Did you know that Lake Hopatcong is NJ's largest freshwater lake?…read more And did you also know that there's a great little place on the lake that lets you rent all sorts of strange inventions like a 'pedalboard' and a 'hydrobike' (along with the classics like kayaks and paddleboards) - so you can cruise along the lake, get a bit of exercise, fill those lungs with fresh air and more importantly... work up an appetite (so you can hit The Windlass right after)? I tell you it's true. All true. There were six of us (celebrating a birthday) - 5 on hydrobikes, 1 on a pedalboard. The lake is drop dead gorgeous and we went when it was still early and a bit overcast so it wasn't too crowded with boats and jet-skis and the like. (Waves/wakes from other boats can really dampen your own fun... so that stuff matters a bit.) But I gotta be honest: it was a lot of work. Unlike a kayak where you might get a nice 'bite' with your oar and can coast a bit... the bike is akin to being pneumatic (you stop pedaling and you almost immediately come to a halt as well). And those seats? They are not comfortable at all. Sore dupas all around (the following day as well, actually). But we all had a great time. The crew (Patty and Joe, I believe) were really cool, total professionals, and we always felt like we were safe as well having a great time exploring some of the lake and adjoining islands and whatnot. (We would definitely return in the future but would lean towards a kayak and not do the bikes again.) Wear sunblock, bring water, not sure if it was just me but my right foot was pretty soaked by the end whereas my left was dry (so you'd be better off wearing an old ratty pair of sneakers, regardless). Post-pedal was The Windlass (excellent) as well as some mini-golf (also excellent). Lots to do in this lovely part of Jersey. (But it'll cost ya!)

A cousin of mine tried the hydrobikes and lived it, so I thought I would give it a try. I asked a…read morefriend to come with me and he said it looked like a pain in the ass. I made a reservation online. Patty was so friendly and made it a great time! She let me use some sun block and fill up my reusable cup at their water fountain. She told me that I would probably like the standup paddle board better because it had better maneuverability. I took her advice. It was a lot of excise and fun as we rode around and she told me about the history and pointed out different areas around the lake. We even picked up some trash from inside the lake and it made me happy to know that there are good people out there who are also passionate about the environment. It was hot and I "accidentally" fell in and got to enjoy the water a little bit. Patty also gave me restaurant and hiking recommendations around the area and even took a picture of me. You may be able to call and make a same day appointment, but online will only allow the following day. I don't think it's with bringing or risking losing your camera or phone out on the lake, there isn't anything really photo worthy.

I gotta tell you... I love this little park…read more First visit - okay, I dug it. Second visit - more time to explore and continually found new and interesting reasons to enjoy Essex County's seventh-largest park (I totally stole that tidbit from Wikipedia). Third visit - okay, okay - I'm officially smitten! A (small-ish) pond complete with locals fishing? Tennis and pickleball courts? Horseshoe pits? Bocce court? Paved trails (both in the main/open portion of the park as well as tucked-away under dense forest)? Baseball field (as a bonus - a group of kids always practicing cricket off to the side)? A tiny little spot consisting of parallel bars and (uneven) pull-up bars - for aspiring gymnasts or American Ninja contestants? An aqueduct (complete with a handful of little bridges to cross over) running throughout the entire park? A damn fine playground (with interesting and in-good-shape equipment) for kids (from 2 to 12 years old)? Plenty of tables (old-school picnic style as well as more modern/sleek)? Those clunky-but-sturdy BBQ grills that are drilled into the ground for you to use but can't take home with you? Rock cairns to find and admire while walking through along the tree-covered trail? A few strategically-placed water fountains to rehydrate and cool down? Plenty of Porta-Potties and trash receptacles (including freebie baggies so you can scoop up your pet's droppings)? A random deer (or doe) sighting in or near the park every single time I've visited? Yes! A resounding "yes!" to all of it.

Tiny county park in a residential area, so no trails. You can walk around the park in about 15…read moreminutes. Small stocked pond with ice skating when safe and allowed, children's swings and slide and a small tennis court. Benches all around. Well kept by the county. Parking on the street and a small lot with a few handicapped spaces. Bicycling not allowed due the size of the park and amount of people. Playing field up and behind the park area. Events held occasionally.

This place is so beautiful!! Great place to see the beautiful skyline of New York City. The open…read morefield that they have is great for sitting in the grass and just enjoying the sun on a beautiful day!!

