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Essex County Guide

Section 4

FROM: HAYES PARK, NEWARK
TO: PARK AVENUE, NEWARK
DISTANCE: 4.1 MILES

Leaving Hayes Park the trail continues along Ferry Street passing through a commercial and industrial area to enter the heart of the Ironbound district with its distinctive Latin flavor and increasing numbers of Spanish, Brazilian and Portuguese restaurants and shops. On Saturdays in fair weather, Ferry Street is jammed with cars and pedestrians and wares of merchants set out on the sidewalks.

Further on, the trail enters Penn Station, a 1930's art deco monument to 20th century railroading, Beyond the main concourse is the huge waiting room with decorated ceiling, transportation related medallions high on the walls and a jewel-like information booth.

Outside on Raymond Boulevard west, the trail turns right and then left to reach Military Park. A bust of Kennedy stands where a liberty pole was raised during the American Revolution and beyond is Gutzon Borglum's large sculpture "Wars of America". At the north end of the park stands Trinity Cathedral, Episcopal. Here in November, 1776, Washington's discouraged troops marched southward on Broad Street in their retreat from Fort Lee toward eventual victories at Trenton and Princeton and their first winter in Morristown and Jockey Hollow.

Two blocks to the north, the trail crosses through Washington Park to reach the foot of James Street and the beginning of yellow blazes marking the Lenape Trail with which the Liberty-Water Gap Trail is co-aligned across Essex County. To follow the trail make a right on Eagle St., left on Orange St., right on Clifton St., and a left on 8th St. into Branch Brook Park.

In Branch Brook Park, the trail leads north along a lake and watercourse to pass under Park Avenue.

Highlights:
  • At Clifton Avenue, a minor diversion to the north leads to Sacred Heart Cathedral, RC., a magnificent modern example of French Gothic architecture. If the doors are closed, entrance might be secured through the cathedral office on Parker Street.
  • Ironbound District
  • Trinity Cathedral
  • Performing Arts Center
  • United Church of Christ, Ferry Street
  • New Jersey Historical Society
  • Newark Museum
  • Aljira: A Center for Contemporary Art
  • Sacred Heart Cathedral
  • Penn Station
  • Ballentine House
  • Branch Brook Park
  • Military Park
  • Newark Library
Rest Rooms:

Penn Station, Restaurants (for customers)

Section 5

FROM: PARK AVENUE, NEWARK
TO: BELLEVILLE AVENUE, BELLEVILLE
DISTANCE: 3.2 MILES, via Lenape Trail, yellow blazes

The yellow blazed trail continues north through Branch Brook Park to cross the Second River on Franklin Avenue, enter Belleville Park and reach Belleville Avenue, Belleville

Branch Brook Park is one of the premier facilities of the Essex County Park System, visited by hundreds of people every day and thousands on summer weekends. Designed in the 1890's by the Olmsted Brothers (sons of Frederick Law Olmsted), it was carried out in the naturalistic style used by Olmsted, Sr. and Calvert Vaux in creating Central Park in Manhattan. The long, winding watercourse, Branch Brook, runs north to south through much of the park. Its flow is augmented by pumps at the north end. Between Bloomfield Avenue and Heller Parkway the brook is spanned by several small, original Olmstead stone bridges of varied and artful design. Hundreds of Japanese cherry trees stand throughout the park with the largest groves toward the north in the Branch Brook Park Extension beyond Heller Parkway and in Belleville Park north of the Second River.

Hikers may want to make use of the Newark Subway which runs cars every few minutes along the bed of the former Morris Canal from Penn Station to stops at Park Avenue, Bloomfield Avenue, Davenport Avenue and Heller Parkway, all along the western edge of Branch Brook Park.

Senior citizen field houses are located near the trail at Bloomfield Avenue and off Franklin Avenue near the north end. A tennis field house is just off Heller Parkway and another field house is next to the trail at Belleville Avenue. A hot dog wagon can usually be found on Heller Parkway near the trail.

Highlights:
  • Branch Brook Park, Japanese Cherry Trees, Newark Subway in old Morris Canal bed.
  • Henderson House: reputed oldest house in Newark on old Bloomfield Avenue at the eastern edge of the park just south of Heller Parkway.
Rest Rooms:

Park field houses when open

Section 6

FROM: BELLEVILLE AVENUE, BELLEVILLE
TO: GARDEN STATE PARKWAY, NUTLEY
DISTANCE: 3.3 MILES, via Lenape Trail, yellow blazes

The trail continues, largely on suburban sidewalks and partly along the combined rights-of-way of the New Jersey District Water Supply Commission, City of Newark and Passaic Valley Water Commission aqueducts through Belleville and Nutley to a footbridge over the Garden State Parkway. The depression of the former Morris Canal is visible on the right at the western end of the footbridge.

