SUMMARY: Atsion Forge was founded in 1765 and, with Batsto on the south end of this hike and several other sites, provided iron to much of the eastern US until the mid 1800s when the production of iron shifted to eastern Pennsylvania.
More history can be found at:
http://www.njwildlifetrails.org/PineBarrensTrails/Sites/tabid/1698/Scope/site/Guide/PINEBARREN/Site/254/Default.aspx
http://www.nynjctbotany.org/njoptofc/atsion.html
The trail from Atsion to Batsto follows near, but for the most part not on Quaker Bridge Road, an unimproved road which provides a driving route from Atsion to Batsto on the north side of the Mullica River, before transferring to Mullica River Road (also unimproved). For the most part, the trail is well blazed, but care should be taken to stay on trail, as there are numerous areas where heavy use by motor vehicles tend to confuse the hiking trail. Also of note, the trail tends to flood near the Batsto end during heavy rains, and the last footbridge is in poor condition, and has partially collapsed. There is an alternate route at Constable Bridge which continues to follow Mullica River Road on the east side of the Mullica River instead of crossing the river.create
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Atsion Lake (atsion To Batsto Trail)
Feb 26, 2012
It was a beautiful, sunny day and with the special yearly feast happening at the local pub (The Pic-A-Lily), it was time again for the group to get together in order to earn our right to gorge.
The north side of the river (where the main trail between Atsion and Batsto runs) can be very busy, and today it appeared to be busier than I've seen it in a while. Because of this we decided to follow an alternate trail we have discussed in the past. We started out on the standard trail from Atsion to Batsto, but turned almost immediately to follow the abandon rail line that heads south over Mullica River. Once we had crossed the river, we turned again to follow an old road that follows the southern shore of the river. This road eventually ends up near Batsto, though we weren't going to make it that far today.
We followed the road for about 3km before we decided that it was time to turn around. We had limited our time slightly as we had arranged to meet several friends to enjoy the yearly venison dinner. Though it was a short hike this time out, it was very enjoyable, and I will likely redo this hike soon, pushing through to Batsto.