Great view! Hidden gem. Great view of NYC! A nice tribute of 9-11 here. A restaurant near by…read morerecommend reservations. Nice to park and take in the views.

This park a really cute playground that I never knew existed. The path that goes around the park…read moreis beautiful. There is also a lot of open field if you want to have a picnic.

I went here after work to enjoy a nice walk. It is quite a lovely park which has something for…read moreeveryone.There is a big pond with 2 long paths, a baseball field, as well as a playground. It does get crowded but it's very manageable. The grass is clean and well kept and perfect for a picnic .There is also a lovely WWI memorial and a beautiful cherry blossom tree. I am definitely coming back !

This is my third time using Jersey Paddle and they never fail to provide a great experience. They…read morealways have equipment available at a decent price. The staff is always friendly and helpful.

Absolutely loved my experience kayaking at Greenwood Lake! I rented a 2 person kayak for 1 hour for…read more$40. Parking is an additional $5 (unless you park somewhere outside and walk there like I did!). For 1 hour, it is plenty of time to row around the lake! The view is super pretty and the lake is very calm so it's easy to paddle around! I had a great experience; definitely recommend!

Had a great day is past weekend on the water! It was my first time white water rafting instead of…read moreour usual white water tubing. Whitewater Challengers is very organized and they are constantly trying to maintain that organization, even on the water. From parking your vehicle; all the staff members directing you throughout the property, checking in with different color papers and boarding cards, and even on the bus ride back... it was very well organized. All guides are clearly knowledgable about the river and everyone had a great attitude; everyone really appreciated that. It's obvious the guides genuinely care about making this a great experience for their guests. Our group engaged with Jen and Rober. They had great personalities and clearly love what they do. If you are concerned about riding the river with children or with older family members then have no fear! The rapids were fun but I wish they were a little more rough/busy. Certainly not challenging for families with children; there was a younger Boy Scout group on our trip and they all handled it with ease. Go ahead and book that weekend river trip with the fam! My only complaints were the "hurry up and wait" of the whole journey. I understand we are traveling with a big group and we are trying to stay together but we stopped a total of 5-6 times including lunch. It felt like we only got about 15-20 mins of solid rafting then we had to wait 15-20mins for the rest of the group to catch up. Kind of annoying. And the claim that these are class 2-3 rapids may be factually true but I would consider these class 1 maybe class 2 on a great day. With the stopping and waiting and calm water for almost half the trip, I can see why some people may be disappointed. There were about 15-20 rafts in our group. Overall, this was a solid weekend activity and it deserves 5 stars. With all the organization and very friendly river guides it was a great day. The staff can clearly handle any group and they know the river like the back of their hand. Please take all the reviews into consideration and consider shortening the amount of stops on the river to corral the group; there's got to be another way that is also safe. Thanks, hope to return again soon!

What a disaster. I have gone twice with Girl Scouts and again with boy scouts. My first adventure…read morewith the girl scouts was generally enjoyable. Nothing notable to report but not overwhelmingly great either. The last time I went with the Boy Scouts was one of the worst weekends of my life. There was some river guide who named himself "zombie". He has the worst chip on this shoulder ever. First, he got nearly naked on the bus clearly wanting to show off all his tattoos. Inappropriate in front of a bunch of kids. If he was discreet then fine. He was showboating and it was gross. Then while on the river, I splashed with a paddle. It is indeed against the rules and I was wrong for that. However I knew I messed up the second I did it. A reminder would have been sufficient. Oh no. Zombie came over immediately and berated me loudly in front of everyone (including the kids). Yikes. I said "understood, I'm sorry". He then continued saying he was "gonna hike me out of 'his' trip" if he saw it again. What? He was going to evict me from the boat in the middle of nowhere and walk me home? Alone? What the hell is wrong with this guy? I don't care how capable or good of a river guide he is. If he's going to talk to customers who paid for the trip like garbage, then he doesn't belong there (especially around kids). Major jerk. Then we camped there overnight. Some camp site decided to have a rager party. Like thumping music turned up to full volume that could be heard for miles. No one came to quiet them down. At midnight I had to walk over myself and ask if they could please let us sleep. They said no and it kept going. I called the campsite phone # and got a voicemail. No one was there to help. Needless to say we didn't sleep at all. Just a generally unpleasant experience. You need to get rid of this zombie person. You can't call yourself "zombie" then demand to be taken seriously. Give me a break. You need someone who can patrol the campsite and keep order and the campers safe. Don't go here and waste your money.

