Teaneck’s Phelps Park is a beautiful manicured 15.71 acre urban park that many consider to be one of the finest jewels in the Teaneck park system. The park boasts many fine amenities typical of urban parks such as baseball fields, basketball and tennis courts, picnic area and a swimming pool. But the feature that stands out is the 1 acre Arboretum. Phelps Park is the only park in Teaneck’s park system to feature an Arboretum.
Arboretum Area
This section of the park (located in the most northern section of the park near River Road) was designated an Arboretum in 2002. The Arboretum features around 150 trees. Most of the trees consist of varieties of Oak tree such as Red Oak, Scarlet Oak, and White Oak. Other trees include:
Many trees have labels on them (most are placed high on the trees) with the common and scientific name of the tree.
Black Cherry
A small estimated .46 of an acre south of the Aboretum is remnant wetlands, which is most unusual to find in an urban park. At one time a stream flowed through this area on the way to the Hackensack River.
Phelps park is heavily used by FDU students (FDU is located right across the street from the park) and local residents but it is worth a look for those interested in a museum of trees.
Feel free to e-mail NJUrbanForest at NJUrbanForest@gmail.com with any comments, memories or suggestion! Thank you and have fun exploring!
Echo Lake West is one of the most beautiful trails I’ve ever been on. The Echo Lake West trail follows the western shore of Echo Lake. Another trail exists (Echo Lake East) on the other side of the lake. It is not possible to do a loop around the lake due to houses located on the north eastern border of the lake. Echo Lake West follows the Highlands Trail , a NYNJCT Trail Conference project. The trail head is located at the office of the NWCDC located near Echo Lake Road.
The trail passes near Camp Watershed a summer camp for the City of Newark youth. The beginning of the trail is gravel covered but then changes to a rough nature trail.
Echo Lake
Echo Lake is part of the Newark Pequannock watershed lands. The lake is an estimated 270 acres and is fed by the Macopin River. The Echo Lake channel and Macopin River drain from the lake and into the Pequannock River. The lake, with the exception of the northeast corner is completed surrounded by upland forest and wetlands. Kanouse Mountain sits to the west of the lake. Kanouse Mountain is around 1,100 feet in elevation.
Echo Lake
One of the great things about hiking is you never know what is around the corner. For example, we saw this tree completely covered with claw marks and (though you can’t see it in this photo) black bear fur. Black bears do this to mark territory.
We also saw this Southern Leopard frog. This frog is usually found near freshwater.
Flora found on the trail included:
Canada Goldenrod
Ground Pine
Aside from a few muddy spots, the Echo Lake West trail is mostly dry until you reach near the end when wetlands abound.
Wetlands
It was near here that I found one of my favorite plants: Jewelweed
.
Jewelweed
Our goal for the hike was to make it to this rock (shown below) rest a bit and head back.
However, due to what appears to be beaver activity, the old (white blazed) Echo Lake West trail which led from the Highlands Trail to this rock is impassable and the trail now ends near the wetlands section.
For me, one of the more unusual finds of the day was finding what appeared to be the shell of a freshwater clam in Echo Lake.
Freshwater Clam Shell
This trail is mostly flat and is located in the heart of the NJ highlands. For more information on Newark Watershed hiking trails and obtaining a Newark watershed permit click here.
Welcome to the NJ Audubon’s Lorrimer Sanctuary! The property was bequeathed to the NJ Audubon Society by Ms. Lucine Lorrimer in 1956. The 14 acre preserve features forest and field habitats, a butterfly garden and a visitor center with a gift shop and exhibits including live animals. The sanctuary features an excellent self guided trail through the Field, Butterfly and Woodland trails.
Outside a large window in the visitor center is a multitude of bird feeders. This Hairy Woodpecker was there the day I visited.
Hairy Woodpecker
Trails
Lorrimer Sanctuary Trail Guide
There are two main trails (in addition to a buttefly garden trail) which are mostly flat to be explored at the Lorrimer Sanctuary. Both trails travel in a loop fashion and make for very easy walking. Be sure to take your time and enjoy the forest!
Field Trail
The 1/6 of a mile field trail once wound through an actual field. Through succession, the trail now wounds through a young forest. Before the surrounding private property was developed, barn owls frequented the area. This box pictured below was built for barn owl habitat.
At 1/3 of a mile, the woodland trail is the longest trail and features both wetlands and upland habitat. The trail loops past secondary growth forest. A special attraction found in early spring on the woodland trail are the wildflowers such as Dutchman Breeches, Bloodroot and Spring Beauties.
Bloodroot
The past land usage of the Lorrimer Sanctuary includes an orchard, farmland and livestock pasture. Interpretive signage has been placed on both the Field and Woodland trails to describe the geology, flora and fauna of the Lorrimer Sanctuary.
Woodland Trail Interpretive Signage
The sanctuary is worth going to. Be sure to visit the gift shop as all proceeds are used to help maintain the preserve. Click here for more information and the address.
Feel free to e-mail NJUrbanForest at NJUrbanForest@gmail.com with any comments, memories or suggestion! Thank you and have fun exploring!
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.
Feel free to e-mail NJUrbanForest at NJUrbanForest@gmail.com with any comments, memories or suggestion! Thank you and have fun exploring!
Though this blog primarily focuses on NJ natural spots, it does delve occasionally in nearby NY parks most notably in Central Park. But today’s blog will delve into beautiful Sterling Forest NY via McKeages Meadow Trail. (Check out the Trail Map) The trail goes through both Warwick and Tuxedo New York.
