The Great Falls Today

Yesterday, I wrote about some of the history of the Great Falls of the Passaic River in Paterson. Today, I'm looking at what is there today.

It is a natural wonder, but it is only 15 miles from downtown Manhattan and surrounded by a very urban and troubled city.

It is New Jersey's newest national park - officially the Great Falls National Historic Park.

We know it for the 77-foot falls that is so often photographed with its arched iron bridge and historic redbrick mill buildings that were once powered by the falls and its raceway system.

The smash hit Broadway musical Hamilton about Paterson's founding father has made Paterson a place to visit if the story intrigues you and you want to dig deeper. The connection between the musical's story and Alexander Hamilton's economic legacy began not in New York City but at Paterson's Great Falls.

Hamilton chose the site of the Great Falls to propel his brainchild, a "national manufactory," Paterson was America's first planned industrial city. In 1791 the Society for the Establishing Usefull Manufactures (S.U.M) was incorporated.

The Great Falls is the east coast's second largest waterfall. Everyone knows #1 - Niagara Falls - and the hope was that New Jersey could pull some tourists to our Great Falls and the surrounding Paterson historic district.

But, just like other natural areas like forests and beaches, and historic areas and wildlife species, the Great Falls needs protection.

The area was named a National Natural Landmark in 1967, a National Historic Landmark District in 1976, And getting a national historic park designation in 2009 helps, but it is not enough.

Last fall, Paterson's Planning Board approved a 156-unit apartment complex atop the ridge overlooking the historic district and falls. Huh? Doesn't that destroy the very thing that you want to promote?

Perhaps the tourism dollars from the park have not come or have not come quickly. Selling land and having construction done is fast and easy money, but will a dangerous half-life to the future.

Short-term tax ratables versus long-term planning and a revitalized Paterson is much more difficult and will take much longer - but will have a much longer and lasting impact on the city, area and state.

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• Learn more about Great Falls National Historic Park at at www.nps.gov/pagr/ and the Hamilton Partnership for Paterson at hamiltonpartnership.org
• Take a virtual tour of the Mill Mile at the falls
• Guided walking tours and special programs at the park    
• Also check out the Paterson Museum (walking distance from the park)
• and nearby attractions include Lambert Castle; 3 Valley Road, Paterson 
• and the American Labor Museum (Botto House); 83 Norwood Street, Haledon

Cultural Center at the park

New Jersey Waterfalls

I wrote about water trails earlier on this blog, but a post back in September on the njconservation.org blog reminded me to revisit our states waterfalls.

This summer was pretty dry and our waterfalls were low on water. The Great Falls at Paterson were actually "turned off" for a few hours in September to check the dam and clear away debris. The Passaic River was diverted to the hydroelectric plant there on a day where the water level was low.

A day or two after a big rainfall is a great time to visit. By then the runoff has hit the falls and the paths and trails are less soggy.

Great Falls

The big one in NJ is the Paterson Great Falls. It's a distant second to Niagara Falls but it is the east coast's second largest (not the highest) waterfall. The addition of the Paterson Great Falls National Historic Park has made visiting more worthwhile. Check out the 77-foot Great Falls after a big rainstorm for a rainbow-spray view.

The falls that I have visited the most is a small one - Hemlock Falls in South Mountain Reservation - which was a place I often rode my bike when I was growing up nearby. The Reservation is the largest park in Essex County and an escape in a very urban area, so even an easy "hike" to a 25-foot waterfall was treat. And it still is a nice escape.

Buttermilk Falls via www.njhiking.com

There are 7 other waterfalls you can visit in our state

1. Buttermilk Falls is your stop if you want to see the state's highest waterfall. At 200 feet, this rocky cascade in the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area is a short walk from a parking lot and you can also climb steps to the top for a reverse view. If you're more ambitious, try this hike from njhiking.com
2. Chikahoki Falls and Otter Hole is in Norvin Green State Forest in Passaic County.
3. The small Apshawa Falls would be a good stop on a hike through the Apshawa Preserve in West Milford.
4. Greenbrook Falls has a unique location in the Greenbrook Sanctuary atop the Palisades in Tenafly and Alpine, Bergen County.
5. The Rockaway River, like the Passaic River in Paterson, once powered industry. Boonton Falls is outside Boonton's downtown in Grace Lord Park.
6. The prettily named Bridal Veil Falls is on the grounds of William Paterson University in North Haledon. There is a trail behind the falls that lets you stand in a cave behind the falling water.
7. Tinton Falls is a town and the falls from which it got its name. This Monmouth County waterfall was also one a source of power, and can be easily seen from an overlook off Tinton Avenue.

A Frozen Great Falls at Paterson

We are all hoping for some thaw in March - in like a lamb and out like an even gentler lamb would be nice - but the past week we were looking at frozen ponds, lakes, creeks and rivers and even the the Great falls of the Passaic River at Paterson.

Niagara Falls may have gotten more attention with its northern ice, but here in New Jersey the Great Falls have been freezing from the record cold.

Here is some video from Air 11 from WPIX.



