Hidden gem. Completely fenced in. We belong to this park, but many people just use it. If we bring…read moreour dogs, we always ask if the other dogs that are they are friendly, before entering. Some people bring dogs that aren't friendly, which is against the rules, but they usually will leave shortly. Others are great.Our dogs love it to play ball, use the "obstacles" and play with other dogs. There isn't water or dishes, so bring your own. Generally clean.

Imagine a dog park covered entirely in fish tank gravel, with such soft footing that neither dog…read morenor human can walk comfortably, let alone run. This is easily the worst dog park in Passaic County, entirely due to the ground surface. Who came up with this idea? It's a nice park. It's conveniently located. It has tremendous potential! There are nice facilities, umbrellas for sun shelter, a doggie water fountain, etc. But the dogs just cannot run around comfortably on gravel. This is just parks planning gone wrong, likely conceived by someone who doesn't have dogs.

*Playground review!*…read more This one is a good one, y'all. It's definitely on the newer side and is a decent size for a bunch of kids to run & play. The brightly colored slides, tunnels, swings can be seen from Black Oak Ridge Rd. so it's hard to avoid when cruising the nighborhood -- I speak from experience! :-P There's a couple different structures -- one for smaller kids (1-3yo, I think) and one for older/bigger kids. My son has a blast climbing up the tunnels and down the slides every time we visit this playground. Note: the parking lot is a good size... but fills up quickly as it shares the lot w/ the dog park... and there's really no street parking along the park as it's a pretty active intersection.

Happy Sunday my fellow Adventurers!…read more This is a relatively new hidden gem that I just found. From what I know it was a swimming hole back in 1989 however they closed it down when it was used for a water resource until recently they decided to bring it back to its original roots. (Please fat check this) It has the brand new man made beach complete with what seems to be quarry sand that is course and not like beach sand. Its a beautiful white and lovely when the sun hits its crystalline in texture. The beach itself is small relatively compared to say a lake community beach. There are two lifeguard stations and several rotating guards. The small beach has four areas with noodle ropes in order for you to make sure you are swimming in the right spots. They offer swimming lessons which is really good for the local communities. They also have a platform in the middle which is about 11 feet deep which is reminiscent of the 'Blob' Movie. I half expected that the Blob would come especially if you sneak in after hours. (I don't recommend this lol) You basically pull in and park either on the grass or follow the road to the concession stand. You can purchase a day pass for $10 with no residential requirement for the area. I believe you can purchase an annual badge which I think runs $25-35 per person. You fill out a form that is all legalities and liabilities in order to get the badge or wristband for a day pass. The staff are really helpful and accommodating for any questions you may have. They have very clean porta-potties that are frequently serviced. As well as a concession stand that offered hotdogs, hang burgers, and various other carnival like foods. They sometimes run out of items like sauerkraut with no compensation of any sort which I get they can't help but it's a small area and was open at 11 am, we got there by 12. Always purchase back ups in order to provide for your customers. The hot dogs are pre-grilled and wrapped in aluminum so don't expect a fresh dirty water dog. The overall experience is a really nice one considering you battle tons of traffic going the shore versus the short ten minute drive from Hamburg and $10 fee. It's also really brand new and still working itself out.

The Franklin pond has just reopened the lake to swim and also paddle boat . The reopening was…read moreofficially on June 30,2018 . They had a huge celebration on Franklin Day . They had an official ribbon cutting with the Mayor and city officials. The town has worked extremely hard to get this reopened and also put a lot of work to clean it up and really make a great place to visit and make some great memories at . Besides having the beach and water to swim at they have a nice place to bbq or picnic . Lots of benches to sit and relax . They have fields to play ball and hoops to play basketball . They also have a playground for children. The scenery is beautiful. If you are a photographer lots of great spots to take pictures at . The lake does have a fee to swim . You can get a day pass or season pass . But the rest of the park is free . Franklin Borough is slowly coming back to life . The town officials are working hard to rebuild and create a great town . I give them a thumbs up . Proud to call Franklin Borough my home .

This is one of my favorite local hikes. Its not too far of a drive if you are coming from Bergen…read moreCounty like myself. Upon arrival there is a pretty decent size lot with a good amount of parking. I have never had an issue finding a spot. The hikes are pretty calm with nothing being too strenuous. But you can still get a good hike in. There is a huge lake, a waterfall, some old foundations, a few old tanks, and a dam. So there is a lot to see here. There is even one point where you can see what appears to be an old jeep off one of the trails. This is a good hike if you want to get a good walk in without it being to tough. There is also plenty to see throughout the hikes.

