Watchung Reservation

Take Route 22 to New Providence Road in Mountainside.  More specific driving directions are on the park's web site [see Contact Information on this site].  GPS Coordinates:  40.683185, -74.373076

NJ Transit bus #114 from the Port Authority Bus Terminal to the intersection of US 22 and New Providence Road in Mountainside; but hikers must walk uphill 1.4 miles to reach the reservation

Highlights include Lake Surprise, the Deserted Village of Feltvile/Glenside Park, the Trailside Nature and Science Center, Seeley’s Pond and the Watchung Stables. Sierra Trail forms a 10.8 mile loop.

Four short nature trails, ranging from 0.2 to 0.9 mile, are near the Trailside Nature & Science Center.  The Sierra Trail [white square blaze; 10.8 miles] forms a loop that encircles the reservation.  Various connecting trails can be used to fashion shorter loop hikes.  Use Web Map link (elsewhere on this site) for a trail map.

Located Within the Reservation the Deserted Village of Feltville features 10 surviving historic buildings, some still occupied.  A brief history, a historic photograph, one-mile self-guided tour, and map of the immediate area are available on its web site.

Watchung Reservation Highlights

Watchung Reservation in Union County is a 2,000-acre wooded tract where animal and plant life are protected.  Highlights of the park include Lake Surprise, the Deserted Village of Feltvile/Glenside Park, the Trailside Nature and Science Center, Seeley's Pond and the Watchung Stables.  Opened in 1941, The Trailside Museum was New Jersey's first nature museum.

Although I-78 traverses its northwestern flank, most of the reservation remains in a natural, wild state, and sound barriers muffle the road noise.