I gotta tell you... I love this little park…read more First visit - okay, I dug it. Second visit - more time to explore and continually found new and interesting reasons to enjoy Essex County's seventh-largest park (I totally stole that tidbit from Wikipedia). Third visit - okay, okay - I'm officially smitten! A (small-ish) pond complete with locals fishing? Tennis and pickleball courts? Horseshoe pits? Bocce court? Paved trails (both in the main/open portion of the park as well as tucked-away under dense forest)? Baseball field (as a bonus - a group of kids always practicing cricket off to the side)? A tiny little spot consisting of parallel bars and (uneven) pull-up bars - for aspiring gymnasts or American Ninja contestants? An aqueduct (complete with a handful of little bridges to cross over) running throughout the entire park? A damn fine playground (with interesting and in-good-shape equipment) for kids (from 2 to 12 years old)? Plenty of tables (old-school picnic style as well as more modern/sleek)? Those clunky-but-sturdy BBQ grills that are drilled into the ground for you to use but can't take home with you? Rock cairns to find and admire while walking through along the tree-covered trail? A few strategically-placed water fountains to rehydrate and cool down? Plenty of Porta-Potties and trash receptacles (including freebie baggies so you can scoop up your pet's droppings)? A random deer (or doe) sighting in or near the park every single time I've visited? Yes! A resounding "yes!" to all of it.

Tiny county park in a residential area, so no trails. You can walk around the park in about 15…read moreminutes. Small stocked pond with ice skating when safe and allowed, children's swings and slide and a small tennis court. Benches all around. Well kept by the county. Parking on the street and a small lot with a few handicapped spaces. Bicycling not allowed due the size of the park and amount of people. Playing field up and behind the park area. Events held occasionally.

I grew up in Cedar Grove and have fond memories of Mills Reservation from the 1950s and 60s.  It…read morewas a great place to explore the natural wooded environment atop First Mountain ... and it still is.  The trails are great for hiking, biking, and jogging. Leashed dogs are welcome.  I highly recommend hiking to Quarry Point at the reservation's southern end.  The views east from here are spectacular -- all the way to the Hudson River and Manhattan skyline, and sometimes the Verrazzano Narrows Bridge.  Oh, did I mention that the reservation is a great place for bird watching?! Parking is limited. There are no buildings or restrooms in the reservation.

How does one rate the woods? I wanted to blame them for a lack of reservoir scenery on the…read morereservoir view trail but there was human error and I was on a different trail. You can see Manhattan and even the Verrazzano Bridge from a few overlooks. If you're into Instagramming lots of trees and occasional rocks this is a fine spot. Geography note: without a car, kind of far from anywhere. Walkable from the weekday-only Mountain Ave. station (for NJ Transit wrath please check out my Substack).

A wonderful with seating areas and a grill. Nice little hidden secret in Clifton New Jersey. Great…read moreplace to bring a date, children, or a group outing.

Decided to get in a morning walk at Anderson Park and as per usual it was great! The park is always…read morewell kept and the variety of trees along the walking paths are always so beautiful. There's always ample parking along the surrounding streets despite how busy the park may be. This park is truly just walking paths with benches and a large field in the middle so if you're looking for a playground this may not be the park for you.

Anderson Park opened in 1905. John Charles Olmsted designed this lovely small park. The park is on…read morethe National Registry of Historic Places. In Anderson Park, you'll see every type of Pedigree dog imaginable walking on the trail. During the last couple of years, I've noticed more fences around the plants, most likely due to the growing deer population. The park is located by the Upper Montclair train station.

A gorgeous walk, about .8 miles of pavement and then a grassy path that continues towards route 3…read more The path follows the old Morris Canal. Bikes are permitted for the .8 paved section, there were some offshoots from the main trail where it looked like you could take a mountain bike. Dogs are permitted as well. I saw many birds, squirrels and even a young buck scratching the velvet off his horns in someone's back yard. I did the full length and back for a nice 1.6 mile walk.

Great park in West Caldwell. There is a very nice open field adjacent to the tennis courts…read more Restrooms are available. A very nice walking trail is in the rear of the playground that lead to the Cedar St. swimming pool. It's a relatively new park; all of the equipment is well-kept. More water fountains would be a plus.

One of the best parks in the northern NJ area for a family friendly walk. No through traffic while…read morein the park. The park has a basketball court, baseball field, bathrooms, and picnic tables. One of the best features is that there's a stream that runs through the park with a small waterfall at the end. Plenty of restaurants within a 5 minute walk of the park

We passed by this park by accident when we were grabbing desserts. It was so pretty with the fall…read moreleaves I had to stop real quick to take a photo. It is a big park we drove around it to get to a different location we were going to. I saw teenagers playing around the park and people walking their dogs. A great place for a chill, relaxing day to walk around or spend time in.

Riker Hill is one of my favorite parks in Essex County because of its uniqueness. It's niche…read morebecause it's part artist studios, part Cold War historical site, and part local park for hilly walks/runs. There also is a small community garden, as well as EV charge station at the top of the hill. It's not a destination park - unless you have a specific interest in visiting the studios or in Nike missile sites. However, it's a quaint park if you are local and want a quick fix of nature and views from the highest elevation points in Essex county.

I love coming here to walk around or just to enjoy some fresh air on a bench. Park is kept clean. I…read morealso love to take pictures here. I have captured some great shots here

Really awesome park with plenty of parking in the area. Small restaurant next to the large pond…read morein the middle with outdoor seating. Very safe and family friendly neighborhood

This place is so beautiful!! Great place to see the beautiful skyline of New York City. The open…read morefield that they have is great for sitting in the grass and just enjoying the sun on a beautiful day!!

Great view! Hidden gem. Great view of NYC! A nice tribute of 9-11 here. A restaurant near by…read morerecommend reservations. Nice to park and take in the views.