Jockey Hollow Trail Map (click to enlarge)

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Be sure to pick up a trail map at either the Jockey Hollow Visitor Center or the Washington’s Headquarters Museum. There is a small fee for the map. You can also download a PDF version on the Park Map web page here on National Park Planner.

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Length: 7-mile loop
Time: 4 hours
Difficulty: ★★★☆☆

The Grand Loop Trail (aka White Trail due to the color coding on the trail map) is open to both hikers and horseback riders. It the longest trail in Morristown National Historical Park, making a complete loop around the Jockey Hollow Encampment Area. However, it goes nowhere near any of the historical sites, thus making it for exercise purposes only. Furthermore, there are no parking areas specifically for the trail, so no matter where you park you must first hike to it on a short connector trail. With that said, the closest parking lot is the one at the Pennsylvania Line Encampment Site at the corner of Grand Parade Road and Cemetery Road. This is where I started the hike.

Due to ticks and briers, I highly recommend hiking in long pants regardless of the weather. A park Ranger told me that the briers grow so fast that they can’t chop them down quickly enough. As for ticks, I didn’t pick up any on this hike, but I did on the New Jersey Brigade Trail, so they are a problem.

Plenty of briers can be found on the Grand Loop Trail in the Jockey Hollow unit of Morristown National Historical Park

The start of the connector to the Grand Loop Trail is near the Pennsylvania Line parking lot entrance on Cemetery Road. It is only a tenth of a mile long, but it is a moderate uphill climb all the way. This is a good representation of the types of hills that lie ahead, so if this one has you beat, might as well turn around now.

Connector trail from the Pennsylvania Line parking lot to the Grand Loop Trail in the Jockey Hollow unit of Morristown National Historical Park

Being a loop, you can go either way when you come to the intersection with the Grand Loop Trail. I chose to hike in the counterclockwise direction by taking a left, and this trail report is written from that perspective. After hiking the trail I realized that I made the right decision, for I found myself more often hiking down than up the steeper hills.

Intersection of the connector trail from the Pennsylvania Line parking lot and the Grand Loop Trail, Morristown National Historical Park

Whenever hiking up or down a hill, there are plenty of rocks on the trail surface. This is because over the years the rainwater has rushed down the trails and washed away the topsoil, exposing the rocks. Because they are loose, stepping on them is often like stepping on marbles, so be careful.

Typical terrain at the start of the Grand Loop Trail near the Pennsylvania Line parking lot, Morristown National Historical Park

The hike starts off downhill towards a creek. Rivers and creeks are usually found at the lowest point on the landscape, so the hill is no surprise. The creek—which is not on the trail map—comes a half mile into the hike. Once across, the trail heads uphill out of valley. By no means a heart-stopper, this is one of the most challenging hills within Morristown National Historical Park, not so much for its steepness, but because of its length. It goes on for a quarter mile.

Once topping the hill, the Grand Loop Trail now makes a gradual descent all the way to the intersection with a connector that leads to the Green Trail and Yellow Trail. A sign marks the intersection and points out various destinations. Keep in mind that while the trail map uses colors for the trail names, the signs always use the actual trail names, such as the Grand Loop Trail.

Connector to the Green Trail, which crosses Cemetery Road, at the intersection with the Grand Loop Trail, Morristown National Historical Park

A couple of minutes later the trail comes to a fork with no directional sign. A tree on the fork to the right has a white square painted on it, which indicates that the White Trail (Grand Loop Trail) continues to the right. These paint splotches are known as blazes, and they serve as Hansel and Gretel breadcrumbs for hikers to follow. The fork to the left leads to the parking area for the Wick House.

Intersection of the Grand Loop Trail and a connector to the Wick House parking lot in the Jockey Hollow unit of Morristown National Historical Park

The forest in this area is wide open, with a lot of tall trees and very little brush cluttering the ground. This is the type of forest I enjoy hiking through.

Typical terrain on the Grand Loop Trail between the Green Trail connector and Tempe Wick Road in the Jockey Hollow unit of Morristown National Historical Park

The next intersection is with Tempe Wick Road, which is located at the bottom of a very steep hill. Like creeks and rivers, roads are often cut through the bottom of a valley.

