I grew up in Cedar Grove and have fond memories of Mills Reservation from the 1950s and 60s.  It was 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. read more

Mills Reservation - Dedication Plaque in Reservation - Parks Near Me - Cedar Grove, New Jersey

How does one rate the woods? I wanted to blame them for a lack of reservoir scenery on the reservoir 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). read more

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Lovely peaceful and quiet easy hiking trial on the Montclair/little falls border. Every time I come there is something new to observe depending on the weather and season. Went on a hot and humid August day and still enjoyed a cool breeze under the trees. Stop by NYC skyline for a picture and beautiful view. read more

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This is an excellent nature preserve easily accessible from several Essex County suburban communities. When I lived in the area, as well as during my recent visit, it was never crowded and while the parking area is small, there was always a parking spot available. It is a typical northeastern deciduous forest with characteristic oaks, maples, sumac, and other trees typical of the region. Trails are clear and well maintained, and because of the area's elevation, there are great views of the northern Jersey counties as well as the NYC skyline from a number of clearings and overlooks. Truly a great place for a vigorous fast hike or a leisurely quiet woodland stroll. read more

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Dog friendly nature/forest hike with different trails to choose from! The trail we went on ranged from about 1-2 miles, not much incline and is a good place to take your family. Would definitely come back here again! read more

Mills Reservation - Took our baby boy here for his birthday today! - Parks Near Me - Cedar Grove, New Jersey

Nice mostly shaded trails and great overlook of nyc. If the parking lot on Normal is full, drive around to Bradford and Old Quarry rd and there should be a space there on the other side of the park. Good place to hike with your dog although either bring a compass or have a good idea of directions and reading the map online since there are very few markings on the trails. Not real crowded by there were other people so you didn't feel alone in the woods. There were some cool teepees built in the park kind of near the overlook. After it rains the lower trails get pretty muddy so either stick to the higher elevation trails or be prepared to get a bit muddy. Watch out on the overlook since it drops off rather quickly. read more

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We hike A LOT. Based on busy and unpredictable schedules, sometimes the decision to go out for a hike can be rather spontaneous. However, on those days where we want to get a nice hike in on short notice, this is where we go. I've hiked this reservation so many times that I have it memorized. We can make loops on the fly. The interior is rather flat and is more of a nature walk. The other trails are a nice, moderate hike, leading to a nice overlook. Across the road is the Lenape Trail, which also makes for some nice hiking. You can take this to the Essex Trail. I highly-recommend this spot for a short but enjoyable hike. read more

What a great little oasis tucked in to a residential area on the border of Montclair and Cedar Grove. There are a few marked trails. The one trail is gravel and from what I saw the others are dirt. I ran a few laps around the outer trail and ventured off a bit on the east side which was a little uphill. In the hour that I was there I saw a hawk and other birds, many chipmunks and some deer. Great little spot to hike or jog. read more

Mills Reservation - Parks Near Me - Cedar Grove, New Jersey

Lovvveeee this place. So relaxing after a hard week. I see various kinds of birds here all the time. :) Come here when you're tired and you need a break. read more

Mills is a missed opportunity. It's beautiful but the people who have dogs let them round around off leash (not allowed!) and don't clean up after them. Making matters worse is the lack of a deer cull. The deer are a menace around here, carrying lyme disease and jumping in front of cars. The ensure that the only understory growth is awful invasive plants like barberry. Add the odd mountain biker (they are banned in Mills, I'm a biker but you have to follow the rules folks, no extra points for falling off a cliff like they do from time to time) and the combined effect spoils what could be an amazing place. read more

Great for any weekend if you are up for a mild adventure. Bring the dog but definitly do not bring the stroller. Thus hiking trail is not stroller friendly. Great views of NYC if you follow the path all the way around. Would recommend if you have friends coming in from out of town as a great activity. read more

Great place for a respite from suburbia - seems like a small wilderness, also great for dogs. Note that as of 4/4/20 it is still open.

Mills is surrounded on almost all sides by nice Montclair and Cedar Grove neighborhoods. There are two parking lots for this small size reservation. There is one parking lot at the bottom lower part, and one at the top higher elevation below the cliff view. The main most popular trail is basically a just a big loop with three ways to the top of a cliff which has a view of NYC in the winter when the trees are bare. {Sadly... I went there to this view several times after 9/11 and and saw the twin towers smolder for days....} There are side trails around the outside and inside of the big loop. People love to bring there dogs here. It's like a dog show with all the different breeds. No bathrooms. The whole main loop can be walked entirely in under an hour. I usually take it slowly to enjoy the scenery and spend at least an hour or more. When you get to the top of the loop look for a trail that shoots off the main trail going slightly up a hill. this will bring you to the view. Or just ask someone along the way and they most likely will point you in the right direction. There are two different stands of trees Near the top where someone has built two large Indian style tee-pees out of logs that you can actually go in. I don't think the parks department put them there, but no one tears them down. Pretty cool. read more

Ah Mill's Reservation. I come here about 5x a week in the summertime. It is beautiful and so peaceful here. I truly miss it throughout the winter and still try to come any chance I get. My dogs love it. It's the perfect size - not too big where you get lost. The short, easy trails are marked nicely. If you enjoy Geocaching, there are some pretty cool caches located here as well. read more

This place is great for running and great for an easy hike. The view of New York was too far to be considered a good view of New York. But the hike through all the trails are so easy, that I finished all of them within a few hours. I saw many people running and exercising through the trails. I would recommend this for an easy relaxing hike that doesn't take too much out of you. read more

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Check out a Virtual Tour of Mills Reservation at NJUrbanForest.com! http://njurbanforest.com/2012/02/16/welcome-to-essex-county-mills-reservation/ Plenty of Pictures!! Great Place to Walk Your Dog!! read more