The Jockey Hollow unit of Morristown National Historical Park is the site of the Continental Army's…read moremain winter encampment. My first stop was the Jockey Hollow Visitor Center. There, I watched the 15 minute film and arranged for a volunteer to take me inside the Wick House. The film described what life was like for the common soldier who wintered at Jockey Hollow during the harshest winter of the War, from December 1779 to June 1780. Huddled in log cabins with rags for clothing and little food, the army hunkered down to wait for Spring. After watching the film and touring the Wick House, I decided to walk the 2.5 mile park loop road. There are 27 miles of hiking trails in the park, but these were all covered with snow and ice on the day of my visit. There were plenty of pedestrians, dog-walkers and cyclists sharing the road with me.

Most elementary school teachers' lesson plans on the American Revolution emphasize the significance…read moreof the Continental Army's winter encampment at Valley Forge in Pennsylvania during the winter of 1777-1778. Few of them mention the fact that thousands of soldiers from the Continental Army spent the winter of 1776-1777 (following George Washington's iconic crossing of the Delaware River) and the winter of 1779-1780 (which was the harshest winter of the Revolutionary War) in Jockey Hollow -- located just south of downtown Morristown. In March 1933, Morristown National Historical Park -- including the Jockey Hollow encampment -- became the country's first National Historical Park. Jockey Hollow features a small visitor center staffed by knowledgeable park rangers that offers a short film and interpretive exhibits explaining the significance of the site as well as a small gift shop. There are also more than 25 miles of marked hiking trails and a 3-mile paved tour road that offers easy 'drive to' (or, 'walk to') access to the visitor center, Wick Farm, soldiers' huts, and parade grounds. The tour road is very popular with local walkers and runners and the marked hiking trails, which range in difficulty from easy to moderate, are well-blazed and well-represented on the trail maps available on the park's website and along the trails throughout the park. The longest hiking trail is the 6.5 mile white-blazed Grand Loop Trail, which circles the entire Jockey Hollow site and intersects with the Patriots Path trail system that traverses Morris County. Some of the other hiking trails include the 3.0-mile blue-blazed New York Brigade loop trail, which offers a fantastic view of the distant New York City skyline from the top of Mount Kemble, and the 2.25-mile yellow-blazed loop trail, which connects the key historic sites throughout the park. There is no fee for the park and there is plenty of free parking at the visitor center, the soldiers' huts, and the trailheads.

Absolutely BRILLIANT day at the GSOEC! I'm still smiling…read more The Northern NJ chapter of my body liberation hiking group met up for a turn about the swamps and marshes. We strung together the red, white, yellow, and orange trails for about 3.5 miles of dewy goodness. The highlights: The wildlife: We had our necks on swivel for snapping turtles, frogs, and bears (oh my!). We came away with a sighting of a majestic blue heron, a black frog, and a few geese. The boardwalks: Overall, very well-maintained, snaking through grasslands and over water. -Water crossings: There were PLENTY on the white trail. I love water crossings because they require some flexibility, strategy, and a whole lotta faith. Oh and waterproof shoes lol. It was really fun to work as a team to get each across some of the waterlogged spots on trail. -Benches Some Scouts placed a lot of benches along the way as part of their Gold and Eagle awards. Yall know I love seating on trails. Ain't no shame in sitting down and taking it all in. -Visitors Center Wonderful education space, tactile exhibits, and bathrooms. The person working today gave us a great bear fact (did you know black bears have 2 layers of fur - the top being especially rough?) and told us about upcoming programming and Center hours. -Safety While we were a group of 6, the vibe I got throughout the swamp has me unafraid to return alone. Trails are well-marked with nowhere for creeps to hide and there's usually other groups around. Parking was safe and within view of the Visitor Center building. All in all, the GSOEC reflects the importance of conservation. Can you believe this beautiful place was almost an airport?!?!

Love this little park located deep in the forest. You drive in and are lost in a wooded area. They…read morehave some easy trails. Some are boardwalks, others are typical trails. The trails aren't long and are suitable for all ages. When open, there's a visitor's center that features expeditions for children. The kids were having a good time. I enjoyed the outing and seeing my first bear up close and personal. Maybe a little too up close!

Our family has enjoyed tubing on the delaware every summer for years. It's a great way to spend an…read moreafternoon in nature

Honestly, I don't know why this place got such few stars? The four stars that I've assigned as well…read moredeserved. I visited on a weekday and perhaps that made all the difference in the world. My experience form beginning to end was fantastic. I think one thing that seems to bother most people is the BBQ lunch. The BBQ lunch was apart of my package and when I arrived they were just loading the buns to be taken out on the river. I'm getting a little ahead of myself here but you'll understand in a minute. When I arrived, there were already several eager adventurous folks checking in, buying waterproof items for sale, collecting their water rafts and some even already on the water. I checked in with my Groupon and as directed, I left my keys - collected my Kayak and proceeded to the bus. Please note, the rule is, everyone must wear a mask until you're actually on the water; great rule as it gets crowded in the shop as well as on the bus. It keeps everyone safe. I chose the kayak experience which was awesome but the real fun is in a tube. After my journey down the river, I immediately purchase another Groupon just so that I could come back and have a tubing experience. So, back to the BBQ lunch. By the time I paddles my way down (a few signs for the waters edge for direction) to the BBQ shack on the water, they were still setting up. I guess I paddle too fast. I decided to keep moseying down the river as I had already packed a lunch just in case after reading the reviews about the BBQ shack not being up and running. Oh well, next time I'll enjoy a burger. Again, this is the perfect mid week escape. The ride outside of NY is quick and there's plenty of parking. Although it says Delaware tubing it's actually located in New Jersey; well at least the border between the two. I would recommend going early and taking as much time as you like in a tube with family and friends. I would also recommend bringing children as they will develop a lifelong love of being on the water. I'm a big fan now and I can't wait to return in a few weeks. P.S. I was told by my bus driver, they offer a fall foliage experience where they only allow kayaks on the river.

