LAWRENCE TWP: Rosedale Park is part of the Mercer Meadows district of parks featuring walking…read moretrails, views of Rosedale Lake, wildlife watching, open fields, and an off-leash dog park! The dog park is split into two sections: one for dogs 35 pounds and under & one for 36 pounds and over. The areas are spacious to run around with agility stations, a seasonal water fountain, picnics tables, and really pretty views. The gate to access the park was a little tricky for us to open and a park regular helped us get in. A very pretty place to spend some time outdoors! 111 Cold Soil Road, Lawrence Township, NJ 08648

This park is really nice. Great walking trails and lots of shade on the trails. If you have dogs…read morethey will love it.

Excellent park for all ages I so recommend me, my cousin, my friends, my sister we all go there. It…read moreis the best park in the town. The spray park is a little boring but they did add a volleyball court. There is a lacrosse court in the field. they recently added a large bathroom/storage room for coaches and maintenance workers This park is the best.

This ground is amazing ! One of the best cricket grounds in NJ .. love the outfield .. superbly…read moregrassed ... ground also has a small water play area. Perfect for kids ! Play area is also good . Well maintained .... Well done.. overall , it's an awesome ground !!

This is my family's favorite spot for a leisure stroll. We'd almost always come for a walk when the…read moreweather is nice, especially after a big meal. It allows for all sorts of activities in a compact 71 acre space. This is also a great spot to view the fall foliage. There are 2 entrances. The main entrance is off Pond Rd. There is a side entrance off Robertsville Rd but that parking lot can accommodate only about half a dozen cars. A typical walk is a round trip from between the 2 entrances and you'll rack up about 2 miles. There is an excursion trail around the outside boundaries of the park beginning at the Robertsville entrance. With that you can make up 3 miles which was what I used to do when I was training for the varsity cross-country team. The pond is good for boating and fishing and is stocked with trout every year. The playground is right by the pond and is a great photo spot for your kids. There is a stage and a nice-sized pavilion in front of it. Perfect for a summer concert or play. There are benches and picnic tables throughout. In my most recent visit (Oct'21) I was pleasantly surprised to find that they've added a large number of brand new benches and picnic tables made with recycled material. Also, the parking lot at the main entrance has been redone and doubled the capacity. For these surprises I'm bumping the rating up to 5 stars. PS. If you're into mountain biking, I'll let you in on a local secret. There is a technical course adjacent to the southeast side of the park and you can access it at the end of Brookwood Dr.

Definitely not the best maintained park in the area but still a hidden gem. Tucked away just behind…read morethe hustle and bustle on route 9 lies this picturesque little park. There is something for everyone to enjoy here. Bring your canoes or kayaks. There is a boat launch near the entrance. You can fish here, the lake is stocked with fish. We have yet to catch anything but plants and a snapping turtle. There is a nice trail along the lake to walk or bike. There is a little playground too but this is probably the worst maintained area of the park. There are no bathrooms here but there are porta potties. Every time I've been here when it's warm the ice cream truck has come in here. Other than that there are no concession stands. Just pack a lunch and enjoy at one of the picnic tables.

Love this park and it's hiking trails. One of the trails has fitness stations which provide a great…read moreworkout. Plenty of bbq areas with grills and benches. If you want to have a gathering, they have a spot that you can reserve. Bathrooms are very clean and orderly. Playground has been updated with newer equipment.

This is my favorite park in the area, I absolutely love it. There are legitimate hiking trails, an…read moreexercise trail, several playgrounds, tennis courts, clean bathrooms and best of all, farm animals :). You can catch some wildlife as well. When I discovered it I was shocked I didn't find this gem sooner.

