Beautiful fall day exploring the trails with kids. Uphill trails for a challenge, climbing rocks,…read morewalking over streams, throwing rocks. Resting on benches. Lots to do and see. Bathrooms and parking available.

Had a planned family gathering and rented out the main covered seating area. We paid for the entire…read moreday and it was meant for us even though the park DID NOT SET A RESERVED SIGN ANYWHERE!!! So it started out bad. Multiple families had already setup shop and started to cook on the grills to have their picnics. We had to let them know that they had to leave and take their parked cars also. What a mess. Where are the forest rangers or cops to patrol... not anywhere in site! Other than that, it's a nice spot to hand and check out the pond. Besides the fact that it gets mobbed and parking is hard to find, I would come for a hike.

It's a Local Park how in the world could you Not give it 5 Stars?! If you are lucky enough to call…read moreEast Hanover your home, then Lurker Park is your own. It's where you see hometown baseball games and where Food Truck fundraisers are held. Local Carnivals and Fireworks are also held here. It's where you can go and get your cardio on while you walk/run around the Park. Just recently I found out that in the Summer and early Fall months they have a Farmer's Market on Mondays where you can buy fresh fruits and vegetables. Many local 'up and coming' Bands have community concerts here at the Park. This place is a very cool park to hang out and be one with this outstanding Town.

So I'm partial to this park/ fields. I have been walking around the fields for over 2o yrs. Every…read moreSpring I start my daily walking around the park. It is so nice to see the change an updating over the last 10 yrs. You should of seen this place 10 yrs. Ago! What a mess!! Now they have redone a lot of it. There are new picnic tables, benches, bochie ball(not sure I'm spelling this right) the fields are green and the fence is updated. This park is perfect for a daily stroll, watching your children play sports, climbing on the jungle gym, reading a good book in the shade or sun& having a nice romantic lunch with your other half. This park is made for everything! It just depends in the day of the week and the time you come.

I thought our parks were nice in Somerset County but we may have some competition. Whew - this spot…read morewas beyond gorgeous! And we discovered it by accident. Wesley was amped up after his vaccines so I decided to look for a park where we could eat our lunch and enjoy the spring weather. I legit just looked up parks on Apple Maps and chose the closest place. Oh my god - there was a lake - accessible by walking or by car. So many lovely places to park right by the water. An ABUNDANCE of benches. So many beautiful cherry blossom canopies. And dog friendly to boot! We saw elderly couples, teenage friends, young lovers, new moms, athletes, dog dads, people fishing. There's also swimming and aquatics there once the summer rolls around. It was just so perfect. For history buffs, there was also a war memorial to departed soldiers from the area since The Revolutionary War(!!). What a sweet little afternoon break!

some thing for everyone it seems!…read more You'll find a playful area called Imagination Station, shady spots, a little "sprinkler park," fishing spots, and courts for basketball and volleyball. The park has a large 40 × 80-foot pavilion, a covered stage, and a gazebo on "the Island" with benches nearby--ideal for parties, ceremonies, or even just relaxing with family, That's where we had our picnic--enjoying lunch with a view of the lake. this ares also marked as Roxbury Rotary pavillon. Concert/big gathering, and Roxbury's Memorial Day Parade and ceremony spot. The grounds are tidy and well-maintained, with scenic views of the horseshoe-shaped lake that's especially beautiful at sunrise or sunset It is a relaxed and welcoming spot for families, friends, and big gatherings. From playgrounds to trails, sports fields to peaceful lake views, it offers a bit of everything.

Been to Morristown downtown many times, and it's always nice to see a park right in the middle of…read morethe city. It feels good to take a walk here while being surrounded by the bustle and hustle of downtown life. The last two visits were during Christmas, and this place truly shines during the holiday season. The festive lighting around the park adds a beautiful , feels like festive season, right! They usually have a carol section, but the Meet with Santa event is clearly the most popular--especially with families. The kids' train ride is another big hit and adds to the holiday excitement... There are also a couple of statues and memorials in the park, dedicated to history and local heritage, Overall, it's a great spot to relax, walk around, and soak in the holiday spirit--perfect for families, kids, or even a casual stroll while exploring downtown.