Decided to get in a morning walk at Anderson Park and as per usual it was great! The park is always…read morewell kept and the variety of trees along the walking paths are always so beautiful. There's always ample parking along the surrounding streets despite how busy the park may be. This park is truly just walking paths with benches and a large field in the middle so if you're looking for a playground this may not be the park for you.

Anderson Park opened in 1905. John Charles Olmsted designed this lovely small park. The park is on…read morethe National Registry of Historic Places. In Anderson Park, you'll see every type of Pedigree dog imaginable walking on the trail. During the last couple of years, I've noticed more fences around the plants, most likely due to the growing deer population. The park is located by the Upper Montclair train station.

Our family has enjoyed tubing on the delaware every summer for years. It's a great way to spend an…read moreafternoon in nature

Honestly, I don't know why this place got such few stars? The four stars that I've assigned as well…read moredeserved. I visited on a weekday and perhaps that made all the difference in the world. My experience form beginning to end was fantastic. I think one thing that seems to bother most people is the BBQ lunch. The BBQ lunch was apart of my package and when I arrived they were just loading the buns to be taken out on the river. I'm getting a little ahead of myself here but you'll understand in a minute. When I arrived, there were already several eager adventurous folks checking in, buying waterproof items for sale, collecting their water rafts and some even already on the water. I checked in with my Groupon and as directed, I left my keys - collected my Kayak and proceeded to the bus. Please note, the rule is, everyone must wear a mask until you're actually on the water; great rule as it gets crowded in the shop as well as on the bus. It keeps everyone safe. I chose the kayak experience which was awesome but the real fun is in a tube. After my journey down the river, I immediately purchase another Groupon just so that I could come back and have a tubing experience. So, back to the BBQ lunch. By the time I paddles my way down (a few signs for the waters edge for direction) to the BBQ shack on the water, they were still setting up. I guess I paddle too fast. I decided to keep moseying down the river as I had already packed a lunch just in case after reading the reviews about the BBQ shack not being up and running. Oh well, next time I'll enjoy a burger. Again, this is the perfect mid week escape. The ride outside of NY is quick and there's plenty of parking. Although it says Delaware tubing it's actually located in New Jersey; well at least the border between the two. I would recommend going early and taking as much time as you like in a tube with family and friends. I would also recommend bringing children as they will develop a lifelong love of being on the water. I'm a big fan now and I can't wait to return in a few weeks. P.S. I was told by my bus driver, they offer a fall foliage experience where they only allow kayaks on the river.

This place is huge!!!! Visit and buy a membership and go often! The staff is kind, dedicated and…read moreknowledgeable! Sign up for a program or hike today!

This is a wonderful place to bring the whole family. They have about 12 different trails, all…read moreseparated in different levels of difficulty. The trails are free to enter but they do request for volunteer donation for non members. Different tiers of annul membership available to purchase at main office that comes with some wonderful perks, such as free access to trails and special events. The main office also has some of the exhibition items like insect box and turtle box. Outside the office there's also bird and butterfly cages. We went to the center for our daughter to participate in butterfly feeding event. Upon arrival we found out we had to buy the tickets for one of the two scheduled events. Luckily there were slots available to the second event on the day. The ticket was reasonably cheap, only $8. It also came with an additional bird's exhibition that took place right in front of office deck. All the stuff members were very friendly, informative and interactive. We spent wonderful couple of hours here on beautiful warm summer day.

I've never met a friendlier, kinder group. People of all ages. They share rides, gear, and mad…read moreskills. They knew so much about the Adirondacks and local rivers, but even more, they also travel to Southern rivers. It's great to see a group that really bonds with each other. I was tired of groups where people just wanted to paddle and go home. Here, day trips always have a Happy Hour tailgate party where folks share snacks and stories. I've heard the camping trips are fantastic. I was afraid to sign up when my skills were new, but the instructional weekend keeps giving...people keep coaching and helping. Or, you can also be in a tandem canoe with an expert. That's how I broke into moving and whitewater adventures. Best sport I ever did...and I"ve done a lot...because this group is so professional and warm.

AMC is great! I've been a member for about 8 years now and have been a student, taught students and…read morelead lots of paddling trips around the northeast region. I thought I went to learn to kayak, but I came out with so much more... Friends, community, and hundreds of memories and amazing experiences on and off the water. Trips are lead by volunteers so if it's not free, it's really inexpensive for you get involved.