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.

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!

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

Great space to enjoy the outdoors, lots of places to walk or picnic, but I enjoyed kayaking on the…read morelake. They have one and tandem kayaks to be rented by the hour, they provide life jackets and help you launch and get back to the dock. Then they explain where the boundaries are and let you have at it. It's a fun way to spend a summer afternoon, even if you aren't experienced. The waters are pretty calm, and it's a good upper body work out. If there's not parking nearby, there are other lots. So depending on what you're looking for outdoors, this is a nice oasis for the otherwise very urban areas in North Jersey.

New Overpeck Park 40 Fort Lee Rd…read more Leonia, NJ 07605 This 811-acre park does not compare to the liveliness and energy of other large parks such as Central Park or Van Cortlandt Park, but there are still many ways to stay occupied. The trails are on wide, level black pavement. It's a perfect time to take a stroll either individually, with family or friends, or with a domestic pet. While walking, I highly recommend wearing sunscreen and/or a hat. Drink plenty of water because there are minimal trees leading to no shade on the trail. If you want to get your heart rate up, go for a jog or bicycle ride. Multiple benches are stationed throughout the trails. Or, you can always bring your own lounge chair or blanket to find a quiet spot to sit and chill. It's a great place to set up a picnic while admiring breathing taking views of the Manhattan Skyline. During the warmer seasons, the Overpeck Park Kayak Center is open. Feel free to rent a canoe or kayak and paddle the Overpeck Creek. In addition to boats, the Kayak Center also rents out fishing rods for prospective anglers. However, a valid NJ freshwater fishing license is required. To avoid any fees, all visitors have the option to bring their own equipment. A fairly large playground is on site for younger children. They may play on the jungle gym, swing set, climbing webs, and slides. There are multiple parking lots available throughout the park. Some of them have an EV charging station for electric automobiles. Overall, this park is pretty decent and it's great to spend a couple of hours on a spring or summer afternoon. #thenewoverpeckpark #newoverpeckpark #overpeckcreek #leonianj

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!

Many people don't know this but New Jersey has alot of parks. Some are real good finds. Flat Rock…read moreBrook is a hidden gem. It is tucked away in a residential neighborhood. We went on Friday afternoon and we were lucky to get a parking space. The parking lot is small with only about 15 spots. Hiking was very easy even though it was not marked. It was nice to be able to enjoy the great outdoors without having to drive a long distance. The highlight of the visit was the aviary. The aviary housed 1 falcon and 2 owls. It was really cool to see these birds close up!

Flat Rock is more rustic than I expected given the location and relative lack of hype. It offers…read moremore varied terrain than some other suburban spots like Emerson Woods Preserve. The sign mentioning NYC being 4.3 miles away is a clever comment on the unexpected location, unclear if that's a "crow files" metric or an actual journey involving walking over the GWB. (click here for my "Fear of Heights" podcast on Audacy). At least one of the wooden bridges across the water wasn't in good shape. If it fails you won't drown but you might get muddy. And in one major advantage over other quirky NJ nature spots is the existence of a bathroom (depending on the hours of the nature center building, which are shorter than those of the overall preserve). Geography notes: you won't want to walk all the way to/from downtown Englewood as I did, the 166 bus gets relatively close but is a relatively slow ride.

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.

This is a true hidden treasure! Rockleigh Woods Sanctuary is one of those places that surprises you…read morein the best way. The trails are beautiful and run alongside a peaceful, flowing river, making the whole hike feel calm and scenic from start to finish. Everything is well marked, so it's easy to navigate without having to second-guess where you're going. It's also a very welcoming spot--lots of families out enjoying the trails and plenty of dogs, which adds to the friendly, relaxed atmosphere. The hike itself is easy, but still really enjoyable and refreshing. Parking is plentiful and convenient, which makes the whole experience even smoother. Definitely a spot worth coming back to again and again.

Beautiful place, but far too many off leash dogs and pack walkers . I abide to leash laws, and…read morereally do not appreciate when someone's dog approaches my dog on a trail of any sort. It is dangerous, and to say "don't worry, he's friendly" does not justify it being okay for anyone's dog to approach someone else and/or their leashed dog on a wooded trail. Folks, abide to the law and use your own backyards for unleashed exercise, not a public, densely wooded trail.

Fantastic large local park with shaded walkway with benches and a large baseball field. It's…read morelocated in the center of a residential area. Came here for the free summer concert that they hold yearly.

The basketball courts at this park are legendary. I've been playing ball here for 20 years now and…read morethe level of competition has always been great. The true ballers come out early on the weekends. There was once a time where park goers could control the lights at the court. Unfortunately, those days are long gone. However, they have upgraded the backboards and rims. Gone are the metal backboards and single rims. Today we play on fiberglass boards with breakaway rims. They just need to add some shade around the courts...