This is a beautifully maintained nature preserve with walking paths, trails, kayaking/water…read moreboarding, and a picnic area. There is no cost to visit here and it is usually quiet. The flat trail is stroller friendly, very scenic with plenty of benches and picnic tables for resting and eating. There are trails (one which apparently leads to a beautiful waterfall) but not able to access with a stroller. Bring your own trash bag to take with you as there are no garbage cans. You are responsible for cleaning up after yourself. The views of the water were gorgeous, and the boys enjoyed throwing rocks into the water and watching other people kayak and water board. You can bring your own kayak or rent one in the summer. CJ loved the little houses made of sticks all over the preserve. They are a great opportunity for pretend play. Will go back? There's something about this place The views were beautiful, the preserve itself was so clean and well maintained, and plenty to do with the kids!

This nature preserve is one of my favorite places to go to. Absolutely gorgeous views, well kept…read morearea and if you loop around twice you can easily do a few miles. They off canoe/kayak rentals. I also saw people bringing their own. Right now, half the parking lot is closed due to COVID-19. They do have more parking up the road though. There's a ton of well placed benches by super scenic areas. To be fair, the whole area is scenic. It really is a beautiful walk. Perfect for pups too. I've only been here during the week and it hasn't been too crowded. I can imagine weekends get a little more packed but everyone had masks and were being great about distancing. The area around the reserve is beautiful too. There's also a great grocery shop right down the road, make it a day with a hike and some fresh lunch.

Great place for a stroll, jog or hike w friends and family. Awesome learning center and wild life…read moreexhibits to explore.

Part of the Bergen County Park System, the J.A. Mcfaul Envirinmental Center is an education and…read morewildlife oasis in an otherwise suburban community. The center features both an indoor and outdoor experience. The outdoor experience offers well maintained nature trails which circumvent a large duck pond where you wild find swans, turtles, waterlillies and other wildlife. A beautiful gazebo overlooks the pond and is surrounded by flowerbeds. Hiking along the lake trail will take you to a two story observation deck. Many people use the paved entrance road to walk or jog. It is a one mile go-around with many joggers the day I visited. For those interested in an up close look at a red-tailed hawk, owls, pigeons and a red fox, the center has caged environments especially for that purpose. The indoor environmental center is a good sized facility designed to educate visitors about native fauna and flora. There are two main rooms. The room off the looby has a variety of fis tanks displaying turtles, snakes, frogs, etc.. Educational displays feature charts, photos, taxidermy and artifacts. I particularly liked the bear display. Adjacent to this room is the observatory room. Large windows give you an opportunity to view the duck pond and wildlife. This room has displays ranging from bats, bees, trees, etc.. Well maintained restrooms are available. In summary. While this is not comparable to a large zoo. it has many things to look at and experience for a well spent morning or afternoon. The facility is free of charge.

If you need a break and want to retreat to nature, Dunkerhook is a good place to visit. Very…read morepeaceful and serene. Lots of passive green and giant trees. Nice walking paths also.

Got stuck in accident traffic and pulled off 208 to find another way to the gym. Found this park in…read morea serendipitous way. It was warm and I'd much rather skip a spinning class to take in nature instead. There were families, dog walkers, joggers and bikers all enjoying spring. Quite a few deer were wondering around. Plenty of birds, most notably very large redheaded woodpecker making a terrible racket. Just kidding, I really enjoyed watching him poke for bugs. This park is a long stretch of greenway following both sides of a creek. There are mile markers that take you through different towns. I think I only did about a mile and a half of it, but I'm looking forward to coming back now that it's warmer, and exploring the different bridges and trails.

I visited Ringwood State Park for a hike with a hiking group I'm apart of. This park has a lot of…read morecool sights to see as you go along the trail. When you first arrive, you arrive at a big house/mansion. I didn't get to read much on the history of this house, but the grounds were beautiful. They also gave a bit of a creepy vibe at times. The trail was fairly easy to hike. However, there was a part where you have to walk across a river. You have to be careful because some of rocks are slippery. I think this would be a good place to hike in the fall around Halloween just because of the creepy vibes.

Maybe not as well known but Ringwood State Park is a pleasure to walk with a lot of trails! The…read morearea around Shepherd Lake is beautiful and a perfect place to walk around with a cup of coffee. Also no fees for admission or parking! Follow my Instagram and TikTok @thephotographerfoodie for more! :)

I think this place is a hidden gem. There's not a lot of natural lakes that you can swim in. Of…read morecourse when I went, they were closed for swimming and they even have a dock with boat rentals, which was also closed. I'll be sure to come back to swim in the lake and maybe take a boat around. I don't think the boat is quite big ending for a boat ride that will get my adrenaline flowing, but a canoe or paddle board would be cool. But even closed, this is a great place to go for picnicking or hiking with free parking. There's picnic tables, a jungle gym, bathrooms and I'm sorry I didn't check to see if the showers were working if you wanted to use them. Now, this is important. I started walking around the lake, around the lake wound be going to the left, but the trail went right. I went left, there was a rock wall and I figured I'd follow it and it would bring me back to around the lake. It didn't, I ended up crossing into New York and wandering around Sterling Forest until I eventually found my self on the main road. After walking about 3 more miles, I was actually able to find a trail that lead back to the lake, of course when that trail reached the road for the lake, I walked a mile in the wrong direction, my point is FOLLOW THE TRAIL! The lake is in Ringwood state park and right by the NJ Botanical Gardens and also Skyland Manor.

The lake itself was beautiful and the kayak, row boat and peddle boat rentals were reasonably…read morepriced. It was a nice excursion on the water except for the constant gun shots from skeet shooting taking place nearby. If you can drown out the noise from that it is a very serene experience. The staff at the boathouse was friendly and helpful.

Beautiful garden to spent an hour exploring. I tested out my new camera here and it didn't…read moredisappoint.

Beautiful park to see fall colors in October or the prettiest flowers in the spring. There are…read moremultiple parking lots so plenty of parking. The website has an interactive map if you get lost. I walked around the whole park in about an hour, it's not too big. Leashed dogs are allowed!

We were back again for the spring art fair in the park. It's always a nice time to walk around and…read moresee the artisans. I wish there were more food and more places to sit and gather because there's a lot to see and we would certainly linger longer if there were. But aside from that I have only rave reviews for this event.

I wouldn't say it's a hidden gem, but hey, it's less crowded, offers the option to get any BBQ spot…read moreor grill, and has an awesome view of the lake. What else can you wish for on a BBQ day out! One of New Jersey's most northern state parks near the New York border. It's home to Shepherd Lake Recreation Area. This isolated haven usually doesn't have the crowds of the state's other popular water areas. We spent the day at Shepherd Lake, and honestly, it was such a chill spot! The lake itself is beautiful--super peaceful. So it feels like a little escape from the chaos. There's a small beach area if you're into swimming, and we saw people fishing and kayaking too. The dock is popular with fishers and boaters, and there's even a nearby playground to keep the kids busy. Parking was easy, and the area was clean and well-maintained. Note: Parking fee is $10/car