A pleasant two-mile long unmarked route diverts northeast at Harrison Street to pass through Booth, Yantacaw Memorial and Kingsland Parks to end at the historic late 18th century brownstone Kingsland Manor house on Kingsland Street, Nutley.

Highlights:
  • Aqueducts, Side trail to Kingsland House Garden State Parkway footbridge
  • Morris Canal remnant
Rest Room:

Belleville Park field house. Belleville Avenue (when open), Burger King, Harrison Street near Franklin Avenue (for customers).

Section 7

FROM: GARDEN STATE PARKWAY, NUTLEY
TO: MILLS RESERVATION, MONTCLAIR
DISTANCE: 4.0 MILES, via Lenape Trail, yellow blazes

At the Garden State Parkway footbridge, the trail enters Bloomfield from Nutley. Beyond dead end Pilch Street, the trail crosses the Third River on a footbridge to enter the athletic fields behind Bloomfield Middle School with Clarks Pond off to the right. A small grant from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service recently enabled a neighborhood group to clean up the pond and its surroundings, pull out junk growth, and plant native shrubs and trees to start a small Clarks Pond nature preserve.

From the bridge, the trail leads diagonally across the open area to the right of the school to reach Clair Street and Mohr Avenue. Further on, Holston's 1930's style ice cream store and luncheonette fronts Broad Street a few door south of Watchung Avenue. The trail itself follows Watchung Avenue across Broad Street to enter large Brookdale Park where each summer the Essex County Park Commission presents a full schedule of musical events including two productions by the Metropolitan Opera.

At the end of narrow Yantacaw Brook Municipal Park, the trail slants to the left across the rear of Northeast School to reach Windemere Road and Grove Street. A few yards further is noted Applegate Farm ice cream stand. The house and silo are remnants of the farm once located here. In a few more blocks, the trail crosses the Boonton Branch of New Jersey Transit near Mountain Avenue, passes through a corner of Mountainside Park, and enters Mills Reservation.

Highlights:
  • Clarks Pond
  • Halston's Ice cream store and luncheonette
  • Brookdale Park,
  • Applegate Farm.
Rest Rooms:

Halston's (for customers), Brookdale Park field house and tennis courts (when open).

Section 8

FROM: MILLS RESERVATION, MONTCLAIR
TO: DURRELL STREET, VERONA
DISTANCE: 4.8 MILES, via Lenape Trail, yellow blazes

After making wide loops through Mills Reservation you come to Normal Avenue where a blue blazed trail leads .2 miles to a parking area. Continue across Normal Avenue into Newark's Cedar Grove Reservoir grounds and soon cross Ridge Road. The trail leads down the sidewalk before breaking right into the woods and soon joining the combined West Essex Trail and Lenape Trail (still with yellow blazes) along the former right-of- way of the Caldwell Branch of the Erie Railroad. In a few yards, the marked trail follows a trestle over the Peckman River and crosses Pompton Avenue on a second trestle. It continues past the Essex County's Overbrook Hospital campus to reach Durrell Street, Verona.

Highlights:
  • Mills Reservation, 157 acre wooded preserve atop First Watchung Mountain with significant views to east and southeast.
  • West Essex Trail (Rail-to-Trail), three miles long, the only off-road section of the Lenape Trail open to bicycling.
  • Old railroad trestles on trail.
  • Essex County Overbrook Hospital, century old campus, many handsome brick institutional buildings planned to be razed for redevelopment.

Section 9

FROM: DURRELL STREET, VERONA
TO: AFTERGLOW AVENUE, VERONA
DISTANCE: 3.1 MILES, via Lenape Trail, yellow blazes

The trail continues on the abandoned Erie Railroad right-of-way crossing Fairview Avenue to reach dead end Arnold Way where the trail diverts to streets and sidewalks to reach and pass through attractive Verona Park. Additional sidewalks lead on to Afterglow Avenue and Eagle Rock Reservation.

