The area we were directed to park made me initially think I had come to the wrong place (the…read moreinitial path went thru an overgrown but worn path thru the woods that looked like we were headed into more woods). Eventually the path ended to a grassy area with a sign pointing to the mansion where we found the water tower and garden area. The garden was quite nice. Loved seeing the water tower (and appreciated the signage explaining the history and inner workings). Pro tip for newbies like us: You can walk on the road or drive closer to the mansion instead of taking the woodsy path. Oh, also there are NO trashcans at this location (even for doggy doo bags, diapers, etc), so come prepared. No nearby restroom to the garden either.

Beautiful garden that is well maintained. Free admission. Keep place clean! Restroom is far, see…read moreflyer for instructions. Parking is limited. See images and video for reference

This is a very nice center that has a lot of information about the Great Swamp and the area. There…read moreis an entire room of live animals in tanks to see, an exhibit hall that was featuring an art show at the time of our visit, a cute library with kid-friendly seating and books. Don't miss the downstairs, which features an interactive exhibit space about the plants, animals, and history of the Great Swamp. Outside are multiple trailheads. There is a good sized parking lot available.

Superb County Environmental Education Center. Great visitor centers: animals in tanks, a gorgeous…read morenew display about the Great Swamp Wildlife Refuge & its history, a library, meeting rooms, balconies with nice views. WONDERFUL array of trails, all very well marked, with lots of ponds, stream crossings, and habitat types. I highly recommend a visit. A short walk from it to the Raptor Trust, too.

For what it's worth, this review specifically pertains to a rainy winter hike - I can't comment on…read moremost of the park amenities near the playgrounds, playing fields, etc. And I'm also willing to acknowledge that I likely would have felt more favorably disposed toward this park if we had been there in better weather that didn't give off massive Pacific NW vibes. The dreary conditions were not the park's fault. Loantaka was the site of the annual first of the year hike with a group of noble chums. Interestingly, there was a rival "official" hike being held at the same time by the Boy Scouts of America - their social media announcements (complete with map) ahead of time were very helpful in locating a decent parking area for my compatriots. I don't think I have the ability on Yelp to review the BSA, but their scoutmaster was a gem and several of my chums purchased commemorative pins for the event at their little kiosk. Also, my dad was an Eagle Scout and can start a bonfire in about 30 seconds, so that's something. For the purposes of our adventure, we ended up walking 3.13 miles (assuming an Apple watch was correct, which I'm always dubious about), an out-and-back from the parking lot off Loantaka Way to Kitchell Lake just across the aptly named Kitchell Road. The parking lot was easy to access with plenty of spaces, though it was a bit more crowded by the time we were done. It was very pleasing to see several port-a-potties nearby, and I can report from firsthand experience that they were relatively clean, though the toilet seat in mine was wet and required my first squatting situation of 2022. I could breathe comfortably though, so I think you take that compromise if you can get it. The trails are very well maintained - we were exclusively on paved ones, though it looked like there were a few dirt paths that went off them as well, all of which looked tidy and drama-free. That said, it would have been nice if there were more markers/signage giving us a better idea of where we were. It would be difficult to get authentically lost in this area (I imagine it would take roughly 15 minutes to accidentally stumble across a county highway), but it would have been helpful for our orientation. This year's hike featured an Honorary Young Pup of 6, who was able to handle the adventure with aplomb (and enjoyed spotting the metal tags on the trees). There were also many pooches on the premises, and virtually all seemed to be doodle mixes of some sort - very little variety in this area of Jersey, apparently. If you're looking for decent photo ops, this is not where I'd go; this is a park that I'd use exclusively for very mild cardio/fresh air. There are a few streams on the journey, but nothing to write home about. The pond was pleasant enough, with abundant waterfowl in the distance, but it's hard to get whipped up about scenery that looks like it's straight out of Taylor Swift's Folklore album photo shoot.

Followed the gps and it told me to park on the side of the road but there was a sign that said you…read morecouldn't park there. I played it safe and looped around the park and noticed that there's actually a parking lot located on Loantaka Way. First time I came here was in the Spring of 2018 and by the summer I noticed they installed bikes now. You'll have to download the app and follow the instructions to unlock it. Nice clean well maintained park. What I love most about this place is that it's shaded!!!! Given the summer heat, this is the perfect place to take a stroll.

Riker Hill is one of my favorite parks in Essex County because of its uniqueness. It's niche…read morebecause it's part artist studios, part Cold War historical site, and part local park for hilly walks/runs. There also is a small community garden, as well as EV charge station at the top of the hill. It's not a destination park - unless you have a specific interest in visiting the studios or in Nike missile sites. However, it's a quaint park if you are local and want a quick fix of nature and views from the highest elevation points in Essex county.

I grew up near this amazing park and it's always been a special place for me. I played on the…read moreswingsets here as a kid, worked at the Summer Camp here as a teen, and continue to enjoy walking here as an adult. This park has everything--brand new playground equipment for 2022, tennis courts, soccer fields, baseball fields, body-weight fitness equipment like parallel bars and a horizontal ladder, paved walking trails through the woods, a pond, and more! The free public bathrooms are inside a building so there's hot and cold running water, flush toilets, light and heat. There are also several water fountains with drinking water. In summer the local theater group offers Plays in the Park at the amphitheater. Most of the park is flat, accessible to wheelchairs and strollers, and easy to walk around. There are benches near the pond and a pavilion area with picnic tables. Lots of people bring their dogs here.

PROS This is a very nice park that has a amphitheater, pool, some courts, and walking trails…read more Excellent place to spend time at! CONS: there's no directory anywhere so it's easy to get lost and parking is minimal if the park is jam packed. The amphitheater also has an uncomfortable place to sit since it's on a downhill angle OVERALL: I would love to come back to this park, as long as it's during the right time

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.

Loved it here. We came here for a morning walk. There weren't many people here and there were some…read moreflowers and plants. I'm sure there are more in the spring and summer. I loved the paths and sights here. I'm excited to come back here in the warmer weather to see more of the flowers.

Our visit to this arboretum marked my first public outing post-partum. The arboretum itself is…read morelovely and most of it is stroller accessible, which I appreciated. However there are no public restrooms at all, which was a HUGE challenge for me, especially so soon after having a baby. There was one restroom, which closed at 4:00pm. I showed up exactly at 4:00pm, but was turned away by the staff. I tried again 15 minutes later, but they informed me that they clock out at 4:00pm and letting me use the bathroom would delay them getting home. I have been an hourly employee before and totally get this, but I was a little disappointed by the lack of humanity. Being out for the first time was physically (and emotionally) challenging, and I was hoping for a bit more understanding from the staff.

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.