Weekly Hike - Cooper River Park (NJ)

WEEKLY HIKE - COOPER RIVER PARK (NJ)
(7.5 to 8 Miles | 150 Feet of Elevation)

PLEASE NOTE - THIS IS A NEW HIKE FOR ME. WE WILL ADJUST OUR ROUTE AND PACE AS NEEDED. WE MAY END UP 15-20 MINUTES EARLY OR LATE - BUT AS ALWAYS I WILL TRY TO END ON TIME.

ALSO PLEASE NOTE THE PARKING/MEETING LOCATION IS NEW TO ME. I WILL TRY TO ARRIVE EARLY IN CASE WE NEED TO FIND ANOTHER MEETING LOCATION. PLEASE CHECK THE COMMENTS ON THE EVENT PAGE FOR UPDATES BETWEEN 6:30 PM AND 6:50 PM ON THE DAY OF THE HIKE. :)

DESCRIPTION
Join us for our weekly, weekday evening/night hike.

As noted above, this will be a new hike for me. I've probably walked in the area years and years ago and I certainly drive by the area on a regular basis, so I'm hoping this will be a good location to start including in our weekly circuit once, twice, or even three times a year, especially for our members from new Jersey who so frequently have to schlep across one of the bridges in PA for hikes. If the weather is nice I believe there are places where the sunset is really great to view and even a place or two with great views of the Philly skyline - which we will stop to enjoy of course!

The 346-acre Cooper River Park, which runs through Pennsauken, Cherry Hill, Collingswood and Haddon Township, features two bike paths, the 3.8-mile loop (Cuthbert to Rt. 130) and the 1.35-mile (Cuthbert to Grove Street) courses. The park also features a children's playground with pavilions, two softball fields, one cross country course, a restaurant - 'the lobster trap,' driving range, the Cooper River Yacht Club, pooch park, four volleyball courts, miniature golf course, boat launch for trailer and car-top boats. There's also fishing, a 1.25-mile cinder track, four picnic areas, indoor restrooms at the stadium that's open year round 10 am to 10 pm, memorial grove, biofilter wetland and a sculpture garden. Camden County Boathouse at Cooper River is home to many prestigious rowing events. Ideal rowing conditions exist on the river, which boasts a world-class, Olympic-distance, 2,000-meter narrow and sheltered straightaway.

OBSTACLES | SPECIAL NOTES

• This is a really a city hike - expect typical/normal "urban" obstacles such as broken and uneven sidewalks, pedestrian traffic, vehicular traffic, bicycle traffic, etc. Normal hiking gear works fine - though some people find sneakers or shoes with thicker soles easier for long distances on cement than their regular hiking boots.
• Assuming most of the hike will be paved trails or sidewalks with one or two short jaunts on city sidewalks to help connect certain portions of the hike and avoid using the same trails all the time.

PACE | DISTANCE | ELEVATION

• PACE - About 3.5 mph on this (which is our usual for "urban" hikes)
• Distance - Between 7.5 and 8 miles +/- (7.75 is target)
• Elevation - 150 feet +/-

BASIC INFO

• DAY & DATE: Wednesday April 16th
• START TIME: 7:00PM (AND WE START ON TIME!)
• STARTING LOCATION: Cooper River Dog Park
• Address: 953-969 Park Blvd, Cherry Hill Township, NJ 08002
• LENGTH: 7.5 to 8 Miles +/- (7.75 is target)
• ELEVATION: 150 Feet +/- (150 is target)
• SPEED: 3.0 to 3.5 Mph average
• END TIME: Target is 9:30 PM

GEAR:

• Hiking boots/shoes, trail runners, or sneakers okay for this. Keep in mind whatever you wear shouldn't be your "Sunday Best" nor something without good support and decent traction
• Water
• Appropriate clothing - hats, rain jackets, etc. as needed
• A change of clothes for after (at your discretion)
• Headlamps not necessary for this.
• I also advise people bring hiking bags - either to help store stuff to keep you hands free and/or to help get you accustomed to using one
• Snacks (as you see fit)
• Beer or other drink for before the hike.

PARKING

• REMINDER - PLEASE CHECK THE COMMENTS BETWEEN 6:30 and 6:50 PM on the day of the hike for updates as this is a new hike and meeting location for me and the group.
• Free parking, as far as I can research, in the parking lot.
• No matter where you park, please do not leave valuables in or anything visible in your vehicle!

BATHROOMS

• I do not believe, according to my research, that there are bathrooms at the start/end point. But we'll see. If your body chemistry is such that you need to go before the hike I suggest arriving 10-15 minutes early in case you need to head into the nearby trees for a pit stop
• No planned bathroom stops on the hike but if we see available public bathrooms somewhere in the park we'll stop for a few minutes

BREAKS

• No real "breaks" on the hike other than times to let people catch up, catch their breath and get some water and/or change gear & clothing a few times, and to take some photos here and there.

AFTERWARDS

• Afterwards if people are interested perhaps we can go out nearby for a drink and/or some food in Fairmount.

CANCELLATIONS

• I do not cancel hikes for inclement weather. It must be dangerous conditions during the hike or dangerous travel conditions to/from for me to cancel. If I ever do need to cancel or postpone I try to do so as early as possible.
• You may cancel at anytime up to and including the start time of the hike. Cancellations without contacting me after the start of an event counts as a no-show. More than 3 no-shows gets you removed from the group. If something happens, I get it, reach out and just tell me after. I've been there - hungover, busy, etc. Just be polite, and brief, if you miss and forget to cancel.