Watchung Reservation

Watchung Reservation offers 13 miles of hiking along the valley and ridge of the lower Watchung Mountains and is located in Union County near the town of Mountainside and is easily accessible from RT 78 or RT 22.

Those out for a leisurely afternoon will find the trails along Lake Surprise and the Blue Brook to be calming and scenic. The historic abandoned village of Feltville is also a nice walk, particularly in the fall. If you want to get a few more miles in, explore deeper into the western park of the park for hiking over the basalt ridge line and through forests and pine groves. A look at a map is essential for exploring the park as there are a good number of parking areas and the trails — particularly near the nature trails and Trailside Nature Center — can loop back and overlap often.

Trail Map available for download from the Union County Parks web site.

Activities

Hiking, trail running, fishing, horseback riding, nature trail, museum, picnicking

Photographs

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Learn more about this park at these other sites

• Trailside Nature & Science Center
• Wikipedia – Watchung Reservation
• Park Description at NYNJTC
• Watchung Reservation – a set on Flickr

Location