I have always love this park and today it felt like the right day to visit despite the cloudy sky!!…read moreI have been here before but it's nothing to visit more than once!! They have picnic tables to eat your lunch or just enjoy the scenery!!

Washington Rock Park is more of a scenic overlook than it is a park and unfortunately you're not…read moregonna find any Hiking Trails or outdoor Picnic Areas with Grills anywhere near here, but it is still a pretty cool Historic New Jersey Landmark plus it was an important part of the Revolutionary War.     In May of 1777 this mountain overlook provided General George Washington's Army a vantage point in order to see the British encampments below which solidified an edge for any future troop engagements.    Long story short, the mountain's sheer height and location made it the perfect observation site and natural defensible fort. Definitely worth checking out if you ever find yourself in this immediate area. Come And Get Your History On!!

This is a somewhat unique rating for me, because I'm giving it 5 stars based on its objective…read moreexcellence. For me, personally? Not my favorite of the 3 parks that are in the immediate vicinity of where I live. That's a purely subjective evaluation. There's Mountain Park in Basking Ridge, heading in the direction of Martinsville. I've reviewed that 1. There's Harry Dunham Park in Basking Ridge, near Liberty Corner. I've reviewed that 1 too. I walk/run in both of these parks on a fairly regular basis. Pleasant Valley? Not so much. Pleasant Valley has a playground, 4 multipurpose fields, a softball field, a baseball field, 2 "youth" baseball fields, 6 tennis courts, 6 pickleball courts (I've asked this before, but I'll ask it again-- when did pickleball become a "thing?"), 4 "lighted platform" tennis courts, a basketball court, a sand volleyball court, a pond for fishing, an amphitheater, picnic shelters, indoor rooms available for rental, walking trails, and restrooms. Why would I subjectively give this less than 5 stars? Because the walking trails aren't my favorite, and walking trails are what I utilize these parks for. Anyone who has ever read anything I've ever written knows sports are, and always have been, anathema to me, but I do like doing exercises that hopefully will allow me to live a bit longer than I might without the exercise (funny story-- my oldest friend went to a high school reunion, and the others there said enviously, "You've aged very well!" My friend laughs when he tells me this and says, "Like it just happened! I work hard at it! I didn't just age well! I worked my ass off exercising and eating right, and they didn't. That's the difference. It's that simple."). I lift weights, and I walk/run, and walking/running the wooded trails has made me feel better physically (although it doesn't melt the fat off as easily as it once did) as well as put me in closer proximity, at least in my own mind, to the inchoate and unknowable nature of whatever "God" might be or the source of all creation and nature. It's in the sunlight filtering through the trees, it's in the cloud-filled or cloudless sky that I get glimpses of through the trees as I walk, it's in the sounds of birds and insects, the deer and other small animals crashing through the brush (not long ago, there was a bear sighting not too far away, and that would just be my bad luck-- all this exercise only to get mangled to death by a bear!), it's in the fragrant flowers sprouting up from the soil, the invigorating fresh air itself. There's a stretch of woods in the Dunham Park that's lovely. It's not a long walk, but it passes beneath the towering trees, and alongside a gurgling brook. If it's not the pristine beauty of the northwest CT countryside, it's pretty close. Mountain Park also has magnificent trails. At 1 point, I followed 1 down a hill to a river, but didn't go further, as I didn't know where it was leading to and I wasn't prepared for an extended hike through unknown wilderness. But you can walk the trails for a considerable distance and actually imagine you're far from any last vestiges of civilization (which might not be a positive, depending on your mood or disposition or anxiety level). All alone with nature! I found it exhilarating and spiritually restorative. Pleasant Valley? I occasionally ran the trails at Pleasant Valley with a running/drinking buddy of mine. At that time, we partied a lot (with a group of friends), but we exercised a lot too (just her and me); she ultimately married and moved to the Virgin Islands, and we sort of lost touch. But...hope she's doing well and... keep up the running, old friend! A few weeks ago, I returned to Pleasant Valley, to take a walk. The trails wind upward and certainly serve their purpose, but I prefer the trails of the other 2 parks. With them, at least you get the illusion that you're in the middle of nowhere, enjoying the mystery and majesty of God's green earth. With the Pleasant Valley trails, there's a uniform sameness to them, and when I deviated off the main trail onto a side offshoot, I ended up in a housing development. Again, maybe that's just my own personal quirk and won't mean anything to somebody else of a more "social" disposition. Me? I prefer to pretend I'm the pioneering hermit, the isolated "Stranger in a Strange Land," the searcher for solitude and tranquility, at least for an hour or so. So... objectively...this is a great park, with a lot of amenities and activities. Parking seems plentiful enough (although I have to agree with 1 previous reviewer who said that if the park gets crowded, parking could potentially prove a problem). I can't say I won't return on occasion to walk the trails. But...subjectively...it's not my 1st choice. Or 2nd.

