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Andreas Park

maurycy — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 02:05:12 +0000

Andreas Park is part of Hackensack River Greenway that runs thru Teaneck. It features 3.5 miles of trails thru wetlands with wildlife viewing opportunities. Trails run along eastern bank of the Hackensack River. Northern part of the park reaches Historic New Bridge Landing – Revolutionary War site.

Hiking thru Andreas Park’s wetlands you will encounter birds, reptiles and fish. Fishing is permitted with New Jersey fishing license.

Park is open daily dawn till dusk with limited parking area. Trail maps are available in self-serve boxes at several entry points along River Road.

General information

Phone: (201) 836-3644

Location

River Road
Teaneck, NJ

Hackensack River County Park

maurycy — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 13:27:39 +0000

Hackensack River County Park covers 30 acres and it is located behind Riverside Square Mall. If ofers promenade along Hackensack River, viewing deck and trails that will take you thru diverse ecosystem along the river. It is a great place to observe wading birds, waterfowl, shorebirds and to fish (license required).

General information

Park is open daily from dawn till dusk. Some trails are handicapped accessible. Fishing is permitted with New Jersey fishing license. No restrooms in the park, but they can be found in the mall.

Location

Route 4 at Hackensack Avenue, Hackensack

McFaul Environmental Center – Wyckoff

maurycy — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 02:13:38 +0000

James A. McFaul Environmental Center is located near Crescent Avenue in Wykcoff, NJ. This is 81-acre site with woodland gardens and animal shelters. It features wildlife exhibit hall, meeting room, and library. Park facility overlooks the waterfowl pond. In the center, you will find 25,000 daffodils and flowering trees. Explore this beautiful site by accessible boardwalk that takes you thru the wetland nature trail.

Site also offers picnic tables and free public programs with guest speakers, hike leaders and films (free on weekends and Tuesday).

History of the Environmental Center

The site of the present day Environmental Center was formerly a Pig Farm owned by the Henkle Family. In 1962 the farm was purchased by Bergen County with the help of Green Acres, making the Center one of the first Green Acres purchases in the State. Plans were made, and in 1966 the 2.4 acre wild-life pond was excavated, then the museum building was constructed. Programs began with nature classes for school groups. Since that time several live animal shelters have been constructed., which have been home to various non-releasable wildlife over the years. Later an addition was put on to the center which included the foyer, office area, and 600 gallon fish tanks. The Center now welcomes thousands of visitors to the park every year.

History of the Pond

The James A. Mcfaul Environmental Center’s Pond is man made. Created in 1966, the pond site was a natural run-off area. Some digging and stream damming was necessary for pond depth. Now, our 2.5 acre pond is home to an abundance of plant and animal life. Some of which live here year round, and others for use as a rest stop during migration.

Location

Crescent Ave & Brookside Ave
Wyckoff, NJ 07481

Pictures

Lost Brook Preserve & Tenafly Nature Center

maurycy — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 01:38:30 +0000

Lost Brook Preserve together with Tenafly Nature Center occupy approximately 380 wooded acres. You will find approximately seven miles of trails here. Oak forest surrounds the trails, Prister’s Pond and buttonbush swamp. While you are visiting stop by the Nature Center’s Interpretive building to get a map of the trails and information about special programs.

Harring Rock

Glacial erratic are rocks that have been transported by glaciers and dropped at a distance (often many miles) from their original locations. Erratic are a different rock type than the local bedrock because it was common for glaciers to flow across different types of bedrock, plucking up chunks of rock as they moved.

In the late 1800’s and early 1990’s, Dr. John J. Haring made sick calls throughout the area on horseback, bartering farm goods for medical care.

He often walked through the woods and along the brooks in the area which would later become, in part, the Lost Brook Preserve. He would meditate near a 15 ton boulder. At that time, the glacial erratic was 10 feet tall by 10 feet around. Delicately poised upon trap-rock, the sandstone boulder was deposited by melting glacial ice approximately 12,000 to 15,000 years ago onto property which would later be owned by the local Jewish Community Center (JCC).

In the late 1960’s, the JCC was developing their property, with the plan to blast apart the erratic. Saved by local activists and financed by a modern medical doctor, Dr. Alfred Traynor, the boulder, named the Haring Rock, was hoisted onto a flatbed and moved to the eastern section of the JCC property, out of harms way, on property which would still later become the Lost Brook Preserve. However, man could not duplicate nature’s positioning of the erratic on its narrower bottom and had to turn the boulder upside down and cement it into place, burying some of the erratic below ground level.

General Information

Trails open daily from dawn to dusk. Parking lot open Tuesday–Sunday 9am–5pm. Parking is permitted on Hudson Avenue. Outdoor restroom and pavilion is handicap accessible but interpretive building and indoor restroom are not.

Contact Information

313 Hudson Avenue
Tenafly, NJ 07670
Phone: (201) 568-6093
Website: www.tenaflynaturecenter.org

Location

Pictures

Demarest Nature Center

maurycy — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 01:36:01 +0000

Created in 1972 as non-for-profit corporation, nature center includes 55 acres of land.

General information

Website: www.demarestnaturecenter.org

Trail map: download here

Location

90 Park St
Demarest, NJ 07627

Flat Rock Brook Nature Center – Englewood

maurycy — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 01:35:14 +0000

Flat Rock Brook Nature Center was established in 1973. It is a 150-acre preserve and education center. Situated on western slope of the Palisades in Englewood, NJ is one of the last remnants of the Palisades Forest. Center provides educational programs for people of all ages, has network of trails leading to streams, wetlands, ponds, wildflower meadows, quarry cliffs and woodland.

General information

Trails and picnic areas are open free to the public every day from dawn to dusk.

Website: www.flatrockbrook.org

Location

Teaneck Creek Conservancy

maurycy — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 01:30:28 +0000

Teaneck Creek Conservancy is part of Bergen County’s Overpeck County Park. Park covers 46 acres and has trails for walking and jogging, and nature observation. Environmental and cultural programs are also offered. They include exhibitions, nature and history walks, art displays, geocaching, and special school programs.

General Information

Trails are open to the public from dawn to dusk.

Website: www.teaneckcreek.org

Maps can be downloaded here

Location

20 Puffin Way
Teaneck, NJ 07666

Fort Lee Historic Park

maurycy — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 01:25:38 +0000

Fort Lee Historic Park is a 33-acre park located on a cliff where the Continental Army placed their batteries over the Hudson River. You will find here great view of George Washington Bridge, Hudson River and upper Manhattan Skyline. Southern part of the park has hiking trails, reproduction gun batteries and firing steps and reconstructed 18-century huts.

Park information

The Visitor Center is open Wednesday through Sunday, from 10:00am to 5:00pm. Grounds are open from 8:00am till dusk. Parking fee of $5 is charged during special events.

Location

Hudson Terrace
Fort Lee, NJ 07024

Pictures

Palisades Interstate Park

maurycy — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 01:24:57 +0000

Palisades Interstate Park is part of more than 100,000 acres of park lands and historic sites managed by the Palisades Interstate Park Commission. NJ section was commission’s first acquisition after its formation in 1900. Bergen County’ secion is about 12 miles long and about half mile wide. It covers 2,500 acres and has been designated a National Natural Landmark. Here you will find 30 miles of hiking trails, two public boat basins, a boat launching ramp, four riverfront picnic areas, a scenic riverside drive, a cliff-top Parkway with three scenic overlooks, a nature sanctuary, and historic sites. All that just minutes from Manhattan.

General Information

Website: www.njpalisades.org

Location

For driving directions to various park sites, please visit park’s website.