:  Driving in the main entrance of Jenny Jump State Forest look to your left you will see the Ranger’s Station, you will come to point where you can go straight or make a left – make the left and you are now on East Road.  Go in about a mile and you will see a gate on the right saying Ghost Lake Trail/blue and Summit Trail/yellow.  This is your starting point. The trails separate about ¼ mile in with Summit Trail going off to your right.  NOTE: while driving in on East Rd. you will pass a solitary huge boulder off to your left, these boulders are known as ‘erratics’ – this is typical of debris carried by the last glacier during the Wisconsin Ice Age, which covered Jenny Jump Mountain about 21,000 years ago with a mile of ice!

TRAIL INFO:  This is your typical woodlands trail as you travel up or down the ridge and in several areas it is fairly narrow with just the markings on the trees as guides.  The trail widens about halfway down the ridge as you approach Ghost Lake where it turns into a path wide enough for a vehicle this is also the case as you depart or approach East Rd. NOTE: There are a couple of rocky places which are part of the trail where you need to pay attention as you work your way up or down the trail, otherwise this is a very pleasant woodland walk past some interesting rock formations especially near the Ghost Lake area.  There is also one small clearing where a little cottage once stood which offers a nice view of the surrounding mountains and area.  When you come to Ghost Lake walk across the earthen dam and follow the road which will then bear left and you will be back at Shades of Death Road parking area. 

Stop in the Ranger Station, there are interesting brochures and some displays of wildlife!

Interesting links – https://www.onlyinyourstate.com/new-jersey/terrifying-but-beautiful-nj/    
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shades_of_Death_Road

Enjoy Your Open Space

Charlie Fineran

Director Open Space
Allamuchy Historical Society – President
Allamuchy Township Environmental Commission – Chairman