Volunteers spruce up Paulinskill Valley and Sussex Branch
Newton. Members of the Paulinskill Valley Trail Committee are repairing benches, updating kiosks and improving trailhead facilities along two popular rail trails in Sussex and Warren counties.
| 04 Jun 2026 | 03:51
Martin Grossman, president of the Paulinskill Valley Trail Committee, using old wood as a template before drilling into replacement pieces as part of ongoing trail maintenance. (
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Josh Dubnick of Stanhope, left, and Hal DeVoid of Wantage at work rebuilding a bench for the Paulinskill Valley Trail Committee. (
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Volunteers Hal DeVoid of Wantage, left, Jeff Hookway of Lafayette and Tom Skevin of Andover Twp. enjoying their handiwork after rebuilding a bench recently for the Paulinskill Valley Trail Committee. This one, on the Sussex Branch trail off of Route 94 in Lafayette, is among several that volunteers have rebuilt. (
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As spring brings more hikers, bicyclists and horseback riders to area rail trails, volunteers with the Paulinskill Valley Trail Committee are busy making improvements along two of northwest New Jersey’s most popular outdoor destinations.
Committee members have been rebuilding benches, sprucing up information kiosks and painting barriers and woodwork at trailheads along the Paulinskill Valley and Sussex Branch trails.
The work is ongoing on the Paulinskill Valley Trail, which follows the Paulins Kill River for 27 miles from Sparta in Sussex County to Warrington in Warren County, and the 20-mile Sussex Branch Trail, which runs from Byram to Branchville.
“We are a group of volunteers dedicated to advocating for these multi-use trails, maintaining them and getting the word out about our hidden gems,” said Martin Grossman, president of the Paulinskill Valley Trail Committee. “It’s always good to see people on the trails taking a break on our rebuilt benches, and checking the maps and info in our kiosks.”
Both trails occupy former railroad corridors that ceased operations in the 1960s.
