Hiking Watchung Reservation
Recently I was in Watchung Reservation. The weather wasn’t ideal for hiking, but I was in the area and have wanted to go. Because patience is not a virtue I have, I decided to hike anyway (instead of driving back up the following day). Watchung Reservation is part of the New York-New Jersey Trail Conference and the Union County Parks System. There is plenty to do outside of nature trails including the trailside nature science center, loop playground, trailside museum, deserted village of Feltville, and Watchung Stables.
There are also plenty of hiking trails in Watchung Reservation including the History Trail and Sierra Trail. The most famous is the History Trail. The History Trail at Watchung Reservation is about 6-miles and visits sites of historical significance. The Watchung Reservation, itself is approximately 2,000 acres with Lake Surprise and Glenside Park.
At the Watchung Reservation parking area, there are several posts, benches, historical markers and of course a trail map. It starts and stops at the Trailside Nature Science Center. It’s not a strenuous hike and was rather enjoyable when we went. Parts were flooded out to rain but no big deal.
It starts on a smooth dirt trail.
There were a ton of trees down at Watchung Reservation!
When we went to cross the reservoir at Watchung Reservation, it was completely flooded out. I had to hop across branches, and stones, which to be honest not falling was one of my biggest accomplishments of the day.
On the other side of the Watchung Reservation and Lake Surprise, there were plenty of historical sites and small huts and houses that were almost completely gone.
In all, Watchung Reservation is a beautiful and peaceful hike. It’s perfect if you want to relax with something not too rigorous. Or if you want to explore some of the other options available.
You can see all of the hikes here.
Questions for you:
Do you like hiking in the rain?
Are there any historic hikes near you? Have you been to Watchung Reservation?
I’m in Boston so there are tons of historic sites, but we don’t visit them often.
I have hiked in the rain. If it’s not torrential and you have the right gear it can be fun. Fewer mosquitoes !
I haven’t been to the Boston area. I would like to go check out the historic sites and hiking up there sometime though.