Franklin Lakes Nature Preserve!
Franklin Lakes Nature Preserve
Welcome to a virtual tour of the Franklin Lakes Nature Preserve!
Franklin Lakes Nature Preserve
The preserve consists of the Haledon Reservoir and its watershed land which was purchased by the Borough of Franklin Lakes in 2006 from the Borough of Haledon for $6.5 million using funding from Green Acres and the Bergen County Open Space Fund. The preserve was open to the public in June of 2011.
Haldeon Reservoir
The 75 acre Haledon Reservoir is the centerpiece of the Franklin Lakes Nature Preserve and is an extremely popular fishing spot. The reservoir, created from the impoundment of the Molly Ann Brook in 1919, provided water to Haledon, North Haledon and Prospect Park. The Molly Ann Brook is the last tributary of the Passaic River before the Great Falls in Paterson.
Trails
Franklin Lakes Nature Preserve Trail Map
The Franklin Lakes Nature Preserve features 2 hiking trails. Access is available from Ewing Avenue, a small parking lot off of High Mountain Road and from nearby High Mountain Park Preserve’s Red Trail via Reservoir Drive and crossing High Mountain Road.
Shoreline Loop Trail
The main trail is the 1.5 mile white blazed Shoreline Loop Trail which encircles the entire Haledon Reservoir.
Shoreline Loop Trailhead on Haledon Reservoir Dam
Starting from the parking area, the trail heads over the dam separating the Haledon Reservoir from the small pond to the south. The trail follows alongside the reservoir and near High Mountain Road and Ewing Avenue.
Island Bridges Trail
The western portion of the Island Bridges trail is accessible near where the Shoreline Loop Trail passes by Waterview Drive.
High Mountain as seen from the Franklin Lakes Nature Preserve
Beautiful views of the Haledon Reservoir with High Mountain visible can be seen from this area. After exploring the western section of the Island Bridges Trail (as of October 2012 the Island Bridge Trail is incomplete. Bridges are scheduled to be installed sometime in early 2013 which will connect the eastern and western sections of this trail for a total of about a half a mile in length) head back to the Shoreline Loop trail which will briefly exit the Franklin Lakes Nature Preserve near an outflow from a neighboring swamp.
Preserve Shoreline Trail Molly Ann Brook Crossing
Once the Shoreline Loop Trail enters back into the preserve, the trail crosses the Molly Ann Brook over a wooden bridge. Frogs can be heard (and sometimes seen) splashing into the water here during the warmer months.
From here, the Shoreline Loop Trail heads east near a church and near the High Mountain Golf Club which is visible through the trees.
High Mountain Golf Course
Along the way, the trail comes across a basalt beach.
Basalt Beach
Basalt was formed when molten lava extruded out of the earth’s surface and cooled rapidly. Basalt is found in nearby High Mountain Park Preserve which is situated on the 2nd Watchung Mountain Range. Once pass the basalt beach, the trail turns south. The eastern section of the island bridges trail is accessible from this point.
Island Bridges Trail
Island Bridges Trail (East)
After exploring the eastern section of the island bridges trail, head back to the Shoreline Loop trail and continue south until the trail terminates near a picnic area in a pine grove near where the trail began.
Preserve Shoreline Loop Trailend
NYNJ Trail Conference has blazed and will maintain these trails. A trail map of the Franklin Lakes Nature Preserve is available on the NYNJ Trail Conference website here.
Flora
Flora found at the Franklin Lakes Nature Preserve includes the below among others:
American Beech
Gray Birch
Paper Birch
Skunk Cabbage
Trout Lily
Fauna
Fauna that I’ve spotted at the Franklin Lakes Nature Preserve includes:
Palm Warbler
Canada Goose
Canada Goose Eggs
American Robin
Tufted Titmouse
Cedar Waxwing
- Eastern Chipmunk
Directions
This preserve is a great place to explore and just relax. Directions are listed below (as taken from the NYNJ Trail Conference Website)
Take N.J. Route 208 to the Ewing Avenue exit in Franklin Lakes. Turn left at the end of the ramp (if coming from the west, turn right) and continue for about two miles until Ewing Avenue ends at High Mountain Road. Turn left onto High Mountain Road and continue past a lake and a smaller pond on the left. In 0.5 mile, at the end of the smaller pond, you will see a small brown sign for the Franklin Lakes Nature Preserve on the left. Turn left into a driveway, passing old reservoir buildings on the right, then turn left again at a sign for parking and continue to a parking area just below the dam.
Note: Part of the preserve, including the entrance and parking, is in North Haledon (Passaic County). The address for the preserve is 1196 High Mountain Road, North Haledon, N.J. 07508
Franklin Lakes Nature Preserve
Feel free to e-mail NJUrbanForest at NJUrbanForest@gmail.com with any comments, memories or suggestion! Thank you and have fun exploring!
Wayne’s Dave Waks Memorial Park (formerly Barbour Pond)!
