I visited this trail for the first time and was actually quite surprised at how good of a hike it…read morewas. I haven't heard much about it so I didn't expect much. Upon arrival there is a small parking lot, with a kiosk and the usual map of the trails. I used primarily the red and yellow trails to reach the top of the mountain. The view is nice, with a little bit of obstruction due to the trees. On a clear day you can easily see New York City. At the top of the mountain there is also a star with lights on it that I believe was donated. In addition to this, there is a large rock with the American flag painted on it. These are two little interesting things to see in addition to the view. The hike itself was fairly easy, with one steep section before reaching the top. I would say it is definitely a good hike if you live nearby and want to go for a hike without taking a longer drive. The one negative, is that in some areas the trails are not properly marked and can be a little confusing. This doesn't seem to be too big of an issue because it seems they all end meeting back together at some point.

In high school we used to have keg parties on top of the mountain. In college fraternities and…read moresororities would have events in these woods too. You can follow the trails or there's other ways up the mountain. You can ride your mountain to the top of the mountain or through to the Franklin lakes preserve but there's a lot of area where trees are down or there is too much water. There's a great view and plenty of space once you get to the top of the mountain. You can find "buttermilk falls" by the North Haledon entrance to the college.

*Playground review!*…read more This one is a good one, y'all. It's definitely on the newer side and is a decent size for a bunch of kids to run & play. The brightly colored slides, tunnels, swings can be seen from Black Oak Ridge Rd. so it's hard to avoid when cruising the nighborhood -- I speak from experience! :-P There's a couple different structures -- one for smaller kids (1-3yo, I think) and one for older/bigger kids. My son has a blast climbing up the tunnels and down the slides every time we visit this playground. Note: the parking lot is a good size... but fills up quickly as it shares the lot w/ the dog park... and there's really no street parking along the park as it's a pretty active intersection.

I can't believe they turned this into a park. This used to be a literal THORIUM DUMP. I remember…read morewhen it was a big hill with security and gates around it and you used to see people walking around on top with space suits. The amount of cancer in this entire area is insane. So sad what people try to get away with when nobody knows the history. please do not take your child or pet to this park. The township claims they cleaned it up, but, seriously? lookup "Thorium" and see how long it last for and tell me if you want your child or your pet on these grounds.

Another great playground in the area! I've brought our four year old here a few times and it's…read morebeen a hit each and every time. The biggest draw: they have FIVE slides! Truth be told the majority of the playground structure is just slides.. but if your kid loves slides then this is the playground to try! There's a bunch of fun ways to get up to the slides too -- a couple ladders, a "rock wall", steps, etc. Rumana is definitely on the newer side with rubber mulch and brightly colored heavy duty plastic parts/pieces. The playground has a good sized yard so great for kids running around too. It is enclosed by a fence but it's not lockable... so if you have littles then you'll want to keep a eye on them a bit more closely so they don't wander off. The small basketball court, merry go round and swings are all a bonus. The swings are designed for older kids though... no baby or toddler seats. Parking is easy -- there's no parking lot but the street in front of the playground indents a little bit so there's plenty of room for a line of cars to the playground and for other cars to drive down the street.

Great park to do outdoor activities! You can do a number of things here, from barbecues and hiking,…read moreto sports and more. They also have the Lambert Castle that you can visit, though that costs money. (The tower is open for free admission though!) My favorite part of this place besides the tower is probably the overlook they have of the buildings in Patterson. Very cool!

Happy New Year friends!…read more 2026 is my year (I say this every year) and I wanted to center my well-being today. So I joined my body affirming hiking group (ask about us!) for our Jan. 1 First Day Hike to Garret Mountain. Imagine our collective surprise when we woke up to a phantom overnight snowstorm! Still we persisted. Our group of 6 was suited and hiking booted for the wooded trails only to discover a thick layer of ice under and over the rocks headed into the forests. Even our microspikes wouldn't have been much help due to the steep declines. So we backtracked and decided to walk the auto loop instead. We got a mile into our 3 miles and Passaic County PD came around and announced the park was closing due to ice and dangerous conditions. So we walked back up to the auto lookout and headed out. 2 of 3 miles wasn't bad considering that I was cold in places I've never been cold before, and had just said to my friend, "I have a bad feeling about this hike today" right before we had to come out of the woods due to ice. Listen to your intuition! I know this park will be stunning in spring so I can't wait to return. The mountain views and gorgeous NYC skyline are not to be missed. Keep in mind: -The Tower was closed for maintenance so check before you go -Microspikes are a must in the winter - and even then... -It's a good 7-8 degrees colder up high in the park. 22 felt like 15. -the wildlife does not gaf. The deer stepped to us as if WE were the exhibit. Love that for them tbh.

