Rocco the Rattlesnake is a quirky attraction on New Jersey’s newest hiking and biking trail, but don’t be alarmed. He’s not real.
Rocco is the name for hundreds of hand-painted rocks lined up to look like a snake along a section of the Pompton Valley Rail Trail, which stretches just over five miles between Pequannock in Morris County and Wayne in Passaic County.
Two decades of advocacy, a $32 million federal grant, extensive right-of-way land acquisitions and three years of construction led up to last week’s opening ceremony for the paved trail, local officials said.
It is located along the former New York, Susquehanna & Western Railway rail line.
The longer, Pequannock section of the trail opened in November. Opening up the Wayne portion required finishing railings on the Pompton River Bridge and a 2,150-long elevated section south of Ryerson Avenue, officials said.
Aidan McArdle was walking on the trail in Pequannock around lunchtime Monday. He said “the snake along the path” is popular and gets plenty of attention.
The bigger draw, though, is the trail itself. It is 10-feet wide and level with 10 access points connecting the neighborhoods and business districts along the way.
“It’s just really nice. You’ve got enough room for everyone to do their own thing,” McArdle said.
Any new trail in New Jersey might struggle to stand out. The state has documented 4,500 miles of federal, state, county and local pathways, including plenty of former rail lines that now serve as havens for outdoors enthusiasts.
However, the Pompton Valley Rail Trail was pitched in part as a tool for lessening roadway congestion in a densely populated region. From River Road in Pequannock, just north of Route 23, it goes under the highway and extends to near NJ Transit’s Mountain View station in Wayne.
“This project not only connects folks to the Mountain View train station in Wayne, but also brings us one step closer to our vision for a much larger regional trail network,” Passaic County Commissioner John Bartlett said.
On Monday, there were runners, bicyclists and walkers, including a few municipal workers on break, entering the trail by the Pequannock municipal complex about four miles from the train station.
Sarah Callaghan, of Pompton Plains, took a brief walking break after running just over two miles. Callaghan, like others on the trail, said she did not need to drive to it, but was able to walk over from where she lives.
“I love it. I run on it constantly,” Callaghan said before resuming her run.
The North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority administered the $32 million federal grant to help create the trail. About $21 million was used for construction and $11 million went to design and right-of-way acquisitions, the authority said.
Morris County’s public works department handled the design and construction, including a bridge over the Pompton River. The county’s park commission is overseeing the trail, which includes 57 acres of land.
Rocco the Rattlesnake just sort of happened, as described by visitors. It stretches more than 100 feet along the side of the trail near the Jackson Avenue crossing, not far from the municipal complex, and remains a work in progress.
A hand-printed sign reads: “Please help me grow. Add your own painted rock. See how far we can go!!”
Some are painted with the colors and logos of local sports teams, including the Jets, Rangers, Giants and Rutgers. One rock is painted black, with yellow lettering reading, “Go Army. Beat Navy.”
Some have the names or initials of couples. One reads, simply, “Peace.”
John and Sarah Okken, married for 51 years, biked past Rocco on their way to River Road before turning around for the second half of their seven-mile ride Monday.
“They planted an awful lot of trees,” John Okken said while pausing at the Jackson Avenue crossing.
It is a route they’ve been taking several times per week. Their house in Pequannock is a mile from a trail access point.
“Then it’s 2 1/2 up and 2 1/2 back,” Sarah Okken said.
Then, the couple pedaled across the road, on their way home.