As a student at Rutgers, this is probably my favorite part of campus. Located on the Livingston…read morecampus, the ecological preserve is footsteps away from the business school and has several miles worth of trails to travel. I tend to do this trail pretty often for running and to make things interesting I'll change up the trails. A lot of the trails are interconnected which can be confusing, but the trails are marked with some signs and trees which are marked with the color of their respective trail. The trail also extends from Livingston Campus all the way to Johnson Park and everything in between. My favorite trail is the blue trail which runs alongside one of the creeks and heads towards Johnson Park. Having run it in different seasons, I'd say the best time to do the trails is in spring/fall where the weather isn't too hot or cold and there's plenty of foliage. In the summer, it can get really hot and humid along with the many bugs that live there. (Be on the lookout for the many spider webs that you may encounter on the trail!) The trail is not paved, so be prepared for mud after the rain. Also, if running, be on the lookout for the many tree roots and changes in terrain that can trip you up (as I've done plenty of times). There are plenty of deer, squirrel, raccoon encounters so definitely be on the lookout. On one occasion the preserve was closed due to an "aggressive" coyote, but I have never made such an encounter. Overall, the Rutgers Ecological Preserve makes for a fun and interesting trip whether its hiking, running, biking or anything in between. I'd definitely recommend it, especially if you're a student.

This preserve is tucked away North of the Rutgers main campus. It offers a collection of hiking…read moretrails which are mostly well-marked, flat, and very clean. The small parking lot is easy to miss and don't be fooled by a chain halfway across the entrance to it, it is open for parking with no parking pass needed. The trails can be muddy in certain areas after a good rain, so hiking shoes are recommended over sneakers.

Great open trail for walking or hiking. The parking can get a bit crowded when there are soccer…read moregames and baseball games going on. But the trails are usually clear. The trails aren't lit, so you're better off coming while the sun is still out. If you walk on the backside of the soccer fields there's a small bridge,which is my favorite place to walk by. There's even small playground area with a mini rockwall at this park. Theres also a dog park in the front. The bathrooms are usually locked most times of year until it's soccer/baseball season. If you're coming from Adams Ln you can turn into the park from there, but you'll have to exit onto 130 because it's a one way. I love the proximity of this park, it's great for a post-work stroll.

I enjoy this park, it is very close to me. Nice place to walk/run when the weather is nice. I give…read moreit 3 stars because it isn't really visually appealing. Most importantly you have to go when you know it will be dry ground. I went for a walk on 2/5/19, I didn't expect so have to step on so many muddy puddles and just very wet gravel all around. It wasn't raining for a few days but I know the weather was warmer, we had some am fog. But it was a splotchy mess. They should improve there grounds. You walk on gravel surface which by the way, enters my sneakers each time. I have to shake out my sneakers. It was very muddy this time around. And after just a normal rain there are so many puddles.

Came to pickleball courts at 7:15am and it is perfect 70 degrees. Courts are open but not a single…read moresoul playing. What a waste of great pickleball and tennis courts! In most other locations like this facility, courts would be humming with great players, but not at Buccleach Park. :(:(:(

Great park for recreations. You'll find the following: _…read moreBasketball Court _ Tennis Court _ Volleyball _ Baseball Field _Running/ Bike paths _Playground for kids _Workout set up There's ample space for other activities and parking. My only complaint is the inconsistent cleanliness. There are times when the park has trash everywhere and the porta potty can be smelled all over.

Found this park when looking for tracks - this is one of the most quiet parks I've been to. Great…read moreoption if you want a park with plenty of space and not crowded with people. There are tennis courts, fields for baseball, softball & soccer. Just know geese like to chill here and thus there's a lot of geese poop!

Not to be confused with the museum in West Orange, this 171-acre county park is adjacent to both…read moreMiddlesex County College & Raritan Center. Thomas Edison Park has its own parking lot (which has a lot of potholes), but if you're here to use one of the 16 tennis courts, parking in one of the MCC lots and walking through the chain-link fence gate is quicker. From dawn to dusk on weekdays, the gate leading to Rartian Center is open, which allows office employees to take walks in the park during lunchtime. The baseball, softball, and soccer fields are popular with locals on the weekends, as evidenced by the contents of nearby trash cans. The asphalt walkways are popular with the cheeky Canadian geese, who seem to enjoy deliberately defecating where people walk rather than on the grass. Metal benches and bleachers are strewn throughout the park, along with some wooden picnic tables by the parking lot. Interestingly, this park is the only one in Middlesex County designated as a "Model Airplane Field". Since the wide, open, unobstructed fields here lend themselves to being very windy, this park is also a good place to fly kites.

Beautiful park by the water, very green and well kept. Lots of parking. Went for a nice 2 mile walkread more

This is a great park for walking or even resting on the grass with a blanket. There are gazebos and…read morebenches along the walk path and near the playground. The path isn't the best for skating, but I have used it many times paying attention to any breaks or rocks along the path. The park faces the Arthur Kill tidal straight which is a calm channel of water and makes for a decent view while visiting the park. The land is always clean, but I would avoid visiting right after a rain pour since the park sits on a wetland. Driving here for the first time can be tricky since it is tucked away a bit. To get there, it looks like you are trespassing on to the property of PSEG (but you're not), passing open gates. Instead of driving straight towards the PSEG facility, you will make a right into the park where you see the sign for Alvin P. Williams Memorial Park. Enjoy!