Highlights:
  • Verona Park, boathouse, light lunches on deck overlooking water
Rest Rooms:

Verona Park boathouse (when open)

Section 10

FROM: AFTERGLOW AVENUE, VERONA
TO: VINCENT'S POND, WEST ORANGE
DISTANCE: 2.6 MILES, via Lenape Trail, yellow blazes

Entering Eagle Rock Reservation, a 431 acre forest preserve, the trail follows south along the crest of the First Watchung Mountain to reach upscale Highlawn Pavilion restaurant and the famous Eagle Rock lookout with an expansive view of the New York City skyline. On a clear day, the towers of the George Washington Bridge can be seen to the extreme left and those of the Verrazano Bridge, off to the right. Here on September 11, 2001, hundreds of people viewed with horror the smoke and flames of the World Trade Center catastrophe. Months later, tokens of flowers, flags, messages, drawings, candles and teddy bears still lined the parapet evincing the sympathy of unknown citizens drawn to the site from which the Trade Center towers had been so plainly in view.

At Prospect Avenue, popular Pal's Cabin restaurant stands on the southwest corner. An unmarked diversion along either Eagle Rock Avenue or Prospect Avenue (see map) will lead to Crystal Lake where a path goes completely around the small pond. Years ago, Crystal Lake was a popular amusement site with boating, fishing, a pool and rides as well as skating in winter. The trail itself continues west on Eagle Rock Avenue and back streets to reach Vincent's Pond at Degnan Memorial Park

Highlights:
  • Eagle Rock Reservation
  • Crystal Lake
  • Eagle Rock Lookout
  • Vincent's Pond
  • Pal’s Cabin.
Rest Rooms:

Eagle Rock Park near the trail west of the lookout, Wendy’s and other eateries on Eagle Rock Avenue west of the reservation (for customers).

Section 11

FROM: VINCENT'S POND, WEST ORANGE
TO: LIVINGSTON AVENUE, LIVINGSTON
DISTANCE: 3.7 MILES, via Lenape Trail, yellow blazes

A short distance from Vincent's Pond, the trail leads under Route 280 and turns right to follow parallel to the highway, up the Second Watchung Mountain under Public Service electric power lines. The Essex County Park System holds a 25 year trail license for use of the power line right-of-way.

Near the top of the steep slope up the mountain, a blue-blazed branch of the Lenape Trail leads south 0.7 miles to pass through O'Connor Municipal Park and reach Mount Pleasant Avenue. From here a future connection will lead to South Mountain Reservation.

Further down you will reach Prospect Park and come out onto Laurel Avenue. The main trail diverts to the left on sidewalks to avoid a steep ravine, and then rejoins the power lines to reach McClellan Avenue and Livingston Avenue.

Section 12

FROM: LIVINGSTON AVENUE, LIVINGSTON
TO: PASSAIC RIVER, ROSELAND
DISTANCE: 3.0 MILES, via Lenape Trail, yellow blazes

Starting at McClellan Avenue, the trail leads north along Livingston Avenue a short distance to turn left up a dirt lane into and through the woodlots and overgrown pastures of the former Henry Becker dairy farm, now undeveloped Becker Park part of the Riker Hill Art Park and Dinosaur Park complex. Eventually, the trail leads to an old bridge where a blue side trail leads to the Walter Kiddie Dinosaur Park. Dinosaur tracks were once found in the red sandstone of the quarry.

The Lenape trail crosses Locust Avenue (where parking is available) and then the Morristown and Erie Railway to reach Eisenhower Park-way. Here it crosses the parkway and turns right off of Eagle Rock Avenue. Where the trail turns right you may notice a blue-blazed side trail, leading north for 3.2 miles it passes under Route 280 and follows a raised Public Service power line service lane bordering Hatfield Swamp to reach Kirkpatrick Lane, one block from Bloomfield Avenue.

The main Lenape Trail, yellow blazed, follows west on Eagle Rock Avenue a few yards to turn right into wetland scrub and woods. After passing the outskirts of the Essex County golf driving range it returns to and crosses Eagle Rock Avenue to reach the site of the new Essex County Environmental Center. This is a busy location with a wide range of environmental field trips and educational programs for all ages and abilities.

The Lenape Trail soon ends, and the Morris County Patriots' Path, blazed in white, begins beyond the Center. The Liberty-Water Gap Trail is co-aligned with the Patriots' Path and follows it over the Passaic River and across Morris County. The entire area between Eisenhower Parkway and Ridgedale Avenue may be quite wet in early spring and after heavy rains. Walking (with caution) along Eagle Rock Avenue all the way to Ridgedale Avenue, East Hanover can become an option.

Highlights:
  • Becker Park
  • Hatfield Swamp
  • Essex County Environmental Center
  • Lurker Park, East Hanover

Parking: See Map.