This is our first hike that we took in NJ and although we did not see any bears (thankfully!!) - my…read morehusband did pull out a huge dog tick which was making its way into my skin!! This was absolutely my nightmare come true and I am partially to blame for because I did not spray an insect repellant. I also did not wear clothing that covered my stomach (it was hot!). Anyways, apart from that little scare, it was a beautiful hike. There are a few different trails (based on difficulty) which are detailed on a billboard at the entrance. There are a ton of squirrels and chipmunks running around...like A TON! So don't get scared and think it's a bear. The Butler Reservoir is a beautiful scenery and you can take some awesome pictures! Also, the trail itself is pretty rocky. TIPS: *Wear good hiking shoes, there are some steep/slippery areas and it's rocky most of the way. *Spray insect repellant, inspect your exposed skin for ticks AND take a shower right after you get home. Remove the tick very slowly to prevent the head from breaking off. *If you see a bear - DO NOT RUN! Scream and make yourself appear bigger/more scary by waving hands. *Take a lot of beautiful pictures! *Plan and follow the trail. The trail is available on google maps if you ever get lost and there are color coded markings on the trees throughout the hike. And most importantly - HAVE FUN!

So beautiful. The trails are poorly marked and there aren't any maps really. But it's worth it…read more Just leave plenty of time. Lots of variety

A quiet preserve with a nice, paved path on slight grade. There are more paths through the woods…read moreand alongside the river that runs through the glen. Watch out for coyotes and bears! It's nice to see a refuge like this, and great spot for easy access to a little bit of nature when you need to kick back and dangle your feet in a cool stream..

Swartswood Lake State Park is always a relaxing place to walk, sit or just roam around the trails…read more Today, was overcast and misty and still had a relaxing time.

This state park holds a very special place in my heart, as most of my childhood summers were spent…read morehere. I still revisit it now, and it's like a beautiful time capsule for me. There are so many activities that you can do here: camping, fishing, ice fishing, picnicking, swimming, birding, boating, canoeing, biking, mountain biking, horseback riding, and my favorite, hiking. The four main trails are: Duck Pond Trail, Spring Lake Trail, Bear Claw Trail, and the Grist Mill Trail. Know Before You Go: There are entrance fees charged per vehicle.(Memorial Day weekend to Labor Day) Weekdays: $5.00 for NJ resident/ $10 (non-resident) Weekends: $10.00 for NJ resident/$20 (non-resident) There are plenty of secluded picnic tables and areas for grilling. And if you're like me and don't want to bother with grilling, food concessions are available during the summer months. Also, there are shower facilities by the main restrooms to rinse off after swimming in the lake. Go and enjoy this beautiful park that was New Jersey's first state park. I hope you love it as much as I do!

I found the "ridge trail" online which starts in this park and goes into the Ramapo Forest. The…read morepark is in a dead end. It's a nice little park that has all the amenities you would like expect; basketball courts, tennis courts, pavilion, jungle gym, bathrooms, and baseball fields. I was very impressed with the cleanliness of the park and the trail. The trail has a few options to walk around a lake, go to "DuPont land" (DuPont used to be in this area, contaminated the land and water years ago), and the top of then mountain. Following the trail to the top of the mountain was easy enough. The view of the reservoir was beautiful! I couldn't help but explore the woods and found some very strange things. I found an abandoned bus, car and a few large appliances. There were a few spots where I could see that people go to drink. I cleaned up their trash. Beer cans are lighter on the way out, I have no respect for anybody who would leave trash in the woods like that. If you are like me and take a hike so you can relax, but then are pissed when you see litter, than this beautiful trail will surely piss you off. Please bring a bag or 2 so you can carry out some of the trash. Thank you.

This is a fun place with playing fields. (I go to watch my granddaughter play soccer.) There is a…read moreconcession stand open during games, and a playground. I've lived in the area since the 80's & didn't even know about this little gem.

Beautiful area, lots of hiking trails and a big lake to sit by. It would be really add to the park…read moreif there was a playground for kids and a small paved trail for strollers

Beautiful park in Kinnelon that's very-well kept. I enjoy coming here for walks around the lake and…read moreshort hikes (has a few trails). This park has PLENTY of parking so that's never an issue. This is the nicest park within my area so it's become my go-to since moving to this part of NJ. Great park for anyone looking for easy hikes, or wants to enjoy a nice walk, or bring children their children to play or have picnics (many picnic tables). I'd recommend.