Dave Waks Memorial Park
Dave Wak’s Memorial Park
Dave Waks Memorial Park (formerly known as Barbour Pond Park) is located in the township of Wayne, NJ. It was renamed Dave Waks Memorial Park as a tribute to a former mayor of Wayne who passed away in 2007. At 103 acres, it is Wayne’s largest developed park. There’s a playground, 3 lighted softball fields, 1 lighted baseball field, three lighted soccer fields, a model airplane flying area and a half mile paved walking path around the fields. The centerpiece of the park is Barbour Pond which features a 1.96 mile hiking trail which encircles the pond.
Barbour Pond
Barbour Pond was created by impounding part of the 8.9 mile Preakness (Singnac) Brook via the Barbour Pond dam. The brook is a subsidiary of the Passaic River. It’s watershed is located almost entirely in Wayne. The headwaters, located in the nearby High Mountain Nature Preserve, are considered to be trout production and are classified as C1. C1is one of the highest classifications given to a stream in the state of NJ. Preakness Brook enters Barbour Pond from Valley Road , where it ventures through (along with a tributary stream) a recently protected 17 acre woodland. Preakness Brook from Barbour Pond to its confluence with the Passaic River is non trout production and is considered impaired. Impairments include fecal coliform bacteria and habitat decline which are indicated by an increase in pollution-tolerant macro invertebrate species. Non-point source pollution is thought to be the culprit. In 2005, William Paterson University was granted $408,586 to collect and access water quality data along the length of the stream. The purpose of the study was to reduce fecal coliform, restore macro invertebrate health and protect the C1 headwaters segment.
Preakness Brook
For more information on the streams that flow in your backyard check out the Pocketguide to Eastern Streams. This wonderful field guide covers common plants and animals found in a stream ecosystem. Click here for more information!
Ok, back to the trail! Access to the Barbour Pond trail may be obtained off the half mile paved walking path, off of Valley Road near Barbour Pond dam, or near the model airplane area. Entrance areas are marked by a wooden pole.
Entrance to the Barbour Pond trail from the paved walking path
The trail is mostly level and pleasant. There is a serene crossing over Preakness Brook and many beautiful views of Barbour Pond.
Mallards & Canadian Geese on Barbour Pond
Barbour Pond and the surrounding woodland provide much needed habitat for many animals and especially birds. I spotted the below during my last venture:
Black-Capped Chickadee
Mourning Dove
Downy Woodpecker
Three Killdeer Birds right outside Barbour Pond
Ring-Necked Ducks on Barbour Pond
I also heard a red tail hawk. The trail contains varied flora. Flora includes:
- Red Maple
- Black Birch & Yellow Birch
- American Beech
- Red Cedar
- Christmas Fern
Red Cedar
Christmas Fern
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!
While exploring around the pond I found some interesting graffiti found on one of the wood post and several trees.
Protect Nature
Directions:
Take US 80 west to exit 55B, for Union Boulevard north, Totowa. Within a short drive turn left on Crews Road. At the stop sign, go straight which connect the driver to Totowa Road. Turn right at the light after passing the Dey Mansion in Preakness Valley Park. Then take the next right for Valley Road. Pass through the intersection with Hamburg Turnpike. Take the first left turn (Barbour Pond Drive) and go .3 of a mile to the end of the road for the entrance of the park.
Dave Waks Memorial Park (formely Barbour Pond Park)
Feel free to e-mail NJUrbanForest at NJUrbanForest@gmail.com with any comments, memories or suggestion! Thank you and have fun exploring!
Saddle River County Park!
Bergen County’s Saddle River County Park is a wonderful 577 acre linear greenway which parallels the Saddle River. There are six park areas and a historic site which are all linked by a paved path which may be used by bicycles, pedestrians and roller skating. Click here to view maps of the six areas of the trail. The total length of the trail is six miles. Mileage signs appear every tenth of a mile on the path to help see how far you have progressed.
Fishing is allowed throughout the park with a license at the trout stocked Saddle River and Ho-Ho-Kus Brook as well as the three ponds found throughout the park. (The Ho-Ho-Kus Brook is trout stocked from Whites Pond in Waldwick until its confluence with the Saddle River).
Saddle River Pathway BEGIN
The northern section of the park begins in Ridgewood at the Wild Duck Pond Area. The Ridgewood Area of the park features the Wild Duck Pond, Dog Run, picnic area and playground.
Wild Ducks at Wild Duck Pond
- The trail continues through to Glen Rock, Fair Lawn, Paramus, Saddle Brook and Rochelle Park. On the way to Paramus and Glen Rock areas the trail passes by Ridgewood’s Grove Park, a 32 acre Beech-Oak forest which features hiking trails.
Saddle River County Park Glen Rock
The Glen Rock Area features a pond, playground and tennis. The Ho-Ho-Kus Brook flows to the east of the park. The brook has no mow zones to help clean the water and provide habitat for wildlife.
Heading south from the Glen Rock Area will go to the Fair Lawn Area which features soccer and a section for hangers/gliders and to the Dunkerhook Area of the park in Paramus. Dunkerhook (which means “Dark Corner”) was named by the Dutch who first settled in this area in the early 18th Century. This section of the park features a beautiful waterfall at the confluence of the Ho-Ho-Kus Brook with the Saddle River in addition to a picnic area and playground.