This park at the heart of Morristown is one of the few surviving colonial-era greens in the state…read more Established as early as 1715, it served as a communal hub where townspeople grazed livestock, drew water from a shared well, and gathered for religious, political, and social events. During the Revolutionary War, it became a military parade ground--General George Washington even supervised drills from nearby Arnold's Tavern. What makes Morristown Green especially notable is its rarity. While many American cities were originally designed around central squares or commons, only a fraction have preserved them as active public parks. Think of Boston Common, New Haven Green, or Savannah's many squares--each a living remnant of colonial planning. But in New Jersey, only Morristown and Newark still retain their original greens in recognizable form. After stopping to visit Morris Frank and Buddy, we walked this square and enjoyed the pleasant space, the many statues and monuments and then a bench. And then back to the Sprinter for more driving. [Review 1051 of 2025 - 172 in New Jersey - 24605 overall]

I love this Waterfront! I discovered it, literally, a week before the pandemic shut down…read moreeverything. As much as I prefer to decompress near water, this spot satisfies that for me. An additional perk is how beneficial it is as a workout. Once around is nearly 2 miles. So it's good for a walk, run, or simply a seat near serenity. There's also an option to do paddle boats if you're into that type of activity. The pavilion is there (with seats) to provide some shade if the sun is beaming too brightly. Just an all around wonderful space snuggled between Turtle back zoo and McLoone's Boathouse restaurant. South Mountain reservation hiking trails are nearby as well. What a great central location! There is plenty of parking across the street from the entrance as well as a playground for kids.

The Waterfront has a nice walking/jogging path around the lake. You can also fish in designated…read moreareas, and rent swan paddle boats here. It's family friendly with a playground for younger kids, and an area with lots of tables under a pavilion for gatherings. The Essex County Park System maintains the Waterfront well. It's a popular destination during the weekends (i.e. can get crowded).

Great park. Large bc it includes childrens area, then softball area (sand play), and lots of people…read moreplay soccer in the field adjacent to sand. Clean. And at the right time of the day, most areas are shaded. Highly recommend if you're in the area

This Small Park is a Place to Go…read more I've been passing this quiet little park for about a year while going back and forth from Morris Plains and East Hanover. I always told myself that I should go check it out. Today the weather was nice, my Slurpee was cold, and my son was looking for a new place to play. The stars have aligned and this park has now been visited by yours truly. The Township of Hanover Central Park is located at the corner of Eden Lane and South Jefferson Road. East of the intersection off of Eden Lane is where you will find the entrance to the private parking lot. In this park you will find a pavilion with the very rare, open, and functioning Men's and Women's restrooms. It doesn't happen a lot in New Jersey so you gotta take notice when it does. The bathrooms are of the aluminum fixture variety so no worries of catching bathroom envy here. What you will catch is some relief, when you need it, while you are at this park. On the opposite end of the pavilion you will find a drinking fountain and 2 picnic tables under the roof line to keep you shaded from the sun and dry from precipitation. The pavilion is also the hub of the park. To the east you will find the grass soccer field that is to be used by reservation only. South you will find a sand volleyball court and the entrance to the Tot Lot. The volleyball court looked especially nice surrounded by a sea of green grass. The Tot Lot is for 2-5 year olds and contains a sand box area with an excavator feature, 2 toddler swings, 2 wooden benches, and a small play structure with a slide. The little excavator kept our Pre-K son enthralled for the majority of our visit. To the South West you will see the large wooden gazebo that has 2 additional picnic tables next to it. The gazebo and surrounding trees provide a good amount of shade for the area. To the West you will see a recessed area in the warmer months that is filled with ice in the colder months to be used as a small ice hockey rink. Township of Hanover Central Park is small and in an awkward place, but it really does have a relaxing vibe to it. There are a few mature shade trees that are strategically placed through the park to offer some relief from the sun throughout the day. Due to the size and location of this park I would normally rank it as a 3 star destination. This park gets the 4th star because it has dedicated bathrooms on site which is rare in this area.

