Loved it here. We came here for a morning walk. There weren't many people here and there were some…read moreflowers and plants. I'm sure there are more in the spring and summer. I loved the paths and sights here. I'm excited to come back here in the warmer weather to see more of the flowers.

Our visit to this arboretum marked my first public outing post-partum. The arboretum itself is…read morelovely and most of it is stroller accessible, which I appreciated. However there are no public restrooms at all, which was a HUGE challenge for me, especially so soon after having a baby. There was one restroom, which closed at 4:00pm. I showed up exactly at 4:00pm, but was turned away by the staff. I tried again 15 minutes later, but they informed me that they clock out at 4:00pm and letting me use the bathroom would delay them getting home. I have been an hourly employee before and totally get this, but I was a little disappointed by the lack of humanity. Being out for the first time was physically (and emotionally) challenging, and I was hoping for a bit more understanding from the staff.

woohoo is right! What is not to love?? We have a dog park, soccer fields galore, lacrosse,…read morefootball and baseball. plus one of the best playgrounds in the area? I'm very lucky to live close to this park. The playground is wonderful - broken into 2 sections - 1 for big kids one for small kids. When we go, we typically stay for at least 2 hours. I bring food to take a break in the picnic area (no food in the park please!!) and then my kids go right back at it. The dog park is great too - so far we have only met very nice dog owners. no aggressive dogs either. Great running area! Bathrooms are well maintained. Sometimes (not sure of the schedule) they even have a snackbar! Only downside is parking - they have plenty of it but you often have to walk far to either the park (if soccer games are going on) or an event in the park. The township holds many events here - which can make for an overcrowded playground experience.

This is a really cute park! I do think that it's a great central location for the county and the…read morearea, because it's large enough to host many many events but also it's out of the way so it doesn't really get to a point where the streets are crowded or anything like that. I also really appreciate how much parking it has. It's well kept and a beautiful area. It is pretty hilly at certain points so I can't see it as a recommendation for like walking or running. But overall, I think it's a very nice area especially if you have kids. This is where I lost boarding events are held and a lot of community events as well.

This is an amazing hike! It's almost all shaded and once you climb the rocks, straight up on blue,…read moreit's quite an easy hike. Guys we hiked blue to purple to blue to orange (which comes back to blue and the parking lot) and it took 2 hours and 3 miles. We met people who thought the whole thing took 45 minutes and had the water to go with that. This is an intermediate hike and you really need the water, as well as trail map or at least pic of trail map, to make it happily. We met so many lost people on the trail. It's not marked as well as you think. Also we took the pup who thought lake at first sight, meant jump. Pro tip; keep them out of the lake. It's full of stagnant water and stinking mud. Your nose will thank me. Instead enjoy the bubbly creek crossing before and after the hike.

The fam was looking to take advantage of this beautiful fall weather that we have been having. I…read morerecalled doing this hike a number of years ago and enjoyed it, so decided to give it another try. The parking lot was not the biggest, but there seemed to be many spots on the street. Fortunately we were able to find a spot in the lot though. It is dog friendly, so we brought our little guy too. Since the my younger son is only 7 we decided to do the hike (blue trail) to Tripod rock and back, which is about 3 miles. It does have some incline, but didn't receive any complaints about this from the fam. Also there are a bunch of stones on the hiking path, so be careful not to trip. The trail is marked well (apart from one point towards the tripod rock where it splits) so we were able to get to our destination fairly easily. It wasn't too crowded, which was nice.

For what it's worth, this review specifically pertains to a rainy winter hike - I can't comment on…read moremost of the park amenities near the playgrounds, playing fields, etc. And I'm also willing to acknowledge that I likely would have felt more favorably disposed toward this park if we had been there in better weather that didn't give off massive Pacific NW vibes. The dreary conditions were not the park's fault. Loantaka was the site of the annual first of the year hike with a group of noble chums. Interestingly, there was a rival "official" hike being held at the same time by the Boy Scouts of America - their social media announcements (complete with map) ahead of time were very helpful in locating a decent parking area for my compatriots. I don't think I have the ability on Yelp to review the BSA, but their scoutmaster was a gem and several of my chums purchased commemorative pins for the event at their little kiosk. Also, my dad was an Eagle Scout and can start a bonfire in about 30 seconds, so that's something. For the purposes of our adventure, we ended up walking 3.13 miles (assuming an Apple watch was correct, which I'm always dubious about), an out-and-back from the parking lot off Loantaka Way to Kitchell Lake just across the aptly named Kitchell Road. The parking lot was easy to access with plenty of spaces, though it was a bit more crowded by the time we were done. It was very pleasing to see several port-a-potties nearby, and I can report from firsthand experience that they were relatively clean, though the toilet seat in mine was wet and required my first squatting situation of 2022. I could breathe comfortably though, so I think you take that compromise if you can get it. The trails are very well maintained - we were exclusively on paved ones, though it looked like there were a few dirt paths that went off them as well, all of which looked tidy and drama-free. That said, it would have been nice if there were more markers/signage giving us a better idea of where we were. It would be difficult to get authentically lost in this area (I imagine it would take roughly 15 minutes to accidentally stumble across a county highway), but it would have been helpful for our orientation. This year's hike featured an Honorary Young Pup of 6, who was able to handle the adventure with aplomb (and enjoyed spotting the metal tags on the trees). There were also many pooches on the premises, and virtually all seemed to be doodle mixes of some sort - very little variety in this area of Jersey, apparently. If you're looking for decent photo ops, this is not where I'd go; this is a park that I'd use exclusively for very mild cardio/fresh air. There are a few streams on the journey, but nothing to write home about. The pond was pleasant enough, with abundant waterfowl in the distance, but it's hard to get whipped up about scenery that looks like it's straight out of Taylor Swift's Folklore album photo shoot.

