Great hiking trails , for a nice stroll on a beautiful sunny day . See turtles and ducks, while…read moreenjoying nature.

Nice park close to Princeton campus for a leisurely nature stroll. Some of the bridges and wood…read morepassages were in need of some maintenance. The lake was lovely and picturesque. Overall, trails were easy to follow and not too far a distance, so you can easily adjust the length of the hike as you go along.

All the trails are outlined in a certain color. I enjoyed the hike up the trail I follow the yellow…read moretrail it was wonderful and beautiful definitely bringing water and watch your step around the rocks and the tree roots. Overall there are places where beginning rock climbers can go and practice the holds and climb a bolder. All in all a great experience for the family trials are marked for easy moderate and difficult. Highly recommend this hiking trail.

We took advantage of the warm January Sunday to try a hike here. Elected to do the shorter Yellow…read moretrail since we had the kids. First of all, the hike was extremely muddy, so dress accordingly. It had been raining the prior day. The kids shoes/ pants were filthy at the end... we had them take off their shoes before getting in the car. Fortunately it was not slippery despite the incline. Speaking of the incline, it wasn't very difficult. Didn't get any complaints from the kids. The hike itself is quite interesting with the boulders, scenery etc which kept them engaged. We spent probably an hour for the round trip, with an additional half hour exploring the boulders. It has a fairly large parking lot which was convenient. Note that we did enter "Sourland Mountain" as the destination in google maps which took us to the middle of nowhere. So I'd recommend specifically adding the hiking trail as the destination.

The Van Nest Wildlife Refuge is an underused, 98-acre area located at the edge of Hamilton Township…read moreand adjacent to Mercer County Park. The trails stemming from the parking lot there all eventually lead to Mercer Lake--specifically leading to the dam there that creates and holds back the lake itself. You can create your own loop, and the trails are all pretty manageable on foot or bike, but leave the stroller at home. The area is full of wildlife and native flora, and makes a great nature walk to observe the animals and birds. I've never encountered anyone along the wooded portions of the trail. However, the Long Trail that runs through Mercer County Park and into the refuge along the Assunpink is popular with trail bikers, and you're likely to see one or two come through on their bikes. The area is accessed by a dirt road off the North side of Hughes Drive right at the intersection with Quakerbridge Road. It's easy to miss, and with traffic it might be hard to enter unless you're driving South on Hughes to make an easy right turn onto the dirt road. I've never seen a good map of the area, but if you have the Strava, Komoot, or Footpath apps, you can see the trails there and use your phone to choose your route. The NJ Trails Association map of Mercer County Park can be used in a pinch, but I found my phone to be a better guide. That said, there are a number of criss-crossing trails in area, so it can be confusing without a map, but as long as you pay attention to where you've walked, I don't think the lack of a map would be a reason not to go. It's not a huge area, and unless you're directionally challenged, you'll eventually (probably) find your way out

Decided to come here with my wife on the first day of parks reopening and enjoyed it! There are…read moresome basketball courts and a nice field with a path around it. We enjoyed lunch at one of the benches and then walked around for a while - the path had a beautiful backdrop of trees and was generally super pleasant. I can't say there's anything unbelievably remarkable about this park, but if you're in the area, I do think it's worth checking out.

It's a nice park to stop and rest. There is a short trail you can walk and a little pond. It's very…read morequiet but when I came.

What a hidden gem . It's a beautiful preserve that has trails and indoor education center. They…read moreoffer many classes for the community. We happen to arrive here for a plant swap event. I was pleasantly surprised with the kid friendly activities too.

The Plainsboro Preserve is a lovely, serene space to walk. It has many trails. We walked the white…read moretrail as the other takes you along the lake. It's very pretty with the lake and the trees especially at this time of year in the Fall. There is an environmental center in the front with educational materials, bathrooms and educational displays.

I don't know why this park isn't listed anywhere, but it's great. Take Bunn Drive to the top of the…read morehill, it's on the left via McComb Road. If on foot, take Mount Lucas Road up to Campbell Woods Way and find the path through a cul de sac. Why we love it: Restrooms. I know everyone loves the other parks, but this one has a real restroom, open most of the year and a port a potty during the winter. A definite bonus with kids. Skate park. Skateboards, bicycles, scooters. No one is rude--it's rather refreshing seeing people take turns. So much for the idea from my childhood that skaters were criminals. Climbing wall. Basketball court. Jungle gyms for wee and older kids. Picnic tables. Active soccer field. Swings. One was broken last summer, removed the next day, replaced the third day. Active. It is rare that the park is ever empty. Ample parking I try to do the bars every time we visit; the kids aren't quite there yet, but there are both children's and regular bars, plus the spinny bars. 4 slides, possibly 5. Tip: if you want to take ice cream cones, scoop ice cream on to cones, put upside down into cups (the kid's cups from restaurants are perfect), then put into a purse. The kids will think you're a mad genius.

