Hiking the Unknown Sparta Glen Park

Located just a few minutes off Route 15 in Sparta, Sparta Glen Park is one of those local spots many people drive past without ever realizing it’s there. Hidden along an unassuming road with no other signage called “The Glen,” the park doesn’t draw much attention, yet it offers far more than you might expect. Visitors who stop in will find multiple nice picnic areas along the scenic Sparta Glen Brook and a surprisingly rugged trail network that even leads to a good viewpoint overlooking Mohawk Lake. Keep reading to discover what this quiet park has to offer.

The Hike

The hike begins in the second parking area on the park road (which is nearly unmarked from the main road except for a small sign for “The Glen”). This moderately sized parking area features a small picnic area. If the road turns into gravel, you went too far. The first parking lot that you pass when you enter does not have trail access.

The hike follows the perimeter of the trail network. For those wishing for a shorter hike, there are a few trail intersections to cut some sections short. The trail is generally well marked, well maintained, and easy to follow with two main exceptions: The Green Dot Trail and a short section of the Green Trail. Both of these issues are discussed later. The trail is best hiked counter-clockwise as there is a steep section labeled as “The Climb” on the map. This section is short, but much easier uphill. The trail is of moderate difficulty due to a somewhat steep ascent to the summit.

There is no digital trail map for the park available online. Fortunately, there is a printed version at the trailhead, which I have attached a picture of below.

Hike Description

From the parking area, walk on the park driveway until you reach a picnic pavilion. At the pavilion, you will find the start of the Orange Trail. Take the Orange Trail, which quickly ascends about 250 feet over the next quarter mile. Once the trail levels out after that quarter mile, you will find the Green Dot Trail on the right.

The start of the Green Dot Trail from the Orange Trail is, fortunately, very obvious as the trail splits onto a well-worn path. Unfortunately, the trail markings are impressively bad. The blazes are very faded spray-painted green circles, which are surrounded by a yellow line. Even when the blazes are cleaerly visible (which is rare), the markings look more like graffiti than official trail blazes.

Do your best to follow the trail as it begins to climb uphill. There is a distinct path to follow, but it is not as clear as the rest of the trails in the park. Soon you will reach a point labeled on the map as “The Climb.” This is a short but fairly steep rock scramble. There does not seem to be a defined trail up this section, but the multiple user-created offshoots all merge at the top of the scramble, so do not worry too much about following the nearly invisible trail markers.

Once at the top, the trail levels out and brings you to the only overlook in the park, a scenic view of Lake Mohawk to the south from a point known as Buckhead Rock. The view is partially obscured by trees, but it is still good and features rolling hills in the distance.

From Buckhead Rock, continue on the Green Dot Trail until it ends at the clear intersection with the Green and Yellow Trails. The Yellow Trail is a decent trail that follows a rounded ridge to the north of the rest of the park. There are fleeting views of Morris Lake (also known as the Newton Reservoir) on the trail, but no clear overlooks.

The trail does end at the Green Trail, so those wishing to cut about a half mile from the hike can simply follow the Green Trail instead of making the turn onto the Yellow Trail.

Once on the Green Trail, you will begin the gradual but constant descent featuring many winding switchbacks. About a quarter mile from the end of the Yellow Trail, you will reach the second notably poorly marked section of the hike. Here you will find three different trails, all featuring green markings. To remain on the perimeter trail, keep to the right here.

After keeping to the right, the trail continues to gradually descend. In a short distance, you will reach the Blue Trail on the right. The Green Trail continues straight, also sharing blue blazes. Stay to the right to complete the loop, or go straight to shorten the hike slightly.

The trail map labels a deer stand near where the Blue Trail begins. I did not see it, even in the fall when most leaves were down. Continue on the Blue Trail, which works its way down to the parking area.

In the parking area, there is a small picnic area and some views of the small but scenic Sparta Glen Brook.

GPS Route

Review

The park itself is very nice, especially the picnic area along Sparta Glen Brook. This was a surprise, considering the complete lack of information available online. Despite this, the hike is only okay. The highlight is easily the view of Lake Mohawk, but the hiking trails lack any other particularly interesting sites. The trail network is also a little weird. On one hand, most of the trails are very clear and well-marked, but on the other hand, there are a couple of weird intersections, most notably on the Green Trail. And the Green Dot Trail desperately needs a reblazing.

While the hike does not feature any spectacular points of interest, it is still good for a shorter hike with some elevation gain.