Turtlesinger, Inc.


is a Federal 501(c)3 Public Charity - New Jersey Charities Registration # CH2998200
Mission Statement: To educate and entertain the public about turtles with original songs and/or live turtles.



March 19, 2022



John’s Run Trail





This was an amazing trail to drive, full of incredible scenery as well as challenging potholes of water to drive through (and which we wouldn’t try again)!


But it looked like an amazing place to see turtles in warmer weather (if you are up to braving the huge water puddles).


For another trail, SCROLL DOWN…



March 19, 2022



The Pink Trail





This trail is colored pink on the map and is called the Mountain Bike Trail.


We loved how clearly outlined the trail was, even when not bordered with winter snow.


This trail had a very intimate quality to it compared to some of the more well-traveled and popular trails.


For another look at the pink trail, SCROLL DOWN…



March 19, 2022



More Pink Trail





We never saw bikers on this bike trail but enjoyed walking it immensely and couldn’t believe how easy it was to pick out this trail through the woods.


We rarely saw anyone else at all during our hikes in Belleplain, which with the pandemic going on was fine with us.


It also felt like our own private forest!


For a completely different look at the pink trail, SCROLL DOWN…



March 19, 2022



Pink Path Through Big Trees





There was so much variety throughout the 9.2 miles of Pink Trail—which we did much of forward and reverse—and we loved every minute of it!


We especially loved this section carpeted with mostly pine needles and walking right between great big trees.


The big trees in the different sections of the forest always filled me with wonder and made me feel small (in a good way)!


For another colored trail, SCROLL DOWN…



March 19, 2022



The Red Trail





The red trail on the map is the North Shore Trail and goes right by the Forest Office.


Obviously, it had snowed before we took this trail, and here you can see the tracks from a cross-country skier who also enjoyed the trail.


We even made a clumsy but fun attempt at making a snow turtle (vs. a snowman) when this trail met the Goosekill Trail before we turned around and went back, but we won’t show you a picture of it here: you’re welcome (somehow it looked more like a snail than a turtle).


For more of the red trail, SCROLL DOWN…



March 19, 2022



Trees in Water





The Red Trail takes you through some striking areas of water and very tall trees.


For a completely different trail experience, SCROLL DOWN…



March 19, 2022



The White Trail





The white trail on the map is also known as the East Creek Trail. It is much wider in general than the pink Mountain Bike Trail, so it is nice to not have to walk single file.


This panoramic view of one of the many boardwalks through Belleplain shows just one example of huge trees and a water feature and the wonders of Belleplain State Forest.


For more of the White Trail, SCROLL DOWN…



March 19, 2022



Cape May County Waterfall





Just a little off the beaten White Trail path we took another little path that led us to this waterfall (well, the water IS falling, right)? Turn up the sound and enjoy a little Cape May County zen moment in nature.


Coming from upstate New York with its numerous waterfalls and gorges, it’s not easy to call this a waterfall. But it’s not easy finding a waterfall in Cape May County where we’re at sea level, so we loved finding this one and hearing nature’s water music.


To hear more of nature’s music at Belleplain, SCROLL DOWN…



March 19, 2022



The Wind in the Trees





Keep your sound turned up to hear the wind through the trees at Belleplain.


All winter during our walks here, the strong, cold winds would often blow. But we felt little to no wind for the most part being in the forest.


We loved hearing the wind soughing through the trees, though, and this video shows how the wind affected only the tops of them way above us.


For an unexpected surprise on the white trail, SCROLL DOWN…



March 19, 2022



Ootheca!





Our regular readers know how much we love praying mantises, so we were surprised and delighted to find not just this one, but four praying mantis egg cases along the White or East Creek Trail!


They were all the same but so different and unique, the hardest part was choosing which picture to show you.


For a completely different color on the White Trail, SCROLL DOWN…



March 19, 2022



A Glowing Green Path





We also had a hard time choosing which photo to share of the glowing green moss covering a large section of the White Trail.


The White Trail is 7 miles long and we walked it up and back more than once.


For another surprise on the White Trail, SCROLL DOWN…



March 19, 2022



Still Burning





You never know what you’re going to see at Belleplain: we’ve seen everything from snow, water, wind, ice, and…even fire!


One day as we were starting a section of the white trail, we saw some workers just leaving in a brush truck. Then we discovered a controlled burn…that was still burning!


On the return trip, the fire was completely out and was cold.


For more of Belleplain Boardwalk, SCROLL DOWN…



March 19, 2022



Belleplain Boards





Cape May County has a lot of boardwalks, but we had no idea Belleplain State Forest had so many, too.


We discovered 9 sections of boardwalk down one side of a section of the White Trail, and some boardwalks on other trails, too.


Some of them traversed water, others not.


Some sections were full of water (with no boardwalks!) and we found side trails to go around those sections and meet up with the trail again ahead.


For another exciting find on the White Trail, SCROLL DOWN…



March 19, 2022



Wasp Nest!





Imagine our surprise upon bending a corner of the trail and finding this quite large (approximately 18” tall) wasp nest close by the White Trail!


Not knowing much about wasp nests, we didn’t examine it too closely.


Being winter, it was either uninhabited, everyone was asleep, or nobody was home. Again, we didn’t go too close.


It looks kind of like a skull in the woods!


For another Zen listening moment that has nothing to do with wasps, SCROLL DOWN…



March 19, 2022



Belleplain Babbling Brook





Time to turn the sound up again to hear our favorite Belleplain babbling brook (akin to a Cape May County waterfall) on the White Trail or East Creek Trail.


To see and hear another tributary of this water feature, SCROLL DOWN…



March 19, 2022



Murmuring Streamlet





Of course, the music of the water here changes after a rainfall (we know, we’ve checked)!


For a different kind of tree at Belleplain, SCROLL DOWN…



March 19, 2022



The Boundary Trail





We really enjoyed the Boundary Trail.


Here is a “mushroom tree” adorned with at least 9 mushrooms that we discovered along the trail.


Big Black Bart, our red-footed tortoise, loves to eat mushrooms and would have loved this tree!


Doesn’t one of them look like a nose?


For our last photo, and another tree we really liked, SCROLL DOWN…



March 19, 2022



Turtle Walk Trail



This driving trail proved too much for our car to complete (we even tried coming at it from both ends--I mean, we had to: it’s the Turtle Walk Trail)! We would have driven more Belleplain trails than we did, but the huge water puddles (ponds) made us reverse course. I just knew if we got stuck it was going to ruin my whole day lol! But we were delighted to discover a tree containing at least 7 oothecas at the beginning of one end of The Turtle Walk Trail!


Trust me, we didn’t even come close to including all the photos, nor did we include pictures from all the trails. But we enjoyed every trail.


This forest is truly an amazing Cape May County treasure and we’re so glad we found the time to discover it this winter. And besides, we had to do something while waiting for turtles to emerge again (and emerge they have indeed already)…Thanks so much as always for reading!!





Contact Us:



turtlesinger@hotmail.com | Phone: (609) 205-9248