Last Saturday I came to High Point State Park with a hiking group called hiking with friends. It…read morewas my first time visiting High Point State Park. It was $10 for admission into the state park. Luckily the $10 wasn't per person but per vehicle. We hiked the Monument trail to the High Point Monument which is a 220-foot stone obelisk honoring New Jersey's war veterans, located at the state's highest elevation within High Point State Park. The monument trail was moderately challenging in terms of the path being a rocky trail and plenty of mini hills. During the hike it wasn't very scenic until we made it to the area of the monument. If you don't want to hike to the monument, there is also an option to drive your car up to the monument. Once we made it to High Point monument we decided to climb the 200 foot obelisk. I believe it is 291 steps to the top. So it was a bit exhausting to do after a hike but a few of us decided to take the challenge. There were some nice views from the top as well. Overall, I definitely recommend high point State Park. I also love that there are public restrooms and no porta potties. One thing to note is that the park enforces a carry-in, carry-out policy, meaning visitors must take all their trash and recycling with them when they leave. I did not see any trash cans at the state park so the policy makes sense.

I love camping. For me it's a time of reflection and relaxation. I spent Labor Day weekend kicked…read moreback with a good book in hand and my thoughts for a few days. Past two years have been tremulous for me but with God back in my life I wish I had put God back in my life sooner because I'd be living a very different life. But I've come to accept the life God has given me as of today. As I sat in the woods this weekend I reflected on my life's path. I've been back in church, have become well known in my community and going to Bible school. I'll likely be married in the near future and everything happening in my life isn't what I would have envisioned five years ago. If someone told me I'd be sitting in the woods camping and studying for Bible school, I'd tell them you're nuts. But I'm on a path of four years of Bible school with a God loving woman in my life. As the wind blows and the leaves flap in the wind all I can reflect on is my favorite Bible verse of all time, Proverbs 19:21. I planned and wanted one life but God is directing me in the direction of a different life I never expected. With my weekend winding down I'm sitting at camp catching a whiff of stench in the air as the wind blows the horrid smell of the restroom nearby. I wish this camp location had better restrooms and running water. With the hectic holiday weekend and too many humans camping, the restrooms got horribly smelly. Many campsite are nice but some are horribly steep. Having been to this location several times I don't love it but I certainly don't hate it. All I want is more camping and Gods will be done in my life. To God be all the glory!

Wallkill River National Wildlife Refuge was established to conserve and enhance populations of…read morewildlife and their habitats, to protect and enhance water quality, and to provide opportunities for wildlife-dependent recreation and research. The refuge conserves the biological diversity of the Wallkill Valley by protecting and managing land, with a special emphasis on forest-dwelling and grassland birds, migrating waterfowl, wintering raptors, and endangered species. The North American Waterfowl Management Plan identifies the Wallkill River bottomlands as a priority focus area for waterfowl management within New Jersey.