The Van Nest Wildlife Refuge is an underused, 98-acre area located at the edge of Hamilton Township…read moreand adjacent to Mercer County Park. The trails stemming from the parking lot there all eventually lead to Mercer Lake--specifically leading to the dam there that creates and holds back the lake itself. You can create your own loop, and the trails are all pretty manageable on foot or bike, but leave the stroller at home. The area is full of wildlife and native flora, and makes a great nature walk to observe the animals and birds. I've never encountered anyone along the wooded portions of the trail. However, the Long Trail that runs through Mercer County Park and into the refuge along the Assunpink is popular with trail bikers, and you're likely to see one or two come through on their bikes. The area is accessed by a dirt road off the North side of Hughes Drive right at the intersection with Quakerbridge Road. It's easy to miss, and with traffic it might be hard to enter unless you're driving South on Hughes to make an easy right turn onto the dirt road. I've never seen a good map of the area, but if you have the Strava, Komoot, or Footpath apps, you can see the trails there and use your phone to choose your route. The NJ Trails Association map of Mercer County Park can be used in a pinch, but I found my phone to be a better guide. That said, there are a number of criss-crossing trails in area, so it can be confusing without a map, but as long as you pay attention to where you've walked, I don't think the lack of a map would be a reason not to go. It's not a huge area, and unless you're directionally challenged, you'll eventually (probably) find your way out

I don't know why this park isn't listed anywhere, but it's great. Take Bunn Drive to the top of the…read morehill, it's on the left via McComb Road. If on foot, take Mount Lucas Road up to Campbell Woods Way and find the path through a cul de sac. Why we love it: Restrooms. I know everyone loves the other parks, but this one has a real restroom, open most of the year and a port a potty during the winter. A definite bonus with kids. Skate park. Skateboards, bicycles, scooters. No one is rude--it's rather refreshing seeing people take turns. So much for the idea from my childhood that skaters were criminals. Climbing wall. Basketball court. Jungle gyms for wee and older kids. Picnic tables. Active soccer field. Swings. One was broken last summer, removed the next day, replaced the third day. Active. It is rare that the park is ever empty. Ample parking I try to do the bars every time we visit; the kids aren't quite there yet, but there are both children's and regular bars, plus the spinny bars. 4 slides, possibly 5. Tip: if you want to take ice cream cones, scoop ice cream on to cones, put upside down into cups (the kid's cups from restaurants are perfect), then put into a purse. The kids will think you're a mad genius.

Great hiking trails , for a nice stroll on a beautiful sunny day . See turtles and ducks, while…read moreenjoying nature.

Nice park close to Princeton campus for a leisurely nature stroll. Some of the bridges and wood…read morepassages were in need of some maintenance. The lake was lovely and picturesque. Overall, trails were easy to follow and not too far a distance, so you can easily adjust the length of the hike as you go along.

My girls had a blast here. The splash pad facility is so impressive. There are two huge play areas…read morewith tons of sprinklers, buckets and water tables. One area is a little bit better for smaller kids so it's nice that they have two different options. The best part about the splash pad is the reservation system. You must make a reservation online, and you have a 1.5 hour time slot. Splash pads can get packed on a hot day, so this was a great way to control the crowd. Once your time is up there's an enormous playground right next door. There is so much to see and do that you could easily spend hours here without getting bored. Overall this is a fantastic township recreation area. It's clean and well-maintained, and there are endless play options for kids.

This is one of the cleanest parks I have walked through in Monmouth County. There are trash bins…read moreeverywhere and 2.3 miles of paved trails for you and your family to enjoy. The trails are perfect for walking your furry dogs, in-line skating, cycling, easy walking and pushing strollers. There is also a repair station with a tire pump and tools found near the basketball courts. The Challenger Place has finally finished and is a designed playground for kids who are blind or visually impaired. Their sport courts include tennis and basketball courts, as well as an in-line skating rink. The athletic field is available for rental and may be used for baseball games but not for practices. I have heard they have swimming pools but I personally did not see it. Instead, I saw a spray ground (water-enhanced playground) which was to open in mid-May but given our current situation with the COVID-19 outbreak, this is doubtful for mid-May 2020 due to the pandemic restrictions. Normally, it would open mid-May through early September. I would imagine the busiest time to be there with kids is during the height of summer because summer camps are held there by the Monmouth County Park System and Challenged Youth Sports from Middletown.