Steep descent down the Grand Loop Trail to Tempe Wick Road in the Jockey Hollow unit of Morristown National Historical Park

Tempe Wick Road comes 1.6 miles into the hike. It is a major road with fast moving vehicles, plus you have to cross where the road curves, so cars cannot see you until the last moment. You must use your ears when crossing—if you hear a car coming, do not step out into the road. The Grand Loop Trail itself continues on the exact opposite side.

Intersection of the Grand Loop Trail and Tempe Wick Road in the Jockey Hollow unit of Morristown National Historical Park

A few minutes past the road is another unidentified intersection that is not on the trail map. This leads over to a neighborhood, and you can see the houses. At this point the Grand Loop Trail follows close enough to the road that you can hear vehicle noise for the next mile. In fact, the next major intersection is once again with Tempe Wick Road.

The vegetation in this area is very lush due to a nearby creek. This is a great habitat for gnats, ticks…and deer.

Deer pauses to watch a hiker on the west side of the Grand Loop Trail, Morristown National Historical Park

The terrain is largely flat, but surprisingly there are a number of rocks on the trail that are often hidden by grass. It is easy to step on one by accident and twist an ankle.

Typical terrain on the southern end of the Grand Loop Trail in the Jockey Hollow unit of Morristown National Historical Park

At the 2.5-mile mark on the hike is the intersection with the New Jersey Brigade Trail. This leads to the New Jersey Brigade Encampment Area at the southern end of Morristown National Historical Park. To continue on the Grand Loop Trail, take the fork to the left.

Intersection of the Grand Loop and New Jersey Brigade trails in the Jockey Hollow unit of Morristown National Historical Park

From this point all the way until the intersection with the Blue Trail a few miles ahead, the Grand Loop Trail merges with the Patriots’ Path, a trail managed by the Morris County Park System. To mark the trail, round Patriots’ Path logos are attached to the trees. This segment of the Patriots’ Path runs from north of Morristown at Speedwell Lake to a little beyond the New Jersey Brigade encampment site.

Trees with the Patriots’ Path logo attached to them in the Jockey Hollow unit of Morristown National Historical Park

The Grand Loop Trail crosses a small creek within eyesight of the New Jersey Brigade Trail, and just a few minutes later comes to the second Tempe Wick Road intersection. The trail continues on the opposite side of the road, though it is hard to spot because it is overgrown with grass. At this point you have hiked 2.75 miles.

The Grand Loop Trail crosses a small creek just before Tempe Wick Road in the Jockey Hollow unit of Morristown National Historical Park

Five minutes after passing the road is the intersection with the Mendham Road Trail, a gravel road that is open to horseback riding. Taking this trail to the left leads to the Wick House and Jockey Hollow Visitor Center. Stay straight to remain on the Grand Loop Trail.

Intersection of the Grand Loop and Mendham Road trails in the Jockey Hollow unit of Morristown National Historical Park

This area is where Connecticut soldiers camped from December 1779 to February 1780, at which time they departed for Staten Island. One of these soldiers was Joseph Plum Martin, a man who published his war journal in 1830. It is one of the only accounts of the war written by a private, and the only account of the 1779-80 winter encampment at Morristown. You’ll find his name mentioned often in the park, be it on printed materials or in the film shown at the Jockey Hollow Visitor Center and the Washington’s Headquarters Museum. His writing is featured on the wayside exhibit that marks the general area of the Connecticut camp.

From here until the intersection with the Red Trail (aka Primrose Brook Trail) a little over a mile away, the Grand Loop Trail begins a long, gradual descent with a few short level and uphill sections. Rocks continue to populate the trail surface despite the fact that the hills are not all that substantial.

Typical terrain on the Grand Loop Trail between the Mendham Road and Red trails, Morristown National Historical Park

The first of two intersections with the Red Trail (a loop) comes at 3.9 miles into the hike. Stay straight through this and the next Red Trail intersection a tenth of a mile ahead. You will cross Primrose Brook along the way.

The Grand Loop Trail crosses Primrose Brook in the Jockey Hollow unit of Morristown National Historical Park

The Grand Loop Trail dead ends into the Blue Trail about five minutes past the second Red Trail intersection. Here it does a little zigzag to the left, merging with the Blue Trail for a tenth of a mile, crosses Primrose Brook a second time, then branching off to the right and continues northeast along the creek. Also, when the Grand Loop Trail diverges from the Blue Trail it ends its relationship with the Patriots’ Path, which now follows the Blue Trail towards Jockey Hollow Road.

