Turkey Mountain Letterbox Series (2)
Pyramid Mountain Natural Historical Area
Placed by Wingfoot on 07/06/01
Montville, Morris County, New Jersey

Clues: Easy
Terrain: Moderate with two climbs
Time: Approximately 1 hours

This series can be done in conjunction with the Pyramid Mountain series.

Established after a lengthy grassroots effort to preserve the area from
development, the Pyramid Mountain Natural Historic Area is over a thousand
acres of open space rich in natural and historical resources. Turkey
Mountain is the lesser-traveled area of the park.

DIRECTIONS

FROM INTERSTATE 287 NORTH
Interstate 287 North Bound, Exit 44 Main Street Boonton. Proceed to Boonton
Avenue (County Road 511). Turn RIGHT. Proceed 3.3 miles on Boonton Avenue.
Visitors Center on LEFT (Opposite Mars Court)

FROM ROUTE 23 NORTH BOUND
Take U-turn for right on Boonton Avenue (County Road 511S). Proceed 4.4
miles. Visitors Center on RIGHT. (Opposite Mars Court)

FROM ROUTE 23 SOUTH BOUND
Turn RIGHT on Boonton Avenue (County Road 511). Proceed 4.4 miles. Visitors
Center on RIGHT. (Opposite Mars Court)

100 STEPS LETTERBOX
Begin at the parking area across from Mars Court. If a map is available take
one. Take and follow the blue trail. Ignore the sign pointing to blue trail
shortly after you leave the parking lot. The trail forks before a walk over
bridge, take the fork east avoiding the bridge. If you don't shortly come to
a road, you've taken the wrong fork. Cross road and continue on blue trail.
You'll begin to ascend the 100 steps that this letterbox is named for. The
100 steps were built so it was easier for workers to put up the power lines
that cross the park. At the top of the steps look for and take the red
trail. Red trail ascends Turkey Mountain. You'll pass the beginning of the
yellow trail at the top of Turkey Mountain. Begin your decent along red
trail. Eventually you'll come to a rock that juts across the trail forming a
perfect spot to sit and rest. There are faded red blazes on either side of
the rock. You'll have to do a little bushwhacking from here. From that rock
go 22 paces at 130 degrees to another rock. Then go 6 paces at 80 degrees.
In a rock crevice, behind a small rock is what you're searching for.

WINGFOOT'S 10th LETTERBOX

Continue along red trail. At the bottom, take the merged red/green trail on
the right. Shortly the trail splits again, take right onto the green trail
going up the hill. Eventually you will come to ruins on the right of the
trail once you reach the top. Supposedly the ruins were a summer place owned
by an artist who worked for New York's Museum of Natural History in the early
part of the 1900s. The owner abandoned the cottage when the power lines were
built. Continue along green trail. You will come to an overlook, which on a
clear day gives a fantastic view of the Manhattan skyline. On the overlook
you will find a small split tree with a blaze on the right split. From that
tree take 22 paces at 220 degrees to a small pine tree. From that tree go 3
paces at 260 degrees to a big rock. There is a small rock wedged in a
crevice behind the big rock. Behind that rock is what you're searching for.


Continue following green trail. When trail splits take left fork onto blue
trail. Take right fork onto yellow trail that takes you back to the parking
lot.