It's a great place for me to run. It's flatter than most areas around here. It's also very…read moretranquil, and beautiful to watch as you run along the path.The path around the large pond is wide, which is great for the amount of people that are coming through there and many of the areas around the paths have shade, which makes it great for running as well. There's a large parking area with lots of parking space which is a convenient. When you come into the reserve it's off of the highway. The an entrance which is one way in and then the exit on the opposite end of the lot which is one way out. The only drawback from me was that there were a number of people in the park with their dogs unleashed and the dog should be leashed . Which makes it difficult and unnerving for a runner to see a dog come out and not see the owner close by.

Nice park for the beginner or more experienced hiker or just someone who wants to have some peace…read moreand quiet outdoors for a couple of hours. The parking lot is big and there is a bathroom, which is appreciated. I took a look at the trail map before I left to find one of a decent length, so check out options, but the trails are well-marked. Once you get past the main train next to the lake, you can find yourself pretty alone except for another occasional hiker, but you can vibe with nature, see a waterfall, and just breathe in the fresh air. Some of the trails are long, but I paced one that was only a couple of miles and still got some nice scenery and a lot of steps in. It's great this park isn't too far from the urban areas of Northern NJ and there are many trail options so you can visit again and experience something new. There's also a sign for trout fishing if that's your thing. Check it out if you want to get away for the day.

Hands down one of the best parks in Bergen County…read more The Wild Duck Pond Area part of Saddle River County Park is not huge by any imagination, but it's definitely one of the nicest and more peaceful parks with the duck pond and its fountains. And, if you're a resident of the county, then you'll clearly know that no playground compares to Van Saun's, but this park's playground is relatively larger than most and quite clean. On our most recent visit on a super gorgeous Spring Saturday afternoon, it was busy, but not overly crowded. Besides the pond and playground, there are multiple picnic tables on the park grounds for those looking to have a nice picnic or small gathering. Like I said, it's one of the nicer parks and playgrounds in the area and worth the trip if you're looking for a low-key, yet nice playground for your kids to play at.

This Duck Pond had always been a nice place to visit…read more However, we had not been there for about one year. We were quite disappointed yesterday. The walking path was dirty with goose and dog droppings throughout. We had to walk gingerly to avoid them. It seemed as though there hadn't been a cleaning for several days.

Great place for a stroll, jog or hike w friends and family. Awesome learning center and wild life…read moreexhibits to explore.

Part of the Bergen County Park System, the J.A. Mcfaul Envirinmental Center is an education and…read morewildlife oasis in an otherwise suburban community. The center features both an indoor and outdoor experience. The outdoor experience offers well maintained nature trails which circumvent a large duck pond where you wild find swans, turtles, waterlillies and other wildlife. A beautiful gazebo overlooks the pond and is surrounded by flowerbeds. Hiking along the lake trail will take you to a two story observation deck. Many people use the paved entrance road to walk or jog. It is a one mile go-around with many joggers the day I visited. For those interested in an up close look at a red-tailed hawk, owls, pigeons and a red fox, the center has caged environments especially for that purpose. The indoor environmental center is a good sized facility designed to educate visitors about native fauna and flora. There are two main rooms. The room off the looby has a variety of fis tanks displaying turtles, snakes, frogs, etc.. Educational displays feature charts, photos, taxidermy and artifacts. I particularly liked the bear display. Adjacent to this room is the observatory room. Large windows give you an opportunity to view the duck pond and wildlife. This room has displays ranging from bats, bees, trees, etc.. Well maintained restrooms are available. In summary. While this is not comparable to a large zoo. it has many things to look at and experience for a well spent morning or afternoon. The facility is free of charge.

A nice area for hiking with castle ruins and a lake and changing elevations. There are some paved…read moreroads but also trails off that path. You can hear the sound of cars on the highway both at the end and beginning of the hikes. Lots of dogs off leash even though there are signs that say to leash all dogs. The parking lot can get crowded later in the afternoon especially in the spring and summer, but there were plenty of spots on a Sunday morning at 9:30.

