Experience this two-mile loop trail in Hopatcong, New Jersey. Generally considered a moderately challenging route, it takes an average of 90-minutes to complete. This is a popular trail for birding, hiking, and mountain biking, but you can still enjoy some solitude during quieter times of day. The trail is open year-round and is beautiful to visit anytime. Dogs are welcome, but must be on a leash. Water levels vary by the season and whether the beaver dam at the creek is in place at the marsh outflow (headwaters of Cowboy Creek)

This hike begins at Veterans Field in Hopatcong, New Jersey. The featured attraction of this hike is a 40-acre wetland that is the headwaters of Cowboy Creek. The Cowboy Creek wetland is only about 1-mile from the parking area at Veterans Field. The hike follows the Lake Hopatcong Trail (LHT). After about ½-mile into the hike the LHT intercepts the Yellow Loop trail. Follow the Yellow Loop trail (bearing right onto the Yellow Loop) out to Cowboy Creek. You will know you have reached Cowboy Creek as it is at the intersection with the Highlands Trail - Teal colored blazes (see the point-of-interest on the map for the creek's outflow from the marsh). Continue on the Yellow Loop trail to loopback to the segment of LHT that you originally entered on.

The hiking route takes you through a 400-acre section of the Hopatcong State Park (annex). The wetland at Cowboy Creek is partially in the Hopatcong State Park (annex) and partially in a Natural Area Preserve of the Borough of Hopatcong. The Cowboy Creek flows west out of the wetland paralleling a portion of the hiking route. The creek eventually empties into Lubbers Run creek in Byram Township, New Jersey on the property of the Wild West City theme-park, hence the suspected source of the creek’s name.