***2 1/2 stars***…read more Wallkill was the site of our First of the Year hike this year, on a warmer than usual January 1 with some decent sunshine. We picked this based almost solely on location - in recent years, a Sussex native has been trekking all over the state to participate in this noble event so a nearby spot was selected as a gesture of good will. Our specific sojourn took place exclusively on the Wood Duck Trail, a back and forth hike that was about three miles in total (perfect mileage for this event). The parking lot is easy to spot, just off 23, and while the lot itself does not have a port-a-potty, the spiffy QuickChek nearby does - and for what it's worth, the bathroom there was pretty clean and the employees very pleasant. I am always warmly received in the Kingdom of Sussex. It absolutely could have been the time of year, but this place seemed super desolate and not conducive to decent optics. It's a lot of marshy/swampy areas off to the sides of the trails, which can be spooky under the right circumstances (maybe they could do some kind of Halloween hike over here with lanterns?) but after a while it's just repetitive. At the end of the trail (very easy to spot - it's literally gated so you have no choice but to turn around), there's a pleasant little off-shoot where you can get pretty close to the Wallkill River and admire the water features. Our Honorary Young Pup scampered down to the edge and played around there for a few minutes before we headed back. There were also one or two wooden bridges to cross over little streams, which were nice enough. However, they were a bit slippery - all of us watched the Honorary Young Pup skip across them with gritted teeth, but she stayed upright. I don't know if that's just the result of recent thawing and the prior day's rain, but something to keep in mind if you're tromping around there in similar weather. Once or twice we also encountered lookout points ostensibly to view birds and other wildlife, but they were not interested in making themselves known on January 1. Our only wildlife sighting of the day was a cardinal hopping around on the ice nearby. It would have been improved if this trail permitted pooches, but alas - only service animals are allowed, and they were off doing their duty elsewhere on this particular day. I don't see any reason why the powers that be couldn't at least allow leashed canines here - I can't imagine a tethered retriever doing any damage to the waterfowl, but I don't make the rules. On the positive side, the trail IS pretty well maintained. Part of that could be the minimal brush along the edges (there were a few sticker bushes but nothing that really hindered our journey), but it was very easy and straight-forward to follow, and even on a morning where everything was still in the process of drying out, I was impressed by how solid the path was. I'd anticipated navigating around a few puddles, and there really weren't any to speak of. Also in that regard, it's very young pup friendly. Our Honorary Young Pup is now a cagey veteran of this event and was comfortable frolicking by herself further down the trail and had no issues completing this adventure. This wasn't terrible by any means, but personal preference-wise, I prefer hikes/trails that are more interesting.

Hurd Park is a Scenic Park located in Dover which features a Veterans of War Memorial Honoring Site…read moreCommemorating and Cherishing Our National and Local Heroes who have payed the Ultimate Sacrifice for our Freedoms. Scenic walking trails and paths which wander throughout this Park lead to clusters of oak trees and cherry blossoms. This is a very popular destination for wedding photos on the bridge or gazebo as well as the entire Park. It's very rare not to see wedding parties taking pictures here especially on weekends. Local Ceremonies are also held at this Park which is the perfect backdrop for any engagement that Officials deem worthy of "Special" Town business.

What a beautiful park! This park is meant for exploring the beautiful scenery! This park is not…read moremeant for climbing on plastic toys. Parking is right up a small dirt road or in the back. My family and &I were waiting for the cherry blossom tress to be in full bloom & Hurd Park did not disappoint! Amazing trees and cute wooden bridges! We also loved the dedication to the army and military. There is a whole area dedicated to them and it is beautifully done. This just adds such a special meaning to the park. The park is very well taken care of. What a memorable place. This park also boast lots of scenery for great pictures for any occasion. My children had a great time running, exploring, reading about the soldiers and resting under the trees.

Ate way too much over the weekend? Walk it off. Got alot of stuff stressing you out right now? Walk…read moreit off. Just wanna get away and unplug for a while? I'm telling you, head on over to Parks Lake and Walk it off already.    This .7 mile walking path is paved completely around the lake and dogs are permitted providing that owners pick up after them. The Gazebo offers free concerts and other various events in the summer months. Shoreline fishing is allowed but not at the beach area where swimming and small boat launch is permitted. Come And Get Your Walking On!!

This place is okay! I wouldn't recommend going to swim here though because it's filled with poop…read morefrom the birds. I love the new upgrades at the park and gazebo. It's a great place to take a walk with your dog,family or friends. I've gone fishing a few times here but haven't caught anything.

This is a beautiful little park. It's the perfect place for a quick stroll if you want to get a bit…read moreof fresh air. The space isn't huge, but it is very well maintained with fresh cut grass, lots of trees and pathways. During autumn there are some wonderful oak and Japanese maple trees, so I'd definitely suggest stopping by when foliage is at its peak. There is also a large map in the center of the park with a numbered guide to all of the trees. It was fun to learn about the wide variety of trees in the park. I haven't lived nearby during summer, so I'm excited to see everything in full bloom. I also think there is a summer concert series here, so that will be really nice. Oh, and this park is also adjacent to the town public library. Grab a book and read it in the park -- what could be better? Love having Roberts Garden so close to home!