Great park. Very well maintained. Pickleball courts redone (summer 2026) and there look and play…read moregreat.

Clean and renovated township playground. It's really nice and open with enough grass and walkways…read morearound for even adults to get a bit of a walk or biking in. There's basketball courts here as well as three public tennis courts. There's a baseball field to another side of it as well where a lot of elementary and other teams come to play. The Warren library and police station is right next to this playground so it's safe and after a nice day out you can go to the library to exercise your brain. There are port a potties to the side of the playground. No water fountains so bring your own water and snacks. Dispose of your own garbage as well. There's a small pagoda (?) as well to sit under the shade during hot days. But there's also a lot of big trees around that shade the benches strewn around. There's an open building with picnic tables underneath in case you decide to have a meet and greet with friends or families. Or a birthday party for kids. Great place to take kids to, or play basketball/tennis with friends, or just sit and relax and have a picnic.

New Jersey has a lot of excellent hiking spots. It's understandable that most of them are in pretty…read morerural areas with tons of room to roam/explore. So when I found out there was a 5.7-mile hike in the immediate vicinity of Bridgewater/Somerville, I was pretty skeptical. This is a pretty chaotic section of the state, with a lot of major highways interconnecting and a mall and heinous traffic circle thrown in for good measure - it's not the first or 100th place I'd think of for a hike. That remains the case. You can't force the design of a hike, and this is a clear example of a situation where you should have had, say, a mile's worth of trails and left it at that. My chum and I came here on Saturday to take advantage of the unseasonably warm early December weather. It was mostly cloudy throughout the hike, but the temperature steadily rose and the sun was largely out by the end. It had been raining pretty steadily the prior day so we were expecting and encountered a lot of mud and some mild rock hopping, but nothing egregious. Both of us opted for running shoes over hiking/trail shoes; it was a LITTLE rockier than I expected and in hindsight I would have gone with the latter for better support, but I didn't suffer any consequences for the decision. Our trek started at the entrance/parking lot off of Newmans Road (spacious, easy to spot with a pretty clean port-a-potty; there were drops on the seat but that's people being animals and not a reflection on the park) following the red trail running roughly parallel to the Washington Valley Reservoir before crossing Chimney Rock Road and heading up and down the orange trail in a quasi loop that runs alongside the East Branch Reservoir before another brief foray on a road (this one Gilbride Rd) and then doing another loop on the yellow trail that goes up to the Chimney Rock Outlook before circling back to Gilbride, at which point you basically complete the prior orange loop and then head back on the other side of the Washington Valley Reservoir to the parking lot. If that sounds overly complicated, you're right. There are two huge issues that mar this hike for me. One is that whoever designed the trails/blazes for this place had no idea what they were doing. Literally every possible trail and offshoot is painted with a blaze, always the same color as the "main" trail. As such, it's incredibly difficult to follow an official hiking itinerary because every fork in the trail has two choices with the same color blaze. Incredibly foolish and short-sighted. We had to VERY carefully stop each time, look at the map in our book AND double-check the GPS/map on the AllTrails app (which I hate doing) just to make sure we were on the right path. There's no reason to put a blaze on literally any walkable route like that; no idea what they were thinking. The other problem is what I alluded to earlier - this is a populated area with minimal room to hike so you end up by definition having to cross and briefly walk alongside busy roads. Chimney Rock was incredibly busy midday on Saturday, and cars were whizzing by us the entire time (the first section was probably about two minutes long, while the second was five minutes - believe me, it felt longer). I'm stunned people don't get hit there, especially since there's not a lot of room off to the side for pedestrians. If you're at the point where you're brainstorming a hiking trail and you can't avoid having the hikers come into contact with moving vehicles, that's probably a clue to scrap the plans. The big selling point of this hike is Chimney Rock, which was apparently a lookout point for George Washington during the Revolutionary War. That's all well and good, but for the money they spent to put up a protective fence and pave the trail here, they couldn't be bothered to maintain the actual rock, which is covered by broken beer bottle glass. And I'm sure General Washington had a much prettier view back in the day than we did; we were treated to the gorgeous scenery of the Stavola Bound Brook Quarry - crushed stones as far as the eye can see! The best part of the hike by far was the last section on the northern side of the Washington Valley Reservoir, and this is the part I'd actually preserve for walking, etc. It definitely helped that the sun was out at this point, but there was a cute bridge and a lot of bird activity. My chum is an avid birdwatcher and will likely be returning to this part with her camera. We also encountered a fallen tree (picture attached) that was taken down by a beaver. Very cool sighting. Head over to Watchung Reservation if you're in the area and want to commune with nature. You may hear the sounds of Route 78 but at least you won't be crossing that highway as part of your hike.