Waterfall at confluence of Ho-Ho-Kus Brook and Saddle River
Saddle River County Park Dunkerhook Area
Just south of the Dunkerhook Area and after passing underneath Route 4 is the Easton Tower.
Easton Tower
The Easton Tower was initially built in 1900 to pump water for the estate of Edward Easton who made his fortune as a founder in the recording industry and was president of the Columbia Phonograph Company. Water from the tower was pumped to several fountains. Construction of nearby Route 208 divided the estate and isolated the tower. The tower was acquired by Bergen County in 1956 and restored a few years later. An earlier red mill tower which stood in its place sometimes leads to the present tower being mistakenly called the “Red Mill”.
Once pass the Easton Tower, the trail leads to the Otto C. Pehle Area in Saddle Brook. This section features a pond, model boating (permit required), ball fields, playground and picnic areas.
Otto C. Pehle Area
Canadian Geese
The final and most southern area of the linear park is the Rochelle Park Area.
Saddle River County Park Rochelle Park
This section of the park features basketball, tennis, and a picnic area. The trail’s terminus is at Railroad Avenue.
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Trail Terminus at Railroad Ave
Flora at the park include:
- Fauna includes the below among others:
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Groundhog
White-Breasted Nuthatch
Great Egret
Cottontail Rabbit
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Painted Turtle
For more information check out the NY NJ Trail Conference description.
Hiking/Ecology Books!
1. 60 Hikes Within 60 Miles: New York City: Including northern New Jersey, southwestern Connecticut, and western Long Island – Packed with valuable tips and humorous observations, the guide prepares both novices and veterans for the outdoors. From secluded woods and sun-struck seashores, to lowland swamps and rock-strewn mountain tops, this practical guidebook contains all the information needed to have many great hikes in and around New York City.Click here for more information!
2. Take a Hike New York City: 80 Hikes within Two Hours of Manhattan – In Moon Take a Hike New York City, award-winning writer Skip Card shows you the best hikes in and around The Big Apple—all within two hours of the city.
Click here for more information!
3. Eastern Deciduous Forest, Second Edition: Ecology and Wildlife Conservation – This book is a useful tool for anyone who wants to know or hopes to help one of North America’s great natural resources.
Click here for more information!
4. Protecting New Jersey’s Environment: From Cancer Alley to the New Garden State – With people as its focus, Protecting New Jersey’s Environment explores the science underpinning environmental issues and the public policy infighting that goes undocumented behind the scenes and beneath the controversies.
Click here for more information!
DeKorte Park!
NJ Meadowlands Commission Richard W. Dekorte Park
DeKorte Park is an amazing environmental story. The 110 acre park is a former landfill that has been given a second chance and features trails, butterfly garden, observatory and an environmental education center.
Marsh View Pavillion
Near the Environmental Education center is the Jill Ann Ziemkiewicz Memorial Butterfly Garden. The garden is named after the youngest crew member of TWA Flight 800 which crashed off of Long Island in July of 1996. The centerpiece of the gardens is a bird bath hand carved to look like a sunflower.
American Goldfinch (NJ’s State Bird!) in the Sunflower Bird Bath
After I visited the butterfly garden, I took a stroll to the Lyndhurst Nature Reserve.
Trail Head for Transco Trail and Lyndhurst Nature Reserve
The Lyndhurst Nature Reserve is a 3 1/2 acre island that is made entirely out of old garbage that was illegally dumped between 1969-1971. The island is now a nature preserve covered with native grassland meadows and young woodlands. The island is surrounded by mudflats.
Black Eye Susans
Ancient Atlantic White Cedar
The mudflats surrounding the reserve at one time contained an extensive Atlantic White Cedar Swamp. Due to factors such as the construction of the Oradell dam to create the Oradell Reservoir in 1921 the water became too brackish for Atlantic White Cedar to survive. Today there are only ancient stumps remaining of the once extensive forest.
Transco Trail
After leaving the Lyndhurst Nature Reserve, I took the eastern portion of the Transco trail which is roughly 3/4 of a mile in length. The trail is built on a dike constructed in 1950 which contains a buried natural gas pipeline. Some flora along the trail includes Thistle, Milkweed and Pokeweed. Check out below for some pictures of the fauna found nearby.
Great Egret
Forster Terns
I also walked the Kingsland Overlook which offers view of the surrounding Kingsland Impoundment. The overlook was once a productive salt marsh which was turned into a dump. The former dump was turned into a park for wildlife starting in 1989. The landfill was capped with 400,000 recycled plastic soda bottles and covered with top soil. Thousands of plugs and 20 foot trees were planted. A dike was built to prevent leachate from going into the impoundment. The area is now maturing and many animals make the park their home.
DeKorte Park offers hope for all blighted areas. It is living proof that brownfields really can become greenfields with enough effort.
For more information and the official website click here. You can also check out the Meadowlands blog.
Still thirsty for more Meadowlands information and its amazing environmental comeback?? Don’t miss Jim Wright of the Meadowlands Commission’s new book “The Nature of the Meadowlands“!
Feel free to e-mail NJUrbanForest at NJUrbanForest@gmail.com with any comments, memories or suggestion! Thank you and have fun exploring!
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