Large and expansive park! Could use some more mature trees, but that will come in time. Dog run has…read morethree areas -- two for larger dogs, one for small dogs.

A park on the former site of a mental institution??? I had to check it out as soon as I heard that!…read moreOpen about ten days, this cute, 256-acre park certainly has a rich and storied past. The tract of land started off as three private farms in the 19th century. Those properties were purchased by the state of New Jersey in 1898 to establish the New Jersey State Village for Epileptics. In 1952, it was converted into the New Jersey Neuropsychiatric Institute, and in the 1970's into a center for those with mental and developmental disabilities. Sadly, none of the 100+ state buildings stand today. Much of the land had become an environmental brownfield over the last century. That has now been fully remediated. The only visible remnant from its institutional past is the layout of the idyllic 2-mile, tree-lined, paved trail that's built along the original road. That layout dates back to 1901! So now that the crumbling buildings and wastelands are gone, what will you actually find when you visit? An easy-to-navigate, system of scenic flat trails, almost all paved, that meanders through a combination of grasslands, light woods, and streams. In creating the landscaping, Somerset County Parks clearly attempted to make the area as pretty as possible, particularly along Rock Brook and its tributaries. Smack, dab, in the middle of the park, though, lies an elementary school. The largest parking lot in the park sits across from this school. Montgomery High School lies just outside the park's borders. This is my second visit. Both times, we were the only people on foot. Everyone else was a road cyclist. That may change as more people hear about the park. If you're looking for an easy 2-3 mile walk or run, try this little gem!

A nice, medium sized park. It's perfect for a quiet stroll while observing the wide variety of…read moreplant and birds, walking the dogs or just kicking back on one of the many park benches placed throughout the park and relaxing. The paths are also widely used by joggers and the occasional bicycle rider, although it seems a little short for that to me. The main trail is called the poetry trail, and the name is no lie as poems are spaced along the path at various locations. I've never been able to appreciate poetry as much as I'd like (I'd do much better on the SciFi trail if it's ever built), but I do like how the poems invite you to try to appreciate your experience in the park at an intellectual level rather than just sensorial. Tennis shoes are fine on this hike, although if there's been a rain, they might get a little sloshy when you head off of the paved path and onto the dirt paths--which you should do. Don't forget to walk around the parking lot and head up the trail which leads along the creek. It doesn't offer a loop, but it's worth the short extra distance. The park is also adjacent to the D&R Greenway building. Make certain to take yourself inside if it's opened. The people there are helpful, and they've information on the park and other hikes to be found in the area.

Located off Rosedale Road, the D&R Greenway Land Trust includes Greenway Meadows Park and a 55-acre…read moretract of public open space land that abuts the Johnson Park School, the Hun School, Jasna Polana, and Princeton International School of Mathematics and Science (i.e. the former campus of the  American Boychoir School). There are about 20 miles of paved and dirt trails throughout the tract, including a number through the woods and along the banks of the gurgling Stonybrook stream. The wooded dirt trails, in particular, don't see a lot of foot traffic. Thus, they may occasionally become overgrown with ground cover in the summer. For the most part though, the Princeton Parks Department does a very nice (and prompt) job of keeping these clear and removing fallen trees and debris after bad storms. There is a clearing with soccer fields, a playground, and picnic areas in the middle of Greenway Meadows Park. These are conveniently located adjacent to one of the paved parking lots. Up a gentle slope from the soccer fields sits the Johnson Education Center, which is housed in a circa 1900 barn, and near to that, is a 1-mile looped poetry trail sporting 48 poems. You can also enjoy the Edward T. Cone Grove, the Hartman Garden Path, the Carroll K. and Frederick P. King, Jr. Terrace, the Ellsworth Terrace, and Meredith's Garden for Inspiration, a garden filled with native plants and nature-inspired sculptures. The Education Center offers a number of programs with local experts. Personally, I prefer to explore on my own. The wooded section has proven most interesting so far. This area is great for birdwatching. Along the streams, I'll also routinely encounter turtles, frogs, toads, and my personal favorite, bullfrogs. It's also just a great spot for a relaxing walk or quick trail run. I can typically get in an easy 3-5 miles here without even thinking.