My Favorite Parks in NJ
After being cooped up for months during the winter, it’s time to GET OUTSIDE and enjoy one of New Jersey’s many wonderful State Parks! Listed below (in alphabetical order) are some of my favorites but there are so many more! Use this link to find one near you! https://www.state.nj.us/dep/parksandforests/parks/parkindex.html
** Remember to call the number listed or go to the park’s website for details regarding park hours and other COVID-19-related guidelines that may affect your visit.
Allaire State Park
4265 Atlantic Ave, Wall Township
(732) 938-2371
https://www.njparksandforests.org/parks/allairestatepark.html
Allaire State Park is located in Howell and in Wall Township in Monmouth County.
The park is best known for:
The restored 19th-century ironworks, Allaire Village, named after James P. Allaire, founder of the Howell Works. It used to be a prosperous industrial town producing pig iron and cast iron from the surrounding bog iron deposits. The buildings which remain and have been restored include a general store, blacksmith shop, carpenter's shop, manager's house, foreman's house, and a church. One of the workers' row house buildings has been recreated and now houses a Visitor Center and Museum
Pine Creek Railroad: an excursion rail line operated by railroad enthusiasts of the New Jersey Museum of Transportation. On weekends it runs trains on a ½ mile loop of track through the park
Nature Interpretive Center - open weekends during the summer.
Campground: open all year. There are 45 tent and trailer sites with picnic tables available for guests with their own camping equipment. In addition, there are four yurts and six cabin-like shelters available for rent.
Picnic facilities
Canoe rentals (seasonal)
Fishing: The Manasquan River is classified as fresh water and requires a fishing license
Allamuchy State Park
Waterloo Rd, Stanhope
(908) 852-3790
https://www.njparksandforests.org/parks/allamuchymountainstatepark.html
Allamuchy Mountain State Park is located in Byram Township in the Allamuchy Mountain region. The park’s 2,440 acres offer visitors:
14 miles of marked multi-use trails.
20 miles of unmarked trails
Historic Waterloo Village - A restored 19th-century canal town which includes an inn, a general store, a church, a blacksmith shop (to service the mules on the canal), and a watermill. For canal workers, Waterloo's geographic location would have been the stopover point on the two-day trip between Phillipsburg and Jersey City.
Ruins of the Rutherfurd-Stuyvesant Estate which dated back to the 1700s
Boating, canoeing, kayaking
Fishing and hunting
Rock climbing
Cheesequake State Park
300 Gordon Rd, Matawan
(732) 566-3208
https://www.njparksandforests.org/parks/cheesequakestatepark.html
Cheesequake State Park is a 1,610-acre state park located in Old Bridge-Middlesex County.
Highlights of Cheesequake Park include:
Camping
Picnicking
An interpretive center
Hiking, mountain biking
Swimming, boating, fishing
Sledding, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing
Edison State Park
37 Christie St, Edison
(732) 549-3299
https://www.menloparkmuseum.org/
The Edison State Park is located on Christie Street, the first street in the world to be lit up by the lightbulb, just off Lincoln Highway near the Metropark Train Station. It covers a total area of 37 acres. The park commemorates the site where the famous inventor Thomas Alva Edison had his Menlo Park laboratory. Of note to see:
Edison Memorial Tower
Museum and gift shop
Nature trails
Farny State Park
420 Split Rock Rd Rockaway
(973) 962-7031
https://www.njparksandforests.org/parks/farnystatepark.html
Farny State Park boasts over 4,866-acres of park land. The Split Rock Reservoir is directly adjacent to the park. For activities, Farny State Park offers:
Hiking trails
Boating, canoeing, kayaking
Bird and wildlife viewing
Hacklebarney State Park
119 Hacklebarney Rd, Long Valley
(908) 638-8572
https://www.njparksandforests.org/parks/hacklebarneystatepark.html
Hacklebarney State Park has 978 acres to explore. Through the middle of the park runs the Black River. The river is fed by two brooks and flanked by massive boulders. These boulders create many waterfalls that can be seen from the trail. At the end of the trail, the river lets out into a pond where people can swim. The park is known for its hiking and scenery, especially in the fall when the leaves begin to change colors.
