[3] In 1960, Dale Knapschafer suggested a trail be built linking Wharton and Lebanon State Forests.

After receiving permission from the state, Morris Bardock and Walter Korszniak made exploratory trips to figure out a route in the winter and spring of 1961 for the future trail.

Through the help of volunteers, the first 30 miles (48 km) of the trail was completed over the summer, and the final pink blaze was painted on a tree near New Jersey Route 70 in Lebanon State Forest on September 16, 1961.

At this time Batsto (batstu meaning "bath place" in Swedish) was being developed by the state and continued to be inhabited by a few people.

Both of the rerouted sections go through quieter areas and bypass paved roads and power lines where the trail originally ran.

The most common vegetation community type in uplands is Pine/Oak Forest, composed of the typical pines and various oaks (Quercus spp.

The wetlands are typically stood of Atlantic white cedar (Chamaecyparis thyoides), or mixed hardwood swamps mainly composed of red maple (Acer rubrum), black gum (Nyssa sylvatica), gray birch (Betula populifolia), swamp magnolia (Magnolia virginiana), and highbush blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum).

[6] There are a number of wild edibles, such as berries from bearberry (Arctostaphylos uva-ursi), teaberry (Gaultheria procumbens), huckleberry (Gaylussacia spp.

There is a diverse range of other plants, including a wide variety of shrubs, grasses, sedges, rushes, ferns, mosses, and herbaceous wildflowers.

Possums, chipmunks, squirrels, beavers, muskrats, mice, foxes, raccoons, weasels, mink, river otters, and white-tailed deer are some of the more common mammals seen in the Pinelands.

The only venomous snake in the New Jersey Pine Barrens is the timber rattlesnake, which is a state-listed endangered species.

The hill sports a 60-foot (18 m) fire tower at the summit, providing impressive panoramic views across the region and making it a popular destination.