I wasn't able to find many good playgrounds in and around Lincoln Park. Yes, there's a small…read moreplayground nearby, but it doesn't have swings and only has one slide. One day while coming back from Costco, we noticed Centennial Park. It is mainly a children's playground, with a small gravel walking path and a couple of benches for adults. When I searched online, I found very few photos of the park. So during our visit, we clicked around 20 pictures to help others get a better idea of what the playground looks like. My daughter is 15 months old, and she had a great time on the swings. I think kids between 2 and 10 years old would enjoy this place even more. There are multiple slides, climbing structures, a merry-go-round, and lots of other play equipment to keep them busy. There is a gravel parking area, so parking wasn't an issue. The only downside is that the park is tucked away a little inside the neighborhood instead of being on the main road. That may be why it's usually less crowded than you would expect. Overall, it's a nice neighborhood playground and a great place to bring young kids for an hour or two.

What a great hidden gem! A large, beautiful playground for toddlers and older kids easily…read moreaccessible from Wayne, Lincoln Park, Fairfield and North Caldwell. Daughter had a blast as we decided to take advantage of one of the last warm days of the year. It has structures for smaller children as well as larger children, and is beautifully decorated with large flowers that can provide shade form the hot sun on a summer day. I was informed by another mom here that this playground was recently renovated. There's also a large grass area and a small trail behind the playground. Tons of space and options. The frog and bear structures at the entrance are actually small trash cans- both a good and bad idea as it's aesthetically pleasing, however not an obvious trash can and leading young kids like my daughter to try to play with them (it took a few minutes for even me to realize they were trash cans). Minus one star as the baby swings and regular swings are on opposite ends of the playground, making it impossible to push both your older child and toddler child at the same time.

5/15/26 (Update) Laurelwood Arboretum is even more beautiful than ever…read more The Sensory Garden has been added. A definite "must see and feel" garden! Beautiful fuchsia colored Rhododendron grow throughout the gardens. Have noticed that there's a lot of fencing around the newer flora and plants. Most likely to keep the deer away from the plants. Many new benches have been added throughout the Arboretum. They're beautifully crafted from trees. Inside the welcome center there was nature photography on sale. Best to wear comfortable shoes. The walking area is somewhat hilly. The Arboretum is free. Donations are always welcome. The Arboretum does have two parking areas.

Love this place So nice and well maintained…read moreGood place to bring dog and or kids and spend some time outside

What a cute little park It's well maintained and well…read morelandscaped Great place to walk your dog or just sit in the bench

One of the best parks in the northern NJ area for a family friendly walk. No through traffic while…read morein the park. The park has a basketball court, baseball field, bathrooms, and picnic tables. One of the best features is that there's a stream that runs through the park with a small waterfall at the end. Plenty of restaurants within a 5 minute walk of the park

PROS: This place was very clean and had nice landscape. Lake is big and you can kayak on it. The…read morepaths are very clear and easy to hike through CONS: There's no parking available as they closed the car bridge that leads to the parking lot for no reason. There's also no out house OVERALL: It's an easy hike and the lake is a nice area to kayak on, just plan where you're going to hike cause the lot is closed

Absolutely love this spot! Such a great place to come for a small hike when you wanna enjoy a nice…read moreday. I got here nice and early on a Thursday morning and it was pretty empty. Parking is plenty. I can imagine weekends it gets crowded but there's overflow parking on your way in. Gorgeous selection of two trails, I usually do both to get some extra steps in. Altogether doing both trails is about 2.5 miles. Tons of beautiful views all around. Very very dog friendly as well. I always see a few dogs on the trail. They also do kayak rentals during the summer which seems super fun. Great spot!

Amazing spot. 1) I…read morelove seeing the waterfalls from here. 2) There are lots of places to sit and enjoy the atmosphere. 3) Overall, a must visit place if you are around the area.

Beautiful park with some waterfalls. It's not a big park acts literally all right there you can…read morewalk around it it takes about 5-10 min longer if your taking pictures. Parking to find was a little hard but I'm not from here so there may have been parking somewhere for the park. Very nice glad I got to see it. Recommend to visit if your in area but nothing major to go out of your way to visit.

Came here for our son's little flag football league sponsored by nfl play 60. There's practice and…read moregames throughout Sunday's and kids are group by age group and into nfl named teams. Overall, our son loves it. He's having fun on the field. The park also has a basketball court which is great to keep others (such as parents or siblings) entertained. There's a trail to walk across the field. I haven't yet ventured it but when I do, I'll be sure to update this post. There a huge golf course next to the baseball field. At the field are a few bleachers but recommend that if you're here to watch a game, bring your own folding chair and an umbrella. The sun can be very brutal here in the afternoon. There's plenty of parking here. The only annoyance is when parents create their own parking lane nearby the field entrance blocking the large entry way into the field. Unfortunately, there's always that one parent but that's not the park's fault. The restrooms are available at the park but it's locked. Not cool so not had to take 1 star away!

We came here to this park because they hold practice and games for the NFL play 60 flag football…read moreleagues. Its a youth league only until the 8th grade. Its my son's first year so we don't know how competitive the league is yet. We just want our son to get some exercise and have some fun in the process. Its a nice park with parking and its across from a lake in Wayne. Its right off of route 23 near a fire house. They have a baseball field which is used for the football fields as well. There is also a bathroom station right next the field but was locked when I tried to use it. On the side of the field and parking lot, there is a gated basketball full court. While the kids practice you can play basketball or shoot around. I'm sure it will get busier once the weather gets better.