Little Fall’s Morris Canal Preserve!

Morris Canal Preserve

Welcome to Little Fall’s Morris Canal Preserve!

Map of Little Fall’s Morris Canal Preserve

Walking on Little Falls Main Street, few people would suspect that a preserved woodland and forested floodplain is located behind the stores.

Passaic River Basalt

The Morris Canal Preserve is located right above the Passaic River. The river rushes by on fractured basalt .  The preserve features a gentle paved path which traverses the edge between the developed landscape of Little Falls and the remnant forested floodplain of the Passaic River.

Gazebo Morris Canal Preserve

The paved path leads from a beautiful gazebo and heads  in a southwest direction to its terminus near an outflow from the Passaic Valley Water Company.

Outflow

You might be tempted to think that Little Falls was named after these views, but the real falls were eliminated late in the 18th century to relieve upstream flooding of the Passaic River.

The path features checkerboards, basalt rocks of the second Watchung Mountain and beautiful views along the way.

Basalt Rock

Morris Canal

Morris Canal Crossed Here Passaic County

A portion of the 102 mile Morris Canal flowed over the Passaic River via an aquaduct created in 1829 of local Little Falls Brownstone.

Morris Canal Passage Little Falls (Red Line)

The Morris Canal was an artificial waterway which connected the coal fields of Pennsylvania’s LeHigh Valley to Paterson, Newark & New York City. Successful at first, railroads eventually replaced the need for the canal. After falling into disrepair, the Aqueduct was dynamited to the ground in 1925.

Flora

Canada Mayflower

Typical examples of flora found along the Morris Canal Preserve include:

American Beech

Tulip Tree

Shadbush

Highbush Blueberry

Maple-Leaf Viburnum

Want to learn more about the high diversity of plant life found in the Garden State? Check out Plant Communities of New Jersey.

NJ’s geology, topography and soil, climate, plant-plant and plant-animal relationships, and the human impact on the environment are all discussed in great detail. Twelve plant habitats are described and the authors were good enough to put in examples of where to visit!

Click here for more information!

Directions: (as taken from the NYNJCT Botany Website)

From Route 80 westbound, get off at the Union Avenue exit and bear left to follow Union Avenue for about one mile into Little Falls. Turn left at the light onto Main Street and then go about five blocks looking for Maple Street and Schumacher Chevrolet on the left. Turn left down Maple and continue as for the bus directions.

Alternative route by car: From Rt. 46 westbound, get off at the Great Notch/Cedar Grove exit. Bear left and follow overpass over Route 46 on to Notch Road. At the end of Notch Road turn right at the light onto Long Hill Road. Proceed on Long Hill Road for about one mile where it becomes Main Street. At Schumacher Chevrolet, turn right onto Maple Street and then follow the directions as for the bus. Look for the brick sign for the preserve on the left.

By public transportation: Take NJ TRANSIT 191/195 bus that leaves the Port Authority Bus Terminal, NY (check schedule prior to the trip) and get off on Main Street in downtown Little Falls at the corner of Maple Street Turn right on Maple and walk one block to entrance to the preserve parking lot on the left.

Morris Canal Preserve Forest

Feel free to e-mail NJUrbanForest at NJUrbanForest@gmail.com with any comments, memories or suggestion! Thank you and have fun exploring!