Building an exploration map — October 2, 2026

What changed

The map now distinguishes a researched Visitable stops subset from the full set of named places and story locations. A stop enters that subset only when places.json contains visitor access text and a current official/operator visitor URL. Popup directions are offered only when a visit.arrival coordinate is explicitly verified; a site coordinate can identify a landmark without identifying parking. Locality markers link to the operator’s instructions without routing a visitor to an approximate historical point. This is a discovery map; official trail and road maps remain the route authorities.

The initial batch contains 11 stops: Bass River Lake Absegami trail kiosk, Batsto Village, Black Run Kettle Run East, Carranza Memorial, Cedar Bridge Tavern, Double Trouble Village, Forest Resource Education Center, Franklin Parker Preserve Speedwell Entrance, Pakim Pond, Penn State Forest Lake Oswego access, and Whitesbog Village.

New stories and access evidence

Place and story Public access source Coordinate treatment
Penn State Forest Black CCC camp NJDEP park page, state area map, state history Pin is the public Lake Oswego boat-ramp/parking arrival, not the camp. A Philadelphia Canoe Club trip notice gives 39.7344925, −74.4911773; NJDEP marks parking and camp separately. Roads are unmarked. NJDEP currently closes the dam portage.
Bass River CCC Camp S-55 NJDEP forest page, trail guide, official trail map Pin is the Lake Absegami day-use parking/trail-kiosk area, not the camp foundations. NJHiking supplies the parking GPS 39.62582, −74.42522; NJDEP identifies the kiosk and orange CCC Trail at the lot.
Forest Resource Education Center NJDEP visitor page, NJDEP 2025 sensory-trail dedication, NJDEP 2026 fire-tower dedication Pin is an approximate address point for the public education center at 495 Don Connor Boulevard, from OpenStreetMap address mapping. It is a locality marker without generated directions; the working nursery and active fire tower are different facilities.
Franklin Parker Preserve NJ Conservation Foundation visitor page, September 2025 trail map Speedwell Entrance coordinates are published by the owner as 39°46′43.8″N, 74°32′27.8″W; these convert to 39.778833, −74.541056. The map marks parking and an impassable dike-road breach.
Black Run Preserve Friends of Black Run directions, current trail and parking notice, Friends trail map Kettle Run East lot coordinate 39.8460, −74.8991 comes from the Philadelphia Botanical Club’s field-trip meeting directions and agrees with the Friends’ road description. The Friends say lots have limited capacity and prohibit overflow/street parking. An older Friends recreation page still describes shoulder parking; the current homepage notice governs the access text here.
Pine Plains NJDEP interpretive guide Added West and East Plains approaches to the existing story. The guide uses road mile markers rather than trailhead GPS, so this batch adds no exact viewpoint pin. It distinguishes public foot access from the restricted Warren Grove range.

Existing stops checked against current operators

Leads for another round