Happy hump day Adventurers!!! I've been coming to this area to park and read books under the trees…read morefor years! It's right near the Dunkin so you can just grab a cup and sit at the picnic table or gazebo. Over the summer I had left a bunch of books in the awnings of it. Thought it would be like a makeshift little library, but they spruced up the park in late summer and got rid of them. Guess that was frowned upon :( I'll try again but I highly recommend leaving books in these types of spaces. It has a nice little walking path that has various bench along it. This time of year is a really great way to see the leaves changing without having to go far. There are garbages signs please throw out what you have, I see sprinklings if trash on the path. The large boulder from what I know was dug up from Green Street when they were doing the sewerlines I think. I read that is was supposedly from the Paleozoic Era. Fun fact: this is one of the top PokemonGo hotspot. When it was super popular you saw so many people just standing around and meeting up. Now not so much but it's still pretty cool.

I never mean to gatekeep this place but it's nice that photoshoots aren't allowed because this is…read morejust not the place for that. There is beauty in leaving nature be while still protecting the wildlife. I love that it's free for the public with reservations just for Saturdays and bikes for two hours rentals at a reasonable price. We even saw a red tailed hawk up close this timewhich was really cool! We will continue to visit for years to come. Lots of people stroll through but it's great for runs too! Lots of variation between slight hills and flats. Just watch out for ticks and snake in grass in the summer.

I was a little disappointed about the parking situation to visit the area some of the other garden…read moreareas. Grass was kept very nice but, because I've seen the wonderful gardens of Sarah P Duke Gardens (Durham NC), I was somewhat disappointed that that it wasn't mor similar to the garden in NC. Sad that all the water features we came across were not in any type of working order. Overall a nice tranquil garden with several beautiful spaces throughout. Oh, in case you were like me and read the review about the tram... be informed that they no longer have the tram (not for 8 years now).

Recently, I wrote a review for Harry Dunham Park, which is also in Basking Ridge, about a mile or 2…read moredown the road from here. That park is actually closer to where I live, but this is where I prefer to come. I discovered it a few years ago. I always thought it was in Warren, but I guess technically it's Basking Ridge. My hours were somewhat wacky. In the past, back in the day, I had jogged at the high school track...even the local cemetery...but, given my increasingly bizarre hours, that wasn't really practical anymore. This park was a place where I could run early in the morning, or in the evening. Maybe it's just a personal preference, but I really like this place. It doesn't have some of the amenities that Harry Dunham has, but I think I can live without disc golf, if you wanna know the truth... I can't really tell how large the park is--- if you walk around the circumference of it, I'd guess it's approximately 2 miles? It has several athletic fields; some are obviously for baseball, the larger ones in the upper portion of the park look like they were designed for soccer (Pingry School is just up the road from the park, and I know the Italian Championship Soccer Team stayed there some years ago to practice...I wouldn't have known that...I'm as interested in soccer as I am in disc golf...but an Italian-born co-worker was a soccer enthusiast, and he told me). There's ample parking in the upper portion parallel to Liberty Corner Road, but I prefer coming down past a building used by the road department, where there's another parking lot-- this one is smaller but usually less crowded (unless it's a spring/summer evening and the athletic fields are being used by local sports teams, adult and juvenile). I'm not much of a jogger anymore, but I'll start with a jog, run as far on the path as I can before I become winded, walk some, jog a little more, walk even more, jog, pause to dry heave in the bushes, stagger walk until I recover, walk the rest of the way shakily, cautiously back to my car. It's ok. At least I'm still doing SOMETHING healthy, and the surrounding countryside is gorgeous (whatever season it is, although you have to watch the ice on the paths in the winter); it's always refreshing and restorative, whether I'm in shape or not. There are 2 small buildings at opposite ends of the park, that look like they have water fountains, and I guess have bathrooms as well (I haven't had to avail myself of them, so I can't really be sure). There are twisting paths that branch off from the park and wend their way through the woods, and I always like to take advantage of these. One time, I went off on a path that could have been a deer path, which twisted its way down a steep hillside, and came to a gurgling stream. Not exactly the Rocky Mountains, but I was impressed. Not sure where the stream leads (I've lived in Somerset County since I was in my teens, but I guess I'm still a Passaic County city boy at heart), but one day soon I'm going to have to spend more time and follow it along towards wherever it leads (Bedminster?). It's beautiful, tranquil, and occasionally even exhilarating, abundant with natural grandeur and loveliness. If there's such a thing as "God's Country," this could qualify. If there's a down side, it can get too crowded, especially on spring/summer evenings, when the sports teams and their "fans" monopolize the parking lot and playing fields. And there are a'holes who walk their dogs, let the dogs shite on the walking paths, and don't bother cleaning up. But you can't hold the park responsible for that. There are a'holes everywhere, sad to say. Even in bucolic, beautiful Somerset County.

Mountain Park offers walkers well-maintained paths with gorgeous views of New Jersey's rolling…read morehills and plants. There are a few paths you can take; some are more wooded than others. Even when the park is more crowded at peak times or during sporting events, there is enough space for everyone to enjoy and have some privacy while walking.