In New Jersey, we launch from
the grounds of the Hunterdon Hills
Playhouse, located seconds off Route 78 just west of
Clinton, NJ. Click here for
directions to our meeting location at the Playhouse.
In New York State's lower
Hudson Valley, we launch just east of Poughkeepsie in the town of
Pleasant Valley. James Baird State Park is our main NY launch site,
which is easily accessible with its own exit off of the Taconic
State Parkway.
In Pennsylvania, we launch from
a property in Chester Springs, located conveniently just 3 miles
north of the PA Turnpike and along Route 100.
There are a few areas of
balloon activity in the state of NJ, but by far the most active is
Hunterdon County in the northwestern part of the state (also known
as The Skylands).
Within Hunterdon County, Clinton Township is the busiest
ballooning hotspot in the state.
 |
| The
Energizer Bunny, seen here from the inside, is a
regular visitor to the NJ Festival of Ballooning held each
July in Readington |
At least 100 balloon pilots and
hundreds more crew members call NJ their home (with more than 50-60 in
Hunterdon county alone), and almost 100 more balloonists visit each
summer for the largest balloon festival on the East Coast in
Readington - The Quick Chek New Jersey Festival of Ballooning (balloonfestival.com).
Some other areas of ballooning
interest include Readington and Flemington in Hunterdon County,
Harmony Township and Phillipsburg in Warren County, Jamesburg and Freehold in Central NJ, and Vineland and Moorestown in
Southern Jersey.
Where?
In Clinton there are three
major balloonports, all located along a stretch of Route 173
paralleling Route 78 from exit 12 to 11. The Hunterdon Hills
Playhouse and two other private balloonports are all located within a
couple miles of each other on Rt. 173,
hence the high concentration of hot air balloons flying in and around the
Clinton area. Some 15-30 balloons may fly from these balloonports at
one time, giving the impression of a medium-scale hot air balloon
festival on
some weekends!
 |
| The
ideal times to fly are early morning and late afternoon |
When
to find them:
Since hot air balloons only fly in the
early morning and late afternoon when the winds are calmest, you'll
be out of luck if you expect to find anybody flying during the
midday hours. As such, you should only be on the lookout on mornings
and afternoons when no precipitation is called for and the winds are
forecast to be under 7-8 mph - any higher and it starts to get a
little tricky to inflate and land a balloon.
Most pilots in NJ only fly from
Spring to Fall, but there are still a number who fly year-round, as
the thrill of a crisp winter flight keeps them looking skywards
during the colder months. Our company flies seven days a week, all
months of the year.
The best time to look for hot
air balloons is on a weekend evening during the Spring, Summer or Fall
(obviously with good weather prevalent). You'll probably be able to
find a number of balloons in the air, and maybe you can even follow
one during the flight and help them land! Many new balloonists and
crew members have started in the sport this way.
Of course, you'll always know
when we're flying if you become a member of our ground
crew!
Our three major
flying areas serve the regions shown below. Click
here to schedule a hot air balloon ride in NJ, NY or PA.