High Point State Park
1480 State Route 23, Wantage
(973) 875-4800
https://www.njparksandforests.org/parks/highpointstatepark.html
High Point State Park straddles the border of Wantage Township and Montague Township in Sussex County. High Point, the summit of the Kittatinny Ridge, is the highest elevation in the state of New Jersey, with unrivaled views of three states and a scenic landscape. In addition, High Point offers:
The High Point monument
50 miles of trials of designated multi-use trails are available for hiking, mountain biking, horseback riding, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, dogsledding and snowmobiling
Boating, canoeing, kayaking
Camping
Swimming
Fishing and hunting
Picnicking
Education programs
Hopatcong State Park
260 Lakeside Blvd, Landing NJ
(973) 398-7010
https://www.njparksandforests.org/parks/hopatcongstatepark.html
Lake Hopatcong is nine miles in length and 2,500 acres of freshwater. It is the largest lake in New Jersey and arguably the best feature of Hopatcong State Park. Things to do and see:
The Morris Canal: an engineered waterway that relied on canals, locks, and inclined planes to lift and carry canal boats filled with coal, iron ore, goods, and produce from Phillipsburg on the Delaware River to Jersey City, the Hudson River, and the New York Harbor
Lake Musconetcong: created as an additional water source for the Morris Canal and located four miles west of Lake Hopatcong
Swimming
Boating, canoeing, and kayaking
Trails
Fishing
Picnicking
Playground and sports
Educational programs
Jenny Jump State Forest
330 State Park Rd, Hope
(908) 459-4366
https://www.njparksandforests.org/parks/jennyjumpstateforest.html
Jenny Jump State Forest is located in northern Warren County in the northwestern section of New Jersey, on the 1,112-foot high, 6-mile long Jenny Jump Mountain ridge. Offers visitors:
UACNJ Observatory: provides public programs on Saturday evenings from April through October at which an astronomy presentation is followed by an observing session, weather permitting.
Trails
Camping
Boating, canoeing, kayaking
Fishing and hunting
Picnicking
Bird and wildlife viewing
Kittatinny Valley State Park
199 Goodale Rd, Newton
(973) 786-6445
https://www.njparksandforests.org/parks/kittatinnyvalleystatepark.html
Kittatinny Valley State Park is located near Andover, New Jersey. Features include glacial lakes, limestone outcroppings, former railroads, and a small airport. Lake Aeroflex and Gardner's Pond form part of the headwaters of the Pequest River and are excellent for fishing and boating. Visitors can also enjoy:
Trails
Camping
Fishing and hunting
Educational programs
Butterfly and hummingbird garden
Little Free Library
Aeroflex-Andover Airport
Liberty State Park
CRRNJ Terminal Building - 1 Audrey Zapp Drive, Jersey City
(201) 915-3400
With the Manhattan skyline as its backdrop, Liberty State Park is located on Upper New York Bay in Jersey City, opposite both Liberty Island and Ellis Island. The park opened in 1976 to coincide with bicentennial celebrations and is operated and maintained by the New Jersey Division of Parks and Forestry. Located directly on the shores of the Hudson River, Liberty State Park is also the only location in New Jersey with ferry service to Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty. Visitors can also take advantage of the follow:
Central Railroad of New Jersey Terminal
Ferry service
Boating and boat launch
Fishing and crabbing
Picnicking
Special events and educational programs
Richard J. Sullivan Natural Area
Liberty Landing Marina
Liberty Science Center
Ringwood State Park
1304 Sloatsburg Rd, Ringwood
(973) 962-7031
https://www.njparksandforests.org/parks/ringwoodstatepark.html
Ringwood State Park is a 4,444-acre state park in Passaic County in northeastern New Jersey, USA. The Park is located in the heart of the Ramapo Mountains in Ringwood and offers visitors a myriad of recreational activities throughout the year. The park is also home to a number of beautiful country manors and botanical gardens that are open to the public year-round. Highlights include:
The State Botanical Garden
Ringwood Manor and Sylands Manor
Shepherd Lake Recreation area
Trails
Boating, canoeing, kayaking
Fishing and hunting
Educational programs
Picnicking
Playground
Sledding
Trap and skeet shooting
Swartswood State Park
1091 E Shore Rd, Swartswood
(973) 383-5230
https://www.njparksandforests.org/parks/swartswoodstatepark.html
Swartswood State Park is a 3,460-acre protected area located in the Swartswood section of Stillwater and Hampton townships in Sussex County, New Jersey, off the beaten path and away from all major highways, but worth finding. Only electric motors are permitted on the 519-acre natural glacial lake. As a bonus, Little Swartswood Lake offers all of the same on a smaller scale (except swimming), just minutes away by car or a short hike. Bring binoculars for a close view of the many resident bald eagles frequently seen flying over the lakes.
Trails
Camping
Swimming
Boating, canoeing, kayaking
Fishing and hunting
Picnicking
Keen’s and Stillwater Gristmills
Swartswood Natural Area
Washington Rock State Park
355 Milltown Road, Bridgewater
(908) 722-1200
https://www.njparksandforests.org/parks/washingtonrockstatepark.html
Washington Rock State Park, one of the oldest state parks in New Jersey, is a 52-acre scenic state park on top of the first Watchung Mountain in Green Brook. According to its website: “The strategic location of Washington Rock made it a valuable lookout point during the American Revolution for General George Washington in June of 1777, when the British army under General William Howe was moving toward Westfield. From the vantage point of this natural rock outcropping, General Washington had a thirty-mile panoramic view of the valley and was able to instruct his troops to circle behind Howe’s troops and cut off their retreat”.
Visitors flock to this park for the historical significance but mostly to picnic and relax and take in the stunning views.
