PROS: One of the best parks I've ever been to. Long paved path, many people riding bikes and…read morewalking, loads of fields, nice river and bridges, mile markers, historical water mill along the path, and parking lots along the way CONS: One of the park rangers was rude when he spoke to us. OVERALL: Keep your distance from the rangers and you'll have an amazing time at this park

I love Saddle River County Park. It's one of my favorite things in Bergen County. The paths are…read moregreat for walks. I also love the duck pond. It's a great place to enjoy nature.

This park is amazing for big/small groups and kids! Came here a couple of times and had such a…read moregreat time. My favorite is coming here with my friends and their toddlers. They have an amazing playground for every age and spacious area for everyone to run around. There's a cute miniature train that goes through their zoo and a super fun carousel for both adults and kids.

Huge local park in the neighborhood. It has a playground, water pad, carousel, pony rides and train…read moreand the zoo. It has multiple parking lots BUT it gets filled up quickly. Great place for kids to run around and release their energy. Ice cream truck and shaved ice truck on site. Good for the summer. The park playground is well maintained. It's spread out to different sections. It has for bigger kids and smaller toddlers. Many staff at the Carousel and train. Well organized. Tix required. It could be a long wait during weekends. Overall a great place for kids. Easily spend a day here.

In the summer, I avoid this place like the plague, but in the fall and winter, it is a bird…read moreenthusiast paradise.

I think the people of Allendale may be trying to keep this place hidden, but I rode my bike past,…read moresaw it and now the secret is out! This is a big beautiful park with a lot to do. Plenty of parking and open fields for you to walk or picnic. There's a a lot of picnic tables, a picnic table and a few grills. There is a memorial, soccer fields, baseball fields, basketball courts, and a playground. The best part of the lake is probably the lake. I didn't go in but there were a lot of people in the water and on the beech. There were lifeguards and a few docks. Check out their website for specifics on hours, membership or permits.

A nice area for hiking with castle ruins and a lake and changing elevations. There are some paved…read moreroads but also trails off that path. You can hear the sound of cars on the highway both at the end and beginning of the hikes. Lots of dogs off leash even though there are signs that say to leash all dogs. The parking lot can get crowded later in the afternoon especially in the spring and summer, but there were plenty of spots on a Sunday morning at 9:30.

My 350th Yelp review is a banger…read more I try to stop by Ramapo at least once a year, usually at the beginning of hiking season; there's a nice 5- or 6-mile route I do in there that helps me build up for the more hardcore hikes later in the year, and it's unusual for me to do this one so late into the actual summer. Boy, is this a different hike in June. Ask the gazillion bears I saw. Yesterday I did about 6 miles, starting at the Ramapo Lake Trailhead parking lot, going on the blue trail to the aforementioned lake and then turning left onto N Shore Drive. I then veered off toward the castle ruins but made a pretty quick right before the path up to said ruins onto Cannonball to Skyline Drive, joining up with the Castle Point Trail back to and through the castle ruins, before heading down back to the lakefront and continuing all the way around the lake until getting back to the blue trail and the parking lot. The official hike in my book says it's 6.6 miles when you include an additional loop to the south of the lake that gets you very close to 287, but i bypassed that today. One of the big issues with this section of Ramapo is the parking situation. I can't tell you how many times I've had to pivot and do a different hike because this Ramapo Lake parking lot was completely full by mid-morning, and the powers that be insist on plastering no parking signs in every other conceivable area going literally miles down Skyline Drive. I get that Skyline is a busy road but there ARE sections where you can theoretically park safely on the shoulder without bothering anyone else - I think there's a compromise here somewhere, but because they don't have one, this lot is usually full by 8:30am on a nice day, and then you have vulture cars just lurking in the middle of the lot for ages waiting for hikers to come back so they can immediately grab the new spot. You can't tell me that's much safer than the alternative. Anyway. The other mild annoyance for me is that you can often hear car traffic, especially in the southern section by 287, but it is what it is. The lake and the castle are the real selling points here, especially the castle. Ruins are one of my all-time favorite hiking kinks, and this adventure has them in droves. The one drawback (again, because of the time of year) is that it gets overgrown with foliage very quickly, so this is a rare instance where I would recommend exploring it in the early spring before you're bushwhacking to get through. Very cool optics though, and a definite must at some point if you're in the area. The wildlife situation? Man. This was one for the books. I usually see one or two bears a year, but I saw that many today, and numerous hikers told me they'd encountered others as well. It was insane and I've never seen anything like it. I got a picture of the biggest one I saw (attached) as I was slowly backing away, and I'd guess this was a 700 pounder? Big boy, and wasn't particularly fazed by my bear horn (though he did ultimately wander off after a few toots on it). Absolutely would not do this hike without a bear horn. I don't even want to ponder what would have happened otherwise. Neither of the bears seemed aggressive but you just never know, and if cubs had been around? Ugh. I encountered a park ranger toward the end of the hike who said it had been insane bear-wise the entire summer and they're just getting more comfortable with humans so again, be careful, use common sense, etc. The trail conditions were pretty decent. Some of the blazes/markers were not the best, and a few sections of Cannonball were one way (meaning you had to keep turning around to confirm the markers because they were only on one side of the trees/poles). As mentioned, the trail section by the castle is overgrown right now but I'm not crazy about advocating for maintenance in an area that by definition should probably be preserved and as authentic as possible. To me there aren't too many significant inclines on the trail (there's one small section very close to the parking lot where you have to take a minute for footing on the rocks, as well as the climb up to the castle if you're going on that trail) but it's definitely rocky and not particularly flat except by the lake. This is one of the better hikes in the area but it's not my absolute favorite - it's crowded and a little too close to civilization. But arguably the bears cancel some of that out. Memorable day.

