Visiting the Eerie Fairy Hole Cave and Ghost Lake

Located just off the unusually named Shades of Death Road, Fairy Hole Cave is a hidden natural wonder on the edge of Jenny Jump State Forest. This fascinating cave stretches about 30 feet into the rock and makes for a quick and easy stop for hikers seeking something out of the ordinary. A short, unmarked trail winds along the shoreline of the also unusually named Ghost Lake before arriving at the cave’s entrance.

For those craving more adventure, there are also two lesser-known spots to discover: Fairly Low Cave and Fairy Tube Cave. These seldom-visited caves have no marked trails and can be tricky to locate, but are perfect for those looking to get off the beaten path. Continue reading to learn how to find these hidden gems and explore one of New Jersey’s spookiest hikes.

Background

The Name Jenny Jump

The caves are located at the northern tip of Jenny Jump State Forest. The forest is named after the legend of Jenny Jump:

The area around Jenny Jump State Forest was inhabited by the Minsi (Wolf) tribe of the Lenni Lenape (the People). These American Indians were hunter-gatherers who lived in a woodland culture. Though relatively peaceful compared to their Iroquois neighbors to the north, the Lenape were known to have conflicts with the European settlers. The conflicts were usually the result of perceived wrongs by either the settlers or the Lenape.

It is in the environment that the legend of the Jenny Jump grew. Perhaps entirely myth, perhaps based on some fact, the legend was recorded by Swedish missionary Sven Roseen in 1747. According to the legend, Jenny, who was gathering berries, jumped off the ridge when her father saw Indians approaching and yelled to her to jump.

Some versions say she died, others that she survived. However, it is also possible that the name “Jenny Jump” is the anglicized version of a Lenape name of the mountain and that the legend is sprung up to explain it afterwards.

Although located in the park, the area of the caves does not feature a ridge as reported in the legend.

Shades of Death Road

The parking area for Ghost Lake and the caves is located on the eerily named Shades of Death Road. There are many theories as to how the road got its name, as documented by Weird New Jersey, but no one knows for sure. Despite the name, Shades of Death Road is not particularly spooky, and actually passes through a scenic (and ironically unshaded) area of farmland known as Great Meadows. You will not find any typical street signs on Shades of Death Road due to a history of theft. Instead, at major intersections, there are theft-resistant vertical metal signs. Unfortunately, some of these signs are hard to read as they have been defaced over the years.

The Hike

Reaching Fairy Hole Cave, the largest of the three caves, is relatively straightforward and is less than a quarter mile from the parking area. This cave can be reached by just about everyone, and is the most impressive of the three.

Reaching the Fairly Low Cave and the Fairy Tube Cave is significantly more challenging and requires going off-trail, including climbing a steep rock face to go over the Fairy Hole Cave.

Ghost Lake

The hike begins at the Ghost Lake parking area. Ghost Lake is a scenic man-made lake. The name reportedly comes from the “ghost-like” fog that often lingers over the lake. The best time to see the fog is on cool fall mornings as colder air moves over the warmer water.

Fairy (Faery) Hole Cave

To reach the Fairy Hole Cave, follow the shore of Ghost Lake in the direction of the parking lot entrance. Just past the shoreline, you will see an obvious but unmarked trail leading towards the lake. Follow this trail for about 600 feet along the side of the lake. The trail is obvious, but thin and overgrown at times. The trail then reaches a clearing to the right. Here you will find the Fairy Hole Cave on the side of a small but very rocky hill.

Entrance into the cave is very easy, with enough room to stand in the opening. The cave is approximately 30 feet deep and gradually narrows in size.

At one point, the cave featured many Native American artifacts:

The cave is very important for its yield of Indian artifacts and other material. In 1936, a major excavation was carried out by Dr. Dorothy Cross, of the New Jersey State Museum. More than ten thousand bones and fragments from 23 different species of mammal were recovered. The most important single find was a tooth from an extinct giant beaver never discovered elsewhere in New Jersey.

These have since been removed by archaeologists.

The Other Two Caves

Reaching the two other caves is a much harder task. While there is a lot of information on how to reach the main Fairy Hole Cave, information on the other two is much more limited. Finding the caves was a challenge for a couple of reasons:

1. I was unable to find accurate coordinates for the cave anywhere. The main source of information on the caves was from a 1976 publication from the State of New Jersey, which while very informative had incorrect coordinates.
2. There are no trails to the cave, and the area surrounding the cave is surrounded with pricker bushes and other overgrowth.

As a result of these challenges, it took me about 45 minutes to locate the caves, even though they are less than a quarter mile from the Fairy Hole Cave. It would be nearly impossible to give accurate directions on reaching the caves, but I will provide accurate coordinates and descriptions. Both caves are next to each other, less than 20 feet apart.

If you decide to visit these two caves, make sure you wear long pants due to the required bushwhack, and make sure you have a GPS to locate the entrances. Additionally, I only went into the immediate entrance of the Fairly Low Cave, but if you go any further, you will want a hard hat and a strong light.

Fairly Low Cave

The Fairly Low Cave is the larger of the two caves. The entrance is about halfway up the hill in a small cirque (bowl). The entrance is much smaller than that of the Fairy Hole Cave, at about three feet high and four feet wide.

I only went into the immediate entrance of the cave, but it appeared to end up ahead, despite previous reports of it extending 160 feet and featuring a series of rooms. Another recent report confirmed that it was filled in at some point.

The Fairly Low Cave can be found at 40.926326, -74.892655

Fairy Tube Cave

Almost directly north, and slightly downhill of the Fairly Low Cave, is the Fairy Tube Cave. The cave is by far the smallest and is reported to go about 20 feet into the hillside. The entrance is extremely tight, at about three feet tall and less than a foot wide.

I did not go inside this cave, but if you stand right at the opening and put your hand in, you can feel some colder air coming out.

The Fairy Tube Cave can be found at 40.926461, -74.892720

GPS Route