Sign for McKeages Meadow Connector
The trail begins on the east side of Long Meadow Road via a yellow triangle blazed connecting trail from Sterling Lake Loop trail. The main blaze is yellow with a blue/green line. The trail passes through Laurel Meadow Ponds showcasing plenty of flowering lily pads.
Lily Pad Flowers
The trail features swampland, upland and of course meadows. Indian Pipe was found just starting to sprout.
Indian Pipe just starting to sprout
Other flora found include tons of Japanese Barberry, Red Maple, Sugar Maple, White Oak, Chestnut Oak, Spicebush, Virginia Creeper and others.
For fauna, we spotted these two friends below in the swamp area of the trail. This area floods seasonally.
White Trail Dragon Fly with Mr. Bullfrog
It would be great to hold a meeting in this conference room in the picture below. I wonder how I can reserve it?
The Forest Conference Room
And remember: no promiscuous shooting while the meeting is in session!
No Promiscuous shooting allowed!
This trail goes for about 3 miles (add another mile or so round trip if you include the connector trail) and showcases much of what makes Sterling Forest such a unique place.
The West Milford Environmental Commission received an easement from a Dr. Bernard Simon in 1991 donating the 8 acre wetland to the township. A federal Urban Forestry grant was awarded to the town in 1993 to create the wetlands environmental center thanks to the efforts of Mary Haase (who was a member of the West Milford Planning Board and Environmental Commission) and Roger Daugherty (who was the Chairman of the Environmental Commission). A tributary of the Macopin River flows through the wetlands found in the environmental center.
West Milford Environmental Center with a tributary of the Macopin River
Green Heron
West Milford’s environmental boardwalk features both upland and wetlands within its eight acres. The environment center seasonally features plants such as broad-leaf and narrow-leaf cattail, wool grass, tussock sedge, bulrush, sensitive fern, marsh fern, spike rush and duckweed.
Upon entering the boardwalk from Maple Road, a kiosk has been placed that is chock full of information regarding freshwater wetlands.
It is a great place to learn firsthand the functions and plants of forested wetlands.
To get here click here for directions to Maple Road Elementary School where ample parking is available during the weekend when the school is closed. The entrance to the environmental center is across the street from the parking lot.
West Milford's Environmental Center
Feel free to e-mail NJUrbanForest at NJUrbanForest@gmail.com with any comments, memories or suggestion! Thank you and have fun exploring!
Paramus Wetlands (location of Reid Park Nature Trail)
Welcome to Paramus’s Reid Park Interpretive Nature Trail!
The nature trail, created in 2004 by Boswell Engineering, meanders about .20 of a mile through part of an estimated 59 + acres of forested wetlands. The trail stretches from the Reid Park fields and playground area to Soldier Hill Road.
Most of the forest is under threat of development. Saveparamuswetlands is leading the fight to help preserve the whole forest. As of this writing there was a partial clear cut in November 2009 which the borough of Paramus has since halted.
Two footbridges and 3 boardwalks were placed over the more saturated soil on the trail. The boardwalks actually rise with the water level and were installed without heavy machinery.
Forested Wetlands Interpretive Signage
Interpretive signage describing the flora & fauna found in Reid Park has been placed throughout the entire length of the trail. Most of the signs are intentionally placed next to the items they describe.
Lichen and Moss Interpretive Signage
Lichen
Moss
Eastern Skunk Cabbage with interpretive signage
Others are more of a chance encounter. For example, moments after reading the below Red-Tail Hawk sign on my last visit, there was a screech from a Red-Tail Hawk soaring above.
Red-Tailed Hawk Interpretive Signage
Red-Tail Hawk (a bit on the blurry side)
Flora found along the Reid Park Nature Trail includes:
Ridgewood’s Dunham trail is roughly .41 of a mile and cuts through an estimated combination of 9.61 acres of deciduous forest and wooded wetlands. The trail is named after Dr. Dunham who was a nature consultant for the Ridgewood school district. The Dunham trail is owned by the village and maintained by the Ridgewood Wildscape Association as one of six wildscape areas found in the village. The Ridgewood Wildscape Association helps to raise awareness for the remaining natural areas in the township.
Ho-Ho-Kus Brook
The trail is bordered by the Ho-Ho-Kus brook to the east, dense residential development to the west, Grove Street to the south and Spring Ave to the north.
The Dunham trail is flat and follows the artificial path of the Ho-Ho-Kus Brook (a tributary of the Saddle River) for its entire length and features uplands and an estimated 3.6 acres of remnant wetlands. The wetlands are found near the Grove Street entrance.
Some notes of interest on the trail include sandstone which was mined from Totowa which was placed alongside of the Dunham Trail for unknown reasons.
Sandstones mined from Totowa
The trail also features several massive American Sycamores that are at least two hundred years old.
Massive American Sycamore
Other flora includes:
Trout Lily
Common Blue Violet
American Beech
Grape vine
Yellow Wood Sorrel
Jack-in-the-Pulpit
Silver Maple
Animals that have been observed on the Dunham Trail include
Eastern Gray Squirrel
White Tail Deer
Red Fox
Raccoon
Mallards
Mallard on Ho-Ho-Kus Brook
Downy Woodpecker
The Dunham trail ends at Spring Avenue.
Ridgewood Dunham Trail
The Dunham trail is located between Grove Street and Spring Avenue along the Ho Ho Kus brook and the public service right-of-way. Parking is available on South Irving Street.
Feel free to e-mail NJUrbanForest at NJUrbanForest@gmail.com with any comments, memories or suggestion! Thank you and have fun exploring!