Great spot to visit with a beautiful multi-level museum full of information about the area,…read moreWashington and the Revolution. Very clean, bright museum with friendly helpful staff and very interesting & some interactive displays. A cool stop for everyone & MUST STOP for History Buffs.

You can't come to Morristown and not at least visit the famous statue of George Washington across…read morefrom the Park. George loved loved loved Morristown and was the place he would "hang out" when taking a break from the war. I did not have time on my trip to visit the Museum but I'm sure it's great. I did have time to spend some quality time with George along with my Nephew who lives close by and posted some pics here. I wonder if he ever gets off that horse?

Fun time kayaking on the Delaware River with a group of 13! The serenity of the river and nature…read morewas incredible. The water is warm even though it was only 70 ish degreees.

(This was a few months ago so the details could be a bit iffy.)…read more This was a very impromptu trip and everything at Edge of the Woods makes doing that easy. Head to the website, book the date & time you want and you're done. www.watergapadventure.com/river-trips A few things worth noting: They offer multiple trip lengths. The standard 4-, 6- and 10-mile trip (Smithfield to Portland) are all booked generically and then when you get there you tell them what you want to do. All pricing is the same which believe me compared to others companies, that's very different - in a good way. They do offer two other longer trips but those require calls to the main office I assume to assess river conditions; your own competency and shuttle availability. The main office in Delaware Water Gap is very easy to find and there was plenty of parking on a quiet post-Labor Day Monday. You check in, you're handed a laminated map, life jacket and given a brief route explanation and then you're off in the van. One problem arose and it was kind of a PIA but it was worked around. Most companies have different types/sizes/models of kayaks and quite often, will ask you what you prefer. Not here. When we left the office, the guy driving didn't say a word to me until we get to Smithfield Beach to unload. He had a few kayaks pre-loaded in the carrier but definitely did not look at them before we left. One of them had a broken foot pedal that he said couldn't be used, another was very much designed for a smaller individual (i.e. if you're taller and/or taller & larger it ain't happening safely) which only left two tandem models. Using a tandem as a single individual is not the end of the world but especially when the seats are still left in the two person configuration (i.e. one front and one back versus the rear one being placed more towards the middle), it's a PIA to maneuver the craft and you are paddling harder to get the job done compared to a single. The scenery along the route was decent. You could see a bit of the Shawnee Resort and Golf Course, an old stone bridge abutment in the middle of the river, under and along 80 and then when you get into the Water Gap itself with the high cliff sides. Very picturesque. Once you go under the old train viaduct in Portland, you give the office a call for the shuttle to meet you at the out point which is at the Portland Pedestrian Bridge. The whole experience was about four hours door to door to cover the ten miles on the water plus the shuttle to & from the pick up and drop off points. Lots of nice scenery, due to the low water level there wasn't much in the way of current except for the area around viaduqt in Portland and even that wasn't bad. I'm not a big fan of the equipment here but I wouldn't let that deter me from coming back in the future for one of their northern longer trips.

These guys are great! we just held an event for 80+ river rafters last weekend June 28th 2025 and…read moreeverything went off like clockwork! the staff was so friendly and effieicient (special shout out to Kayla!) for making the day so incredibly special and we'll look forward to doing our 3rd Annual Paddle 4Pride Event with you next year! thank you again for helping us to make some beautiful memories!

It takes TWO hours from arrival at the parking lot to get on a bus to the river. NEVER AGAIN!!!…read moreThey have some poor high school kid by himself checking people in. Then they have the nerve to say they'll charge you $100 per person if you're not back by 6 pm. So disorganized, do not recommend.

This is a wonderful place to bring the whole family. They have about 12 different trails, all…read moreseparated in different levels of difficulty. The trails are free to enter but they do request for volunteer donation for non members. Different tiers of annul membership available to purchase at main office that comes with some wonderful perks, such as free access to trails and special events. The main office also has some of the exhibition items like insect box and turtle box. Outside the office there's also bird and butterfly cages. We went to the center for our daughter to participate in butterfly feeding event. Upon arrival we found out we had to buy the tickets for one of the two scheduled events. Luckily there were slots available to the second event on the day. The ticket was reasonably cheap, only $8. It also came with an additional bird's exhibition that took place right in front of office deck. All the stuff members were very friendly, informative and interactive. We spent wonderful couple of hours here on beautiful warm summer day.

This place is huge!!!! Visit and buy a membership and go often! The staff is kind, dedicated and…read moreknowledgeable! Sign up for a program or hike today!