Morristown, a village of 250, was a center of iron supply for the American
Revolution and even though it lay only 30 miles west of the main British force in New York it was protected by a series of parallel mountain ranges. It was the twin luxuries of a defensible position in close proximity to the enemy that twice brought General Washington to camp his main army here, first in 1777 and again in 1779-1780.

After the Battle of Princeton in January 3, 1777 a worn-down Colonial army
swarmed the tiny town seeking shelter in the few public buildings, private homes,
barns and stables then in existence. Steadily Washington rebuilt his
flagging troops, overcoming desertion and insipient food shortages.

His greatest foe, however, was disease. An outbreak of smallpox threatened
to decimate the small army and Washington ordered the little known and, to many,
horrifying procedure of innoculation. Some indeed died but most of his troops did
not contract the deadly pox.

The park was created in 1933 as a national historic park in the heart of New
Jersey.

Canine hiking at Morristown National Historic Park is found at the Jockey
Hollow Encampment Area. When here, nothing could have prepared the Continental
Army for the worst winter of the 18th century. Twenty-eight blizzards pounded the
slopes and whipped through the wooden huts that were cut from 600 acres of
hardwood forests here.

You can hike with your dog through open and airy forests with long views
through the trees from the trail. Four main dog-friendly trails circle the Jockey
Hollow Encampment. The 6.5-mile Grand Loop Trail, blazed in white, circles the
park but doesnt visit any historical attractions without a detour. It is also the only
trail that cannot be accessed from the centrally located Trail Center.

The Aqueduct Loop Trail and the stacked loop Primrose Brook Trail are two of
the prettiest rambles with your dog in the park as they trace some of the many
gurgling streams that once attracted the Colonial Army.

The long-distance Patriots Path links Jockey Hollow to the New Jersey
Encampment Area and neighboring parks and contributes mightily to the total of
27 well-groomed miles of Morristown trails.

You will find Morristown along interstate 287 in New Jersey. Traveling south on
287, use exit 36 to reach Jockey hollow. Traveling north on 287, take exit 36A.

I am the author of over 20 books, including 8 on hiking with your dog and the
widely praised The Canine Hiker’s Bible. As publisher of Cruden Bay Books, we
produce the innovative A Bark In The Park series of canine hiking books found at
http://www.hikewithyourdog.com Articles in the Doggin’ America series of dog-
friendly parks can be found at http://www.DogginAmerica.com During the warm
months I lead canine hikes for hikewithyourdog.com tours, guiding packs of dogs
and humans on hiking adventures. Tours, ranging from one-day trips to multi-day
explorations, visit parks, historical sites and beaches. My lead dog is Katie, a
German Shepherd- Border Collie mix, who has hiked in all of the Lower 48 states
and is on a quest to swim in all the great waters of North America - http://web.mac.com/crudbay/iWeb/Katies%20Blog/Katies%20Quest.html