A nice area for hiking/walking that has some wide paths and not so overgrown. There are plenty of…read moretrails to diverge from. Hemlock Falls seems to be a draw and is very nice to relax around but can get a little crowded. Because there are multiple parking lots with easy accessibility, there's a bit of trash and broken glass here and there which is unfortunate. There were quite a few hikers, trail runners and dogs but it never felt claustrophobic. The hikes aren't that difficult but there are quite a few rocks and protruding tree roots. Montclair is less than 10 minutes if you want a bite to eat afterwards.

Great walk. Nothing like a walk through nature. Taking in the sights and sounds, what a beautiful…read morething!!!

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).

Ivy hill park offers several well-marked trails, each leading to a different corner of the park…read more The Trail" winds through a dense grove, its soft earth inviting you to explore. For a more challenging hike, take the "walk Trail," which rewards you with panoramic vistas

Was in town visiting family and needed a place to exercise. Fortunately Ivy Hill Park was less than…read morea five minute walk. The park is chock full of things for the entire family: bathroom facilities, tennis court, basketball court, play area for the little kiddos, walking trail and the most cool park, an exercise area complete with illustrations on how to use the area and execute the exercises properly, to prevent injury. There weren't lots of people out during our visit, but certainly people of all ages which was nice to see. Shout out to the city, county, or state, whichever is responsible for prioritizing creating free access to resources for the community to get healthy. Lovely park, Ivy Hill will be our workout location when visiting town.

My son and I went over the summer. We rented the paddle boat for about 30 mins. The staff was…read morehelpful and that made the experience smooth.

Lots of fun paddle boating on Fathers Day... It was $17 for 2 people per 1/2 hour. They provide…read morelife jackets that everyone must wear and then they help you onto the boat and give you brief instructions on steering and the boundaries of where you can go and tell you to keep track of your time on when to come in and then your off... We paddled all around the perimeter and I got lots of nice pictures... I didn't realize you get a decent workout peddling the boat... especially going against the current I felt like we were standing still...lol Really fun activity I can't wait to go again...

This is an athletic field in the St. Cloud neighborhood of West Orange. There's a small area with…read moresome parking, but it's more ideal for residents in the area within walking distance. They have tennis courts, baseball and soccer fields, and playgrounds for the kiddos. It's down the road from Turtle Back Zoo and the South Mountain Arena, and right by Mama Dag's Seafood & Pasta Bar.

Very nice little park in West Orange. They have baseball and soccer fields, tennis courts, and…read moreplaygrounds.

While visiting Stonehill apartments today, I discovered the new West Orange Dog Park. It's huge! I…read morelearned the grand opening was a few months ago. There are two separate, gated play areas - one for small dogs and one for large dogs. Easy to use gate latches for getting in and out with your dog smoothly and safely. Watering stations with cute bowls are available. It's a lot of run room for dogs. The whole dog park with the car lot is 2 acres. Some benches there also outside of the play areas if you'd like to sit. You'll need a permit to go here ($10 for WO residents/$20 for non-WO residents), but it's a lot of space for dogs and ample, free parking. Heads up - one thing to consider before visiting is the current lack of trees, so there are not many shaded areas on sunny days (so I knocked a star off for that). I imagine this park will be popping in fall. Just maybe too hot right now.

Brand new spacious dog park with a side for large dogs and small dogs. Plenty of parking and…read morebenches to sit. (NO one is checking for passes) . A fountain for water is there as well as poop bags. Trees are planted for shade and close to Stonehill Luxury Apartments, which feel like a luxury chic mountain resort. Great addition to West Orange!

This area of the South Mountain Reservation has a Dog park…read morewith art installation garden. The Wildflower Sculpture Park was closed when we visited. Free dog park. Parking lot on site.

A* dog park located in the South Mountain reservation, this is split into a small dog park and a…read morelarge dog park, the large dog park allows all dogs. Both sides have water available for the dogs and a number of different obstacles for them to run around on off-leash and areas to drink, but also some random puddles. Owners have to keep an eye on their dogs, so even if they are social sometimes they can fight. Almost all the dogs I've met here have been pretty nice though. Lot of bugs at the edges, though, especially in the muddy areas, and I killed a tick I saw, too, so you have to be careful. Parking can get quite busy at peak times.

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!

Have to thank Dave for a great time on the hiking and brewery trip! The outing was very well…read moreorganized, with Dave being the driver, tour guide, and lunch maker all in one. He is very knowledgeable about the area where we went (Delaware water gap) and knew the hiking trail well too. I like how the size of the group wasn't too big so it was easier to get to know more people. Everyone was really excited to get some nice fresh air and exercise and of course visit a brewery! The hike was a moderate trail with some bigger hills up and down and a lot of rocks to watch your footing on. After the hike we were all hungry and ready for some beer. We stopped at Jersey Girl brewing where we all had flights and got a little tour of the place where all the action happens! The only criticism I have is with the lunch. It was very simple: chips, pickles, and homemade sandwiches with meat and cheese. There were a few vegetarian options but it was very heavy on the bread overall. I would love to see some kind of healthier alternative like a quinoa or lentil dish, which I would be happy to help with!

I did the Halloween Hike and Brew and it was amazing! So much fun and Dave is such a great guide…read moreand conversationalist with everyone. Dave was very easy to find since he sent us an email letting us know exactly where he'll be. From there, he drove the whole group in a van with awesome coffee for everyone. Once we arrived, we all got sandwiches Dave packed for us all and was off to seriously such a great hike. Dave made sure nobody from the group was left behind. Once the whole hike was done, we drove over to the brewery and Dave got pizza for everyone. Such a great time and arrived back at the time we expected Definitely would recommend and can't wait to go on another adventure!!