This is a somewhat unique rating for me, because I'm giving it 5 stars based on its objective…read moreexcellence. For me, personally? Not my favorite of the 3 parks that are in the immediate vicinity of where I live. That's a purely subjective evaluation. There's Mountain Park in Basking Ridge, heading in the direction of Martinsville. I've reviewed that 1. There's Harry Dunham Park in Basking Ridge, near Liberty Corner. I've reviewed that 1 too. I walk/run in both of these parks on a fairly regular basis. Pleasant Valley? Not so much. Pleasant Valley has a playground, 4 multipurpose fields, a softball field, a baseball field, 2 "youth" baseball fields, 6 tennis courts, 6 pickleball courts (I've asked this before, but I'll ask it again-- when did pickleball become a "thing?"), 4 "lighted platform" tennis courts, a basketball court, a sand volleyball court, a pond for fishing, an amphitheater, picnic shelters, indoor rooms available for rental, walking trails, and restrooms. Why would I subjectively give this less than 5 stars? Because the walking trails aren't my favorite, and walking trails are what I utilize these parks for. Anyone who has ever read anything I've ever written knows sports are, and always have been, anathema to me, but I do like doing exercises that hopefully will allow me to live a bit longer than I might without the exercise (funny story-- my oldest friend went to a high school reunion, and the others there said enviously, "You've aged very well!" My friend laughs when he tells me this and says, "Like it just happened! I work hard at it! I didn't just age well! I worked my ass off exercising and eating right, and they didn't. That's the difference. It's that simple."). I lift weights, and I walk/run, and walking/running the wooded trails has made me feel better physically (although it doesn't melt the fat off as easily as it once did) as well as put me in closer proximity, at least in my own mind, to the inchoate and unknowable nature of whatever "God" might be or the source of all creation and nature. It's in the sunlight filtering through the trees, it's in the cloud-filled or cloudless sky that I get glimpses of through the trees as I walk, it's in the sounds of birds and insects, the deer and other small animals crashing through the brush (not long ago, there was a bear sighting not too far away, and that would just be my bad luck-- all this exercise only to get mangled to death by a bear!), it's in the fragrant flowers sprouting up from the soil, the invigorating fresh air itself. There's a stretch of woods in the Dunham Park that's lovely. It's not a long walk, but it passes beneath the towering trees, and alongside a gurgling brook. If it's not the pristine beauty of the northwest CT countryside, it's pretty close. Mountain Park also has magnificent trails. At 1 point, I followed 1 down a hill to a river, but didn't go further, as I didn't know where it was leading to and I wasn't prepared for an extended hike through unknown wilderness. But you can walk the trails for a considerable distance and actually imagine you're far from any last vestiges of civilization (which might not be a positive, depending on your mood or disposition or anxiety level). All alone with nature! I found it exhilarating and spiritually restorative. Pleasant Valley? I occasionally ran the trails at Pleasant Valley with a running/drinking buddy of mine. At that time, we partied a lot (with a group of friends), but we exercised a lot too (just her and me); she ultimately married and moved to the Virgin Islands, and we sort of lost touch. But...hope she's doing well and... keep up the running, old friend! A few weeks ago, I returned to Pleasant Valley, to take a walk. The trails wind upward and certainly serve their purpose, but I prefer the trails of the other 2 parks. With them, at least you get the illusion that you're in the middle of nowhere, enjoying the mystery and majesty of God's green earth. With the Pleasant Valley trails, there's a uniform sameness to them, and when I deviated off the main trail onto a side offshoot, I ended up in a housing development. Again, maybe that's just my own personal quirk and won't mean anything to somebody else of a more "social" disposition. Me? I prefer to pretend I'm the pioneering hermit, the isolated "Stranger in a Strange Land," the searcher for solitude and tranquility, at least for an hour or so. So... objectively...this is a great park, with a lot of amenities and activities. Parking seems plentiful enough (although I have to agree with 1 previous reviewer who said that if the park gets crowded, parking could potentially prove a problem). I can't say I won't return on occasion to walk the trails. But...subjectively...it's not my 1st choice. Or 2nd.

I grew up near this amazing park and it's always been a special place for me. I played on the…read moreswingsets here as a kid, worked at the Summer Camp here as a teen, and continue to enjoy walking here as an adult. This park has everything--brand new playground equipment for 2022, tennis courts, soccer fields, baseball fields, body-weight fitness equipment like parallel bars and a horizontal ladder, paved walking trails through the woods, a pond, and more! The free public bathrooms are inside a building so there's hot and cold running water, flush toilets, light and heat. There are also several water fountains with drinking water. In summer the local theater group offers Plays in the Park at the amphitheater. Most of the park is flat, accessible to wheelchairs and strollers, and easy to walk around. There are benches near the pond and a pavilion area with picnic tables. Lots of people bring their dogs here.

Waterlands Parks is small park and far from the avenue. I came across it the first time when I was…read morewalking on 3rd street by the Gaslight Commons and noticed the Rahway River cuts through it. There's a nice walking path, which I like. For the kiddies, there's a playground area and little league baseball/softball fields. The only thing is that it gets dark there at night. While South Orange is safe, I'm not a fan of standing around in the dark, so I would recommend coming here during the day and leaving before dusk.