Bridge across Primrose Brook on the east side of the Grand Loop Trail, Morristown National Historical Park

For the next .6 mile the terrain is perfectly flat while the Grand Loop Trail follows Primrose Brook. It is often hard to see the creek due to the abundance of vegetation growing in the water, at least in the green season.

Grand Loop Trail follows the barely visible Primrose Brook on its northeastern side, Morristown National Historical Park

At the 4.5-mile mark on the hike, the Grand Loop Trail dead ends into and then merges once again with the Blue Trail (the Blue Trail is a loop and the Grand Loop Trail bisects it). It passes Cat Swamp Pond, which is formed by a dammed Primrose Brook—I don’t know if this is natural or done by man. There is a bench next to the water if you want to sit and relax.

Cat Swamp Pond in the Jockey Hollow unit of Morristown National Historical Park

The merger with the Blue Trail last two-tenths of a mile, ending at another T-intersection. While not mentioned on the posted trail sign, the Grand Loop Trail continues to the left. The sign only indicates that a right leads to the Mount Kemble Loop Trail, an older name for what is now called the Inner and Outer Loop.

Grand Loop Trail splits from the Blue Trail at the turn for the Inner and Outer Loop trails in the Jockey Hollow unit of Morristown National Historical Park

At this point the Grand Loop Trail turns north towards Jockey Hollow Road. Leaving Primrose Brook behind, I expected to start hiking uphill and out of the valley. While there is a hill, it is tackled by way of a switchback. Instead of hiking straight to the top, a switchback zigzags up the hill, thus making the climb longer but much easier. The result is an incline that is only mild in difficulty. Once at the top, it’s back to level ground.

Typical terrain at the northern end of the Grand Loop Trail near Jockey Hollow Road, Morristown National Historical Park

Jockey Hollow Road is reached 5.3 miles into the hike. This is a park road, so there are not a lot of cars and the speeds are much lower than on Tempe Wick Road. The Grand Loop Trail continues on the exact opposite side.

Intersection of the Grand Loop Trail and Jockey Hollow Road, Morristown National Historical Park

About a half mile from the road—5.9 miles into the overall hike—the trail starts up one of the more difficult hills in the park. About this time you should see a pile of stones that might have been some sort of wall. It’s hard to tell how long it is because of the vegetation. I don’t know if this is something made by the soldiers during the Revolution or by the National Park Service in modern times.

Rock wall on the Grand Loop Trail a half mile north of Jockey Hollow Road, Morristown National Historical Park

Between Jockey Hollow Road and Sugarloaf Road, the Grand Loop Trail intersects with a connector to the Yellow Trail. This intersection comes at the 6-mile mark on the hike.

Intersection of the Grand Loop Trail and a connector to the Yellow Trail, Morristown National Historical Park

The Grand Loop Trail finally reaches the apex of the hill after climbing for nearly a half mile. As mentioned earlier, it is one of the steepest in Morristown National Historical Park, and the hike down is much steeper than the hike up. After a .4 mile descent, the trail intersects with Sugarloaf Road and continues on the other side across an open field.

Intersection of the Grand Loop Trail and Sugarloaf Road in the Jockey Hollow unit of Morristown National Historical Park

From the road it is a quarter mile to the connector trail back to the Pennsylvania Line parking lot, but the trail firsts comes to an intersection with the Patriots’ Path. This is where you would turn if you wanted to hike north to Speedwell Lake.

Intersection on the northwestern side of the Grand Loop Trail with the Patriots’ Path, Morristown National Historical Park

The connector trail to the parking lot is another five minutes ahead. Take a left to return to your car.

Pennsylvania Line Encampment Site parking lot, Morristown National Historical Park

If you are looking for exercise, the Grand Loop Trail is by far the best in the park. Not only is it the longest, but it also has the most hills, and the toughest hills. However, when I am hiking a trail in a history-themed park, I want one that takes me past historical sites so that I can get a feel for the events that took place. Other than the marker for the Connecticut camp, the Grand Loop Trail adds nothing to the historical perspective of a visit to Morristown National Historical Park. If history is what you are after, I suggest the Yellow Trail or the New Jersey Brigade Trail.

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