My 350th Yelp review is a banger…read more I try to stop by Ramapo at least once a year, usually at the beginning of hiking season; there's a nice 5- or 6-mile route I do in there that helps me build up for the more hardcore hikes later in the year, and it's unusual for me to do this one so late into the actual summer. Boy, is this a different hike in June. Ask the gazillion bears I saw. Yesterday I did about 6 miles, starting at the Ramapo Lake Trailhead parking lot, going on the blue trail to the aforementioned lake and then turning left onto N Shore Drive. I then veered off toward the castle ruins but made a pretty quick right before the path up to said ruins onto Cannonball to Skyline Drive, joining up with the Castle Point Trail back to and through the castle ruins, before heading down back to the lakefront and continuing all the way around the lake until getting back to the blue trail and the parking lot. The official hike in my book says it's 6.6 miles when you include an additional loop to the south of the lake that gets you very close to 287, but i bypassed that today. One of the big issues with this section of Ramapo is the parking situation. I can't tell you how many times I've had to pivot and do a different hike because this Ramapo Lake parking lot was completely full by mid-morning, and the powers that be insist on plastering no parking signs in every other conceivable area going literally miles down Skyline Drive. I get that Skyline is a busy road but there ARE sections where you can theoretically park safely on the shoulder without bothering anyone else - I think there's a compromise here somewhere, but because they don't have one, this lot is usually full by 8:30am on a nice day, and then you have vulture cars just lurking in the middle of the lot for ages waiting for hikers to come back so they can immediately grab the new spot. You can't tell me that's much safer than the alternative. Anyway. The other mild annoyance for me is that you can often hear car traffic, especially in the southern section by 287, but it is what it is. The lake and the castle are the real selling points here, especially the castle. Ruins are one of my all-time favorite hiking kinks, and this adventure has them in droves. The one drawback (again, because of the time of year) is that it gets overgrown with foliage very quickly, so this is a rare instance where I would recommend exploring it in the early spring before you're bushwhacking to get through. Very cool optics though, and a definite must at some point if you're in the area. The wildlife situation? Man. This was one for the books. I usually see one or two bears a year, but I saw that many today, and numerous hikers told me they'd encountered others as well. It was insane and I've never seen anything like it. I got a picture of the biggest one I saw (attached) as I was slowly backing away, and I'd guess this was a 700 pounder? Big boy, and wasn't particularly fazed by my bear horn (though he did ultimately wander off after a few toots on it). Absolutely would not do this hike without a bear horn. I don't even want to ponder what would have happened otherwise. Neither of the bears seemed aggressive but you just never know, and if cubs had been around? Ugh. I encountered a park ranger toward the end of the hike who said it had been insane bear-wise the entire summer and they're just getting more comfortable with humans so again, be careful, use common sense, etc. The trail conditions were pretty decent. Some of the blazes/markers were not the best, and a few sections of Cannonball were one way (meaning you had to keep turning around to confirm the markers because they were only on one side of the trees/poles). As mentioned, the trail section by the castle is overgrown right now but I'm not crazy about advocating for maintenance in an area that by definition should probably be preserved and as authentic as possible. To me there aren't too many significant inclines on the trail (there's one small section very close to the parking lot where you have to take a minute for footing on the rocks, as well as the climb up to the castle if you're going on that trail) but it's definitely rocky and not particularly flat except by the lake. This is one of the better hikes in the area but it's not my absolute favorite - it's crowded and a little too close to civilization. But arguably the bears cancel some of that out. Memorable day.

PROS: One of the best parks I've ever been to. Long paved path, many people riding bikes and…read morewalking, loads of fields, nice river and bridges, mile markers, historical water mill along the path, and parking lots along the way CONS: One of the park rangers was rude when he spoke to us. OVERALL: Keep your distance from the rangers and you'll have an amazing time at this park

I love Saddle River County Park. It's one of my favorite things in Bergen County. The paths are…read moregreat for walks. I also love the duck pond. It's a great place to enjoy nature.

This is a cute park, but VERY hard to get to. The signs and GPS will point you to a cemetery. I was…read morevery confused when I first arrived, until a local directed me to go through the cemetery and find it behind the municipal building.

Love coming to this hidden little park. It's great for walking, ruining, or just taking in the…read morepretty sky. There is a short little path through the woods too. Perfect place to get your steps or run in if your looking for an all flat terrain.

Huge local park in the neighborhood. It has a playground, water pad, carousel, pony rides and train…read moreand the zoo. It has multiple parking lots BUT it gets filled up quickly. Great place for kids to run around and release their energy. Ice cream truck and shaved ice truck on site. Good for the summer. The park playground is well maintained. It's spread out to different sections. It has for bigger kids and smaller toddlers. Many staff at the Carousel and train. Well organized. Tix required. It could be a long wait during weekends. Overall a great place for kids. Easily spend a day here.

This park is amazing for big/small groups and kids! Came here a couple of times and had such a…read moregreat time. My favorite is coming here with my friends and their toddlers. They have an amazing playground for every age and spacious area for everyone to run around. There's a cute miniature train that goes through their zoo and a super fun carousel for both adults and kids.

Great park with huge playground area with areas for various age ranges. Plenty of parking and…read morewalking options. This park also has pickleball courts. The only downside is that the park has minimal trees so hardly any natural shade from the sun.

Forth of July celebration awesome music awesome food awesome people-crowd is amazing-police are…read morefantastic will go again next year for sure