I really liked the Glen Rock area of Saddle River County Park. On the day we went, we encountered a…read moregiant turtle, a family of deer, and various water fowl. This was the most luck we've had seeing animals up close at SRCP. Plus, I enjoyed walking the paths there and walking around the pond at this part of the park.

There's plenty of free parking, benches and picnic tables. There's "duck pond", public bathrooms, a…read moreplayground and a dog park. I came to the park for the trail and got a great workout! The trail is paved and next to the stream, parallel with Paramus Ave. It goes through Glen Rock, Paramus, Fair Lawn and Rochelle Park. It splits in a few areas and there's a few different entry points and parks along the way. The path could be busy. I think most the walkers are annoyed at the bike riders for passing them by quickly, but the riders are annoyed at the walkers for taking up space and not staying to the right. In the map, you can see where the trails splits and can take the alternate path. It was great for a bike ride, except I walked it in a few areas and hopefully I don't get poison ivy. There were baseball fields, basketball courts, pavilions and an abandoned tennis court. There was a waterfall, a lookout tower and a building from the 1800's. The underpasses/bridges were nicely boarded and the trail is very clean. This park is very basic. There was nothing extraordinary about it. I think if your in the area and it's convenient to walk or ride through, it's nice, but it's not worth going out of your way.

We love this park. It's got parking all around a one way loop around the center pond. Two beautiful…read morefountains shoot water up in the middle. There are benches throughout, a reasonable amount of geese (not too much poop throughout), picnic tables, a pavilion, a dog park if you desire, turtles, fish and it's all simple to walk. It's flat with everything centered around the pond. There are trees for shade, plus plenty of sun. It's always been a great time here. Take a couple loops around the pond, sit, relax, you'll go home refreshed. There's a small walkout deck that could be ideal for fishing. I've seen sunnies, but imagine other fish dwell here too. Joggers, walkers, dog walkers, thinkers...many come here and take it all in, yet it never feels crowded. Enjoy and...just watch out for the patches of poison ivy!

Chill af, toke up with the boys and name all the geese. Our favorite goose is Crip, he has a Crip…read morewalk. Also people have cool dogs you can look at.

Many people don't know this but New Jersey has alot of parks. Some are real good finds. Flat Rock…read moreBrook is a hidden gem. It is tucked away in a residential neighborhood. We went on Friday afternoon and we were lucky to get a parking space. The parking lot is small with only about 15 spots. Hiking was very easy even though it was not marked. It was nice to be able to enjoy the great outdoors without having to drive a long distance. The highlight of the visit was the aviary. The aviary housed 1 falcon and 2 owls. It was really cool to see these birds close up!

Flat Rock is more rustic than I expected given the location and relative lack of hype. It offers…read moremore varied terrain than some other suburban spots like Emerson Woods Preserve. The sign mentioning NYC being 4.3 miles away is a clever comment on the unexpected location, unclear if that's a "crow files" metric or an actual journey involving walking over the GWB. (click here for my "Fear of Heights" podcast on Audacy). At least one of the wooden bridges across the water wasn't in good shape. If it fails you won't drown but you might get muddy. And in one major advantage over other quirky NJ nature spots is the existence of a bathroom (depending on the hours of the nature center building, which are shorter than those of the overall preserve). Geography notes: you won't want to walk all the way to/from downtown Englewood as I did, the 166 bus gets relatively close but is a relatively slow ride.

Located in the Village of Piermont on the west shore this small park offers a great vantage point…read moreto take in the grandness of the "Mighty Hudson River". Its a nicely groomed area with a small boardwalk covering the hundred plus feet of northeast facing riverfront. The park is planted with a few shade trees, a nice garden and outfitted with benches to sit and relax. From the Villages web site: "Frank Parelli Park - This park is located at the site of the former Mill beach and is named after a long time resident and 1st President of the Piermont Lions Club Frank Parelli. This park facing the Hudson River has a small boardwalk with benches and is used by both Village residents and our visitors." Parking is right across the street, the park is free for all to use and open till 9pm. BSE23

Lived in Bergenfield NJ for the last 25 years and I have passed this park a million times-today I…read moretold my hubby let's go explore it's such a beautiful 80 degrees breezy day. It's small the walking paths but sooo much beauty I was engulfed in nature-these unique big trees-I wanted to clime one but saw a spotted bug (lol) kept on walking. Then we saw a gazebo with benches a place where weddings can take place and very nice pictures. Next to this was a gated entrance to a gorgeous rose garden and benches to sit, perhaps read a book or just enjoy the butterflies fly around. I also found a space dedicated to Tenefly residents who were lost during COVIDE, very thoughtful I must say. I am very happy we finally took the time to walk this park.

It was a nice spring day so we decided to come for a hike. It's a shame how poorly maintained these…read moretrails are. For a state park it is particularly disappointing. The paths are very very poorly marked. They are old school - painted on the tree. But the marked trees are few and far between. You have to hunt to find the trees and even so they are missing. And the path is not obvious. We and others we happened upon along the way were off the trail a few times. And there is only one map at the start. So don't go here if you're not experienced. You will get lost in these woods. It's funny because we went to Rockleigh recently and the difference is like night and day. Those trails are all marked. Frequently. Such a shame.

The Palisades Scenic Byway in Bergen County offers some of the most impressive views New Jersey has…read moreto offer. Situated in the northern section of the Palisades Interstate Parkway just after exit 2 northbound, State Line Overlook is the highest point at an elevation of 532 feet, about half a mile south of the New Jersey-New York state line. This site offers astounding views of the Hudson River and Westchester County from Yonkers to Tarrytown at the Tappan Zee Bridge. The lookout itself is open year-round, from dawn to dusk. Metered parking is in effect at $2.50 per hour on weekends. One could pay at the destinated pay station or parking app. It offers birdwatchers plenty to look at; in particular, the fall months offer a chance to spot hawks and provide access to some of the best hiking, which is where my partner and I came on this beautiful Saturday afternoon. Following the North to Shore Trail, we hiked for about a mile north before ending at the New York border with the NJ boundary stone marker. On our return heading back to the parking lot, we followed trail E, ending up on Old Route 9W. This truly offers an escape from the hectic city life as one hears birds chirping, which we can recommend.

Finally made it to this peaceful, beautiful park in the middle of the Hudson River. The Husband…read morealways curious whats the bridge like structure protruding in the middle of the river. 2 weeks ago when the weather was nice we finally visited & we were glad we did. Picturesque river views on both side, with lots of trees, wildlife and waterfront views. There are lots of benches, ample parking and rest room at the end of the mile stretch. This park is perfect for quiet walks, bird watching, walking your dogs or just to spend time in nature. I highly recommend a visit if you are around the area

Always an amazing walk very beautiful even in the winter. so dress warm and start walking.read more

medium sized county park with a roughly 1 mile blue blazedxloop trail leading from the north end of…read morethe parking lot to a small waterfall and then up to a peak with a view of Rockland County (closeup are is a very scenic industrial park LOL).. waterfall was quite unimpressive on Thanksgiving Day 2016 due to the recent drought, i gather from photos I saw it is much better after a big rain or spring snowmelt.. when you go up the blue blaze trail after descending from peak you will see a gravel road turn right and follow white blaze back to parking lot.