The Washington Valley State Park parking lot is basically a hidden driveway with a small,…read moreinconspicuous sign that suddenly pops up out of nowhere after you've been driving for a while on Newmans Lane. Recommend using GPS to navigate lest you miss the entrance. The park is also accessible from Vosseller Avenue at Millers Lane, though Google Maps will default to Newmans Lane when you chart a route to "Washington Valley State Park". The Newmans Lane entrance seems to be popular with mountain bicyclists and dog walkers. The highlights of this park are the Washington Valley Reservoir and raptor watching in autumn. Otherwise, the trails are pretty low-key (boring even) which make for some relatively quiet walks, which are only interrupted occasionally by the sound of scurrying chipmunks and teenagers jumping into the reservoir in the summer. As another reviewer noted, some of the more remote parts of the trails are not thoroughly blazed, but you should be able find your way even without trail markers. Be sure to grab a park brochure from the wooden bulletin board at the trailhead if you need help navigating. The brochures are also great for swatting away gnats. The red trail has a lot of rocks/gravel and multiple changes in elevation, so you might want to wear shoes with sturdy soles and firm grip. The reservoir does not have a boat ramp but has various trails and rock formations for shoreline fishing (license required, of course). Random trivia: back in 2015, a convicted sex-offender was sighted here fishing before being arrested. With that being said, remember to curb your dog and be sure to leave before the park officially closes 1/2 an hour after sunset.

I really like Colonial Park. It's large, beautifully maintained, and offers so much to do that I…read moremake a point of visiting whenever I'm in the area. Some of the park's attractions include: * Bocce Ball Courts * Delaware & Raritan (D&R) Canal State Park Trail Access * Dog Park * Fishing * Fitness Trail * Golf Course * Large Playground * Miniature Golf * Nature Trails * Paddle Boating (Duck Boats) * Picnic Pavilions * Rose Garden & Sensory and Fragrance Garden * Spray Park * Tennis & Pickleball Courts The park also connects directly to the Delaware & Raritan (D&R) Canal State Park Trail via a pedestrian and bicycle bridge over the canal. I've walked throughout the park and along the D&R Trail. Fitness stations are located along portions of the trail, and it's easy to create a scenic loop that passes the photogenic Stone Cottage and the spectacular Rose Garden area. The Splash Park is incredibly popular with families. On hot, sunny days, parking near the playground can be hard to find. So far, I've enjoyed the duck boats, miniature golf, fitness trail, nature trails, Rose Garden, and Splash Park. Next on my list are the bocce courts, which appear to be in excellent condition. If you're visiting the area, Colonial Park is a destination well worth your time.