Great space to enjoy the outdoors, lots of places to walk or picnic, but I enjoyed kayaking on the…read morelake. They have one and tandem kayaks to be rented by the hour, they provide life jackets and help you launch and get back to the dock. Then they explain where the boundaries are and let you have at it. It's a fun way to spend a summer afternoon, even if you aren't experienced. The waters are pretty calm, and it's a good upper body work out. If there's not parking nearby, there are other lots. So depending on what you're looking for outdoors, this is a nice oasis for the otherwise very urban areas in North Jersey.

New Overpeck Park 40 Fort Lee Rd…read more Leonia, NJ 07605 This 811-acre park does not compare to the liveliness and energy of other large parks such as Central Park or Van Cortlandt Park, but there are still many ways to stay occupied. The trails are on wide, level black pavement. It's a perfect time to take a stroll either individually, with family or friends, or with a domestic pet. While walking, I highly recommend wearing sunscreen and/or a hat. Drink plenty of water because there are minimal trees leading to no shade on the trail. If you want to get your heart rate up, go for a jog or bicycle ride. Multiple benches are stationed throughout the trails. Or, you can always bring your own lounge chair or blanket to find a quiet spot to sit and chill. It's a great place to set up a picnic while admiring breathing taking views of the Manhattan Skyline. During the warmer seasons, the Overpeck Park Kayak Center is open. Feel free to rent a canoe or kayak and paddle the Overpeck Creek. In addition to boats, the Kayak Center also rents out fishing rods for prospective anglers. However, a valid NJ freshwater fishing license is required. To avoid any fees, all visitors have the option to bring their own equipment. A fairly large playground is on site for younger children. They may play on the jungle gym, swing set, climbing webs, and slides. There are multiple parking lots available throughout the park. Some of them have an EV charging station for electric automobiles. Overall, this park is pretty decent and it's great to spend a couple of hours on a spring or summer afternoon. #thenewoverpeckpark #newoverpeckpark #overpeckcreek #leonianj

This is a cute park, but VERY hard to get to. The signs and GPS will point you to a cemetery. I was…read morevery confused when I first arrived, until a local directed me to go through the cemetery and find it behind the municipal building.

Love coming to this hidden little park. It's great for walking, ruining, or just taking in the…read morepretty sky. There is a short little path through the woods too. Perfect place to get your steps or run in if your looking for an all flat terrain.

Love this park for my kids and they recently installed brand new playgrounds. There is a nice trail…read moreyou can take over the water and into the woods too.

I love coming here for my walks and seeing what types of plants have come in, they don't use…read morechemical pesticides either, if you're lucky you may even see a deer or a fox. (I've seen both and some birds) I just wish they'd do something about the litter bugs, people randomly leaving they'd trash when there are several trashcans nearby.

Wonderful spot. They have concerts in July every wednesday. They also have pokemon go spots which…read moreis popular. It is on the railroad tracks so it can get loud sometimes. However, the trees have grown over the years which has produced some nice shade. The gazebo is also very nice. They have a free library box where you can take and or leave a book. It's very peaceful