Backpacker Magazine – May 2004

High Points: High Point, New Jersey

You'll find numerous surprises as you explore the lakes, rivers and forests of this highpoint.

by: Joe Glickman

The Peak: 1,803 feet

Just 60 miles from Manhattan, this Kittatinny Range peak lords over a collection of lakes, rivers, and forests wild enough to surprise hikers unfamiliar with this corner of Jersey. It's also the snowiest spot in the Garden State, which makes it something of a cross-country skiing mecca. You can hike the section of the Appalachian Trail that traverses the park or drive to the summit parking lot and amble a few hundred yards to the 220-foot obelisk, a miniature version of the Washington Monument.

The Pub

There are 41 businesses in the NY/NJ metro area with "High Point" in their name, but none worth a detour more than the High Point Wheat Beer Company in Butler, NJ. After apprenticing in Bavaria, founder Greg Zaccardi, 35, returned home to open America's only brewery that produced nothing but wheat beers. His "Classic" was once rated the best dark wheat beer in the world; like all of his eight varieties (four wheat; four lagers), it features the High Point obelisk on its label. Has Zaccardi ever quaffed one of his malty brews on the summit? "It's not legal," he chuckles, "but yeah, I had to." (For a tour, call 973-838-7400.)

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