Have a Dog Day Morning on Pyramid Mountain

Give your family and your four-pawed companions a workout August 8 with Pyramid Mountain Natural Historic Area's Dog Day Hike.

Starting at 10 a.m. Sunday morning, one of the park's naturalists will lead families and their dogs in a community hike on one of the park's several trails.

Ten hikers and their dogs registered for the trip as of Friday afternoon, and the hike has space for another 10. The excursion is expected to take one and a half to two hours.

Dogs must be kept on their leashes and be friendly with other dogs. With predicted temperatures for Sunday sitting the mid-80s, volunteer coordinator and office manager Jen Godin recommends that hikers bring plenty of water for the trip.

Though a similar trip was attempted last summer but canceled due to lack of interest, this year park has seen a lot of excitement generated around the hike.

"A lot of people do bring their dogs here," Godin said.

Pyramid Mountain covers over 1300 acres of trails through forests, field, rocky passes and wetland areas in Montville, Boonton and Kennelon Borough.

The park is renowned for its varied walking and hiking trails for both amateur hikers and experienced trailblazers and is touted on serveral hiking Web sites as a as great spot for families with adventurous dogs.

On Friday afternoon, the Battaglia family from Sparta met some friends at the park for an afternoon trip. With them was avid hiking dog, Ruby Tuesday, named for the Rolling Stones song. The family geared up their second hike in the area, this time hiking on the Turkey Mountain Trail in Boonton.

John on hikewithyourdog.com commented that Pyramid Mountain is "our favorite place to take our trail worthy dog."

Hikers interested in the Dog Day Hike must register in advance and can stop by the visitor center on Boonton Ave. or call 973-334-3130 to sign up.