I've lived in this area for years and heard about this park but never went myself until a couple…read moremonths ago. It is a spectacular place with lots of places to walk and things to see. We visited the rose garden and it was lovely. It's a nice place to visit and it seems like a great community center.

Really enjoy walking around this park when it's warm out. Nice hills to make it seem like you are…read moregetting good exercise. The lake is nice.

Not huge, but a lovely view in a nice area. Basically a pond surrounded by a paved path with…read morebenches. Nice place to sit, to walk, or to just pause for a moment to reset while passing through.

Only for few places I've selfishly felt writing about it will make it more popular and I might not…read moreenjoy the place all by myself - this is one among them. Just while searching for beaches in a 30 minute driving radius, we ran into this gem of a park that's so well maintained. They have ample free parking and the walk to the bay is so quick. The bay might not be the best to walk on as sand is relatively less with more gravels and getting down to it from the stairs is little difficult even for well grown adults. This could definitely be wheelchair accessible in a certain way. They also have few picnic enclosures and a memorial to one of their town's fallen soldiers. The walking pavement is neatly laid out for a calm, peaceful and relaxing walk. We went on overcast conditions and had to return to the car just before the rain caught up. Will definitely return here for summers to watch the sunset in this beautiful bay/park.

This is where I come when I just want fresh air and to enjoy the scenery of boats going by and the…read moredifferent culture if people here. Quiet to just unwind and relax

Phenomenal park with a good length of paved path that goes around a lake. This park hosts free…read moresummer concerts. Comes with a gazebo and plenty of trees to escape the sun

Nice little park with tennis courts, playgrounds and basketball courts and enough space to go for a…read morenice couple of laps of walking or running. It's kept very clean and well maintained by Middlesex county. There's some parking in the front and there's a giant parking lot in the back. They have a gazebo if you need to do wedding or photo shoot as well

Great hidden gem in Union county! People from all over come here. So much fun for the kids and…read moreadults too! The line gets pretty long if you don't get there early.

This review is for the awesome splash pad that is located in Wheeler Park. Every time we go we…read morehave a blast! I am also so happy that Wheeler park welcomes everyone from all over NJ (and elsewhere). Coming from out of the county will cost you a bit more, but not much. If you live outside of Union County it is $4.00 for kids ($2.00 in county) and $6.00 for adults ($3.00 in county). This splash pad has every water feature a kid could ever need - from bigger twisty water slides, to a small dragon water slide. Also, water guns that you can shoot each other with, a pirate boat, water shooting up from the ground, and much more. My kids spent a little over 2 hours here and had an absolute blast. We've been here about 3 times and it never disappoints. Just be sure to bring some sort of shade covering. There isn't much cover at the splash pad so we usually bring our small beach tent with us. There is also a dry playground in the splash pad gated area where kids can play too. They have staff who help keep the kids safe and to make sure everyone goes down the water slides safe and sound. I highly recommend Wheeler Spray Park on a hot summer day.

Been coming to this park for years. It is right next to Menlo Park mall. Has a great sized lake…read morefor fishing. It is kept clean, has a playground area, skating rink in the winter

I love this park! Great for walking my dog Cooper, he loves the streams, the bridges, ponds, miles…read moreof paths, lush green fields, trees. So much to do here I'll just ramble off a list of what you can find here: walking and biking the miles of paths, tennis courts, grassy areas for solitude, a reflection park with landscaping and stone benches arranged in an oval, barbecue and picnic areas with built in stand up grills, picnic benches and a few covered large areas for entertaining large groups with nearby running water from a hand pump (check park website for availability but I believe it's first come first served for the covered picnic areas), TONS of parking all around the park for easy access, babbling brooks, cute bridges, a really nice man made pond with an island and best yet, BATHROOMS all over!