Walpack Center & Van Campen Inn NJ

Directions to Walpack Center & Van Campen Inn

 

Walpack Center NJ/Walpack Historical Society
GPS 41.158967 -74.880317
Phone: [phone]

Walpack Center NJ is an authentic example of a local valley village. Now used for park housing, storage, and offices, its commercial and social life have dwindled, but it retains many original structures, including the village church, in a virtually unaltered 19th century landscape. The village's Main (and only) Street intersects NPS Rt. 615 about 4 miles south of Peters Valley NJ.

Walpack Historical Society maintains an office and small museum in the old village post office (above, right). For hours and more information, contact the society at [phone]. Additional information on the village is contained in the park bulletin on
Military Trail. (pdf file)

 

Van Campen Inn
GPS 41.164567 -74.892217

Built around 1746, Van Campen Inn (above, middle) is one of the oldest homes in the recreation area, and has been restored by the National Park Service. Van Campen Inn is located 5 miles south of Peters Valley NJ, on the original roadbed of Old Mine Road. (The roadbed is dirt but is passable for cars.) Walpack Historical Society opens this house on Sundays in summer. Hours may vary.

Van Campen Day is a yearly event, usually planned for the third Sunday in October. (Check the Schedule of Events for the exact date.) The celebration can includes tours of the inn, hikes along Military Trail, craft demonstrations, and an army encampment, all on the grounds of Van Campen Inn.

 

Military Trail

Van Campen Inn and Walpack Center are about 10 miles away by car, but they are only a mile away from each other via a section of Military Road, a colonial supply route which once ran from Van Campen Inn on Old Mine Road east to Elizabeth NJ. A section of Military Road, called Military Trail, climbs up and over Walpack Ridge and makes an interesting and short history hike between Van Campen Inn and Walpack Center. A written guide starts at Van Campen Inn.