This Historical Garden Wears Many Hats…read more One can not help but notice this large patch of green in the heart of the Morris Plains Community next to the Morris Plains Library. This park was once part of the Roberts estate and was donated to Morris Plains as a permanent green space. Roberts Garden normally serves as a sort of community Arboretum but it also plays host to a number of events in Morris Plains which as of now also includes 3 Poke Stops for Pokemon Go. In the summer Roberts Garden is the venue for the Concerts in the Park every Sunday in July from 6pm - 8pm. These concerts will feature local bands and bring out folks from the community. Music, lawn chairs, picnics, and kids playing through the grounds are a staple of these events. During Halloween it serves as the starting point of the Morris Plains children's trick-or-treating parade. This attracts families from Morris Plains and beyond which results in a sea of adorabeezle trick-or-treaters who will proceed to parade to Simons Park just a few blocks up Mountain Way under the careful watch of the Morris Plains PD. From Simons Park, the kids disperse throughout the surrounding communities for some good old fashioned trick-or-treating. The Morris Plains PD will continue to patrol around to ensure that trick-or-treaters and locals are staying safe while the event is on. My son loved the Halloween Parade so much that he wanted to do it every day for a few weeks after the event. During the snow season you can find young children and their families snow sledding behind the Morris Plains Library after a healthy snow. The hills here are big enough to be fun for smaller children to sled down, but small enough for concerned parents to feel safe about the situation. Try as I might, I could never get enough speed/momentum to get close to hitting one of the big trees at the bottom of the hill. If you come and check out the fun without a sled do not fear, the friendly people of Morris Plains will most likely offer to share some of theirs with you and your little one(s). There are no bathrooms here but that's not unexpected as this is not normally a place where you'll be coming to if you are farm from your (or a friend's) house. If the Morris Plains Library is open you can use the bathroom there. The true gift this park offers is the abundance of green grass, variety of trees, shade, and winding paths that let your stroll through the grounds.

This review is for the Warbasse Junction- Lafayette, NJ section of the Paulinskill Valley Trail…read more The Parking lot has a solar powered bathroom shack and map of the trail. This area is actually part of a loop of trails- the Paulinskill Valley Trail (PVT), the Sussex Branch Trail (SBT) & Former LNE Trail. The Sussex Branch is located across the street but the third trail (LNE) was not to be found. Too bad the trail is not marked better. We tried to do the loop which would have included all 3 trails but we weren't able to find the LNE trail, so we biked back and forth on the Paulinskill Valley Trail. We started on the eastern side and biked west towards Smartswood Station. The Paulinskill Valley Trail extends 27 miles from Knowlton in Warren County (Smartswood Station) eastward through Blairstown, Frelinghuysen, Hardwick, Stillwater, Fredon, Hampton, and Lafayette, to its eastern terminus at Sparta Junction in Sussex County. So there is plenty more to explore. The Paulinskill Valley Trail is a very nice and shady trail and the surface is mostly compact gravel. It was easy to ride on our hybrid bikes but there were a few sections that had water, so it was a little muddy. We saw other biker, hikers, and horseback riders on our ride. We will return either to this or another section soon to continue exploring.

Three tracks-to-trails efforts converge in this area near Lafayette to form a loop. A fellow hiker…read moreattested to a four mile loop, but the LNE's location is not clear on Google and Manda R. had trouble finding it. We did a shorter out-and-back on the Paulinskill, heading west from Warbasse Junction. The trail was flat and made up of a fine, gravely soil. Since it hasn't accommodated a train since the 1960s, it's pretty well shaded. It cuts through rock formations and local fields. We saw runners, hikers, and horseback riders.

We were in the area so decided to try a hike here on a not too cold Winter day…read more The trails are wide and not difficult at all (no real inclines), so this is a great option with kids. It was fairly empty because of Winter. There's not too many interesting landmarks on the way, although you do pass rivers from time to time. The kids were entertained for the most part fortunately (we only hiked for an hour due to the temps, so I'm not sure how long the hike is). Dog friendly + they provide bags to dispose of the waste, which is really nice. Look forward to returning when the weather warms up.

Was there for a short time, but the park is big, green and clean, with playground and sport…read moreactivities to boost.