Road Tripping Through the National Parks: New Jersey
On our next edition of “Road Tripping Through the National Parks” we are heading to the “Garden State”. New Jersey seems at first glance to be a transition zone between New York City and Philadelphia, but it still has many national park sites to get enjoyment out of. You can start your trip by flying into Newark International Airport and grabbing a rental car. Your first stop is a rather long two hour drive away.
Great Egg Harbor Scenic & Recreational River is a rather weird park. It was created to preserve the Great Egg Harbor River. However, it’s one of the rare “scenic & recreational rivers” that is actually run with the National Park Service as the front organization. It was established in 1992, However, due to the NPS having to work with local governments more often than most parks have to, it still feels like a new park with not much infrastructure to support it. Information and interpretation about the park is few and far between. You can still have a great day at the park by visiting the Warren E. Fox Nature Center in Mays Landing, New Jersey and checking out the property. There is an extensive trail network there that eventually leads to the shore of the Great Egg Harbor River. Some of the trails weave past old buildings that have been reclaimed by the wilderness that give the area an interesting feel.
Day two begins early with a two and a half hour drive to Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area. This park preserves the Delaware Water Gap, a striking gap between two large mountains that the Delaware River cuts through. The river itself is preserved as the Middle Delaware National Scenic River. While the park stretches from just south of the intersection between New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania all the way to I-80, the two best hikes in the park are located in the physical Delaware Water Gap itself. Taking a trail to the top of Mount Tammany is the better experience of the two as the top has a more expansive view, the rock scrambles up make for a memorable experience and this trail has tons of wildlife (a family of bears lived on the trail for a few years and I have seen deer and rat snakes the couple of times I have hiked it). However, it’s also the park’s most popular hike. If you want something a little less crowded, hike a trail to the top of Mount Minsi on the other side of the Delaware River. This has similar views to Mount Tammany and is a less vigorous hike to the top. After you are done hiking, grab lunch at Village Farmer and Bakery. This place has fantastic baked goods and their “True Love Special” (a hot dog and a slice of pie) is one of the best deals around. You can finish your time in the park by driving the scenic Old Mine Road, which also has numerous trailheads that eventually lead to the famous Appalachian Trail.
Day three starts with an hour-long drive to Paterson Great Falls National Historical Park. As a somewhat newer addition to the National Park Service, this park feels like it’s constantly changing. It’s definitely not in its finished form, but it’s still a must see place in New Jersey. Currently, the park’s focus is on the eponymous waterfalls (which seem out of place in this busy city), Alexander Hamilton’s interest with the city as an industrial center and the city’s ties to the Negro Baseball League. Before COVID, the park had a temporary visitor center that did a great job of laying out all of this history, but there is none currently as the park tries to establish a permanent visitor center. So your best bet to start your journey here is walking straight over to the falls. The views of the falls are staggering, it’s surprising that such a large set of waterfalls is hidden in this city. Hinchliffe Stadium, the historic Negro Baseball League stadium is right across the street. It was in bad shape when I visited this park for the first time about five years ago. However, the stadium has been completely renovated since and reopened to the public last year. You can even catch a baseball game there now. Once you’re done with this park take the thirty minute drive to Morristown National Historical Park. Morristown preserves one of the winter encampments of the Continental Army during the American Revolution. The park has three distinct districts (Washington’s Headquarters, Fort Nonsense and Jockey Hollow) and it’s interesting that all three are located in different settings. Washington’s Headquarters is located right off a major highway in the middle of the city of Morristown. You will definitely want to check out this district as you can tour the building that George Washington used as his headquarters. The museum right next door to the building is also quite fascinating as it has one of the best batches of first hand artifacts from George Washington that I have ever seen. The museum also has a rotating exhibit that is usually quite interesting. The time I went it showcased a bunch of first edition books and manuscripts centered around freedom of speech. Fort Nonsense is located in the outskirts of Morristown and is located in a more suburban setting. If you have to skip one district it’s this one as it’s the smallest district and the only thing that’s left of the eponymous fort is a layout of the foundation. The final and largest district, Jockey Hollow, is surprisingly located in a rural area. It’s interesting to see the landscape change as you journey through this park. This district has the main visitor center, but the highlights of the district are their exceptional hiking trails and auto tour road. The auto tour road is small enough that I feel hiking is the optimal way to view this park as you can really get into the landscape. This is the location of where the army hunkered down during the winter.
On your final day, take the thirty minute drive to Thomas Edison National Historical Park. This park is composed of two districts as it preserves the Edison Home and Edison Laboratory. The Edison Home just has tours of the building and has much more restricted access than the Laboratory. However, the Laboratory is a real highlight as it does a great job of showcasing Edison’s many interests. The laboratory itself has three levels filled with offices and shelves that showcase Edison’s inventions and passions. There are other buildings on the property besides the laboratory including Edison’s film studio. It’s a lot to go through, and you could spend a good half day here. It’s a great way to finish up your trip in New Jersey.