Followed the gps and it told me to park on the side of the road but there was a sign that said you…read morecouldn't park there. I played it safe and looped around the park and noticed that there's actually a parking lot located on Loantaka Way. First time I came here was in the Spring of 2018 and by the summer I noticed they installed bikes now. You'll have to download the app and follow the instructions to unlock it. Nice clean well maintained park. What I love most about this place is that it's shaded!!!! Given the summer heat, this is the perfect place to take a stroll.

An amazing park we stumbled across when trying to find a playground for our child…read more This playground has 2 adjacent gated playgrounds, a gazebo, a drinking fountain, shaded seating, and a Porta Potty to serve small and big kids alike. The 2-5 year olds Toddler playground has rubber mats on the ground to protect your little ones from little falls. 1 play structure, 5 Rocking features, and 2 Toddler swings are available. The Motorcycle rocking feature with the side car, the giraffe bench, and the shaded bench in the play structure are pretty awesome and adorabeezle. The 5-12 year olds playground has wood chip ground cover. It is a combination of older plastic, rope, and wood structures that should keep your kids climbing and sliding in very original ways. They are even very fun for those who are kids at heart. 1 large play structure, 1 climbing wall, 1 see saw table, 2 standard swings, and a tire swing are available. A few of the really original structures in the 5-12 year olds playground are the gondola at the back and the yellow sliding "rings" in the front of the play structure. The gondola can be moved between two platforms by turning the crank. The yellow sliding "rings" can be used by holding onto 1 yellow "ring" on each of 2 tracks that are next to each other. Then you need to alternate balancing your weight on one "ring" while sliding the other one forward. (Imagine trying to peddle with your hands in the air.) It's tons of fun and probably a pretty good upper body and core workout. The drinking fountain is located near the entrance of the 5-12 year olds playground. A Porta Potty is located to the left side of the playgrounds for your convenience. The Bee Meadow Pool and football field are just across the parking lot which has lots of parking.

Beautiful fall day exploring the trails with kids. Uphill trails for a challenge, climbing rocks,…read morewalking over streams, throwing rocks. Resting on benches. Lots to do and see. Bathrooms and parking available.

Had a planned family gathering and rented out the main covered seating area. We paid for the entire…read moreday and it was meant for us even though the park DID NOT SET A RESERVED SIGN ANYWHERE!!! So it started out bad. Multiple families had already setup shop and started to cook on the grills to have their picnics. We had to let them know that they had to leave and take their parked cars also. What a mess. Where are the forest rangers or cops to patrol... not anywhere in site! Other than that, it's a nice spot to hand and check out the pond. Besides the fact that it gets mobbed and parking is hard to find, I would come for a hike.

A small newly updated playground (Spring 2016) with plenty of shade. Consider this a go to…read morelocation on hot and sunny days. The smaller size and limited parking usually keeps the number of kids playing here at any time pretty small. The .9 mile hike starting in the parking lot has been traveled by our 3 year old, but be aware that there are lots of rocks that could be an issue for kids still working on their balance. At this age hand holding would be advised. A gazebo, basketball court, and sand volleyball court are also next to this playground. Would rank this a 5 star playground for kids if there were a fountain and a bathroom at this location. So bring plenty of drinks and take care of potty needs before you arrive.

Small playground with 1 tennis court and 1 basketball court. There is a nice walking trail in the…read morewoods there which it the best upside of the park .

A Place for Baseball Games Off West Main…read more Stumbled onto this place after dropping of some donations at Goodwill in Rockaway. My son wanted to try to get in some playground time before the rain started so I headed towards some green spaces just up the road that might have had something to offer. We lucked out when we found Donatoni Community Park. This park is tucked away off of the street and you would only notice it by the single road sign or the play structure next to the parking lot. The parking lot is flanked by 2 baseball fields and a playground. The playground is small but pretty awesome. It is designed for 5-12 year olds and offers slides, climbing structures, and crawling structures. All the "active" spaces at this park are in full sun. There is a concession stand area with a covered picnic table area next to the playground. I assume the stand is only open during large gaming events. I wasn't able to find any bathrooms during our short stay as the rain came shortly after we arrived. This must be a quite place when there aren't any baseball games going on as kids were biking in the parking lot while their parents hung out. I definitely would come back to this place especially after hitting up some awesome Thai food at Thai Nam Phet just down the road.