The Great Falls of Paterson became a National Natural Landmark in 1967. The National Natural Landmarks Program encourages and supports the conservation of sites that illustrate the nation's geological and biological history, and to strengthen the public's appreciation of America's natural heritage.

The Paterson Great Falls National Historical Park is one of the newest units within the National Park Service. On March 30, 2009, President Barack Obama signed the Paterson Great Falls National Historical Park Act as part of the Omnibus Public Lands Management Act.

A part of the city of Paterson was designated as a National Historic Landmark District in 1976. National Historic Landmarks are nationally significant places designated by the Secretary of the Interior because they possess exceptional value or quality in illustrating or interpreting the heritage of the United States.

The Great Falls raceway and power systems became a Historic Civil Engineering Landmark in 1977.
The Historic Civil Engineering Landmark Program recognizes historically significant local, national, and international civil engineering projects, structures and sites.

Paterson's Great Falls History

Distant view of Passaic Falls. by New York Public Library, on Flickr

It was founding father Alexander Hamilton - the current subject of a hip-hop Broadway musical bearing his name - who first imagined how the Great Falls could power industrial development. Hamilton visited the falls in 1778, in the midst of the Revolutionary War, and shared his vision with George Washington and General Lafayette.

After the war, as U.S. treasury secretary, Hamilton selected Paterson to become the nation's first planned industrial city. The water-powered mills produced silk, locomotives and guns, including the first Colt .45 pistols.

Paterson enjoys a distinguished history as one of this nation's earliest industrial centers. It owes its existence to the far reaching vision of one of America's most important founders, and a shaper of our modern governmental and financial institutions, Alexander Hamilton. Hamilton envisioned Paterson, with its water power provided by the Great Falls of the Passaic River, as America's counterpart and response to the industrial revolution occurring in England during the same period.

The history of the City of Paterson includes its beginnings as the ambitious project of Hamilton and the Society for Establishing Useful Manufacturers (S.U.M.) in 1792 at the Great Falls, the early development of water power systems for industrial use, and the various types of manufacturing that occurred in the District's mills into the 20th Century. These included cotton fabrics, railroad locomotives, textile machinery, jute, and silk spinning, weaving, and dyeing, among many others.

The Great Falls also represents compelling stories of the lives of immigrants who labored in the mills, those who owned and operated manufacturing concerns and became wealthy, and the quest of laborers and the labor movement for better working conditions and pay. Immigrants still settle today in Paterson to pursue their versions of Hamilton's vision, creating a diverse and vibrant culture.


Samuel Colt was an early Paterson business owner? From 1836 until 1842, his gun mill produced about 5,000 guns. A lack of government contracts was a major factor in his failure in Paterson. He later achieved success in his hometown of Hartford, Conn., with the outbreak of the Mexican-American War.

Waterfalls and ancient geology, engineering landmarks and the economic birth of a new nation - these are just a few of the things you will discover on your visit to the City of Paterson and the Paterson Great Falls National Historical Park.

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Interesting slideshow of vintage Paterson postcards and audio about preserving the city's heritage from The New York Times.

Further Preservation at the Paterson Great Falls Historical Park

The Department of Environmental Protection announced this week that the Green Acres Program has purchased a tract of land near the Paterson Great Falls National Historical Park to preserve the viewshed and support visitation to this important landmark.

The 8.5-acre site sits upon a dramatic ridge that rises more than 100 feet above the Passaic River, and offers an excellent view of Paterson’s Historic District below and the New York City skyline in the distance.

The property is adjacent to Paterson Great Falls National Historical Park; partially within the National Historic Landmark district, and adjacent to the Great Falls of Paterson-Garret Mountain National Natural Monument. Preservation of this property provides the opportunity for an expanded trail system, historic interpretation and other park amenities.

“Preserving this land is very important to enhancing the Paterson Great Falls Historical Park and preserving another aspect of the site’s important heritage,” DEP Commissioner Martin said. “The preservation of this beautiful landscape would not be possible if not for the shared vision of all the partners in this project and their commitment to preservation of this land. The Christie Administration remains committed to preserving historic sites that are important to people in the state and in cities like Paterson.”

“The site offers the possibility of creating a sequence of overlooks, landscapes, pathways and features that bring together the richness of a spectacular natural history and ecology; an aspect of our industrial and Native American heritage, and current day community and tourist interests, including recreation, interaction and events,” said Paterson Mayor Jose “Joey” Torres. “We envision a design strategy that will work to amplify existing assets and will enhance the natural beauty of the site.”

The Green Acres Program purchased the property from Paterson Renewal Associates, LLC for $5.7 million. The land, once slated for a housing development, contains a parking lot that will be used to support public access.

DEP will partner with the City of Paterson regarding improvements to and management of the property.

“We’re very pleased that this parcel is going to be preserved as open space,” said Kate Marcopul, Administrator of the State’s Historic Preservation Office (SHPO). “This action will preserve the integrity of the setting and the character of Paterson’s nationally significant historic sites, so that current and future generations of New Jerseyans can better understand its importance to our history.”

The Falls area has a long and storied history linked closely with not only the beginning of the United States but with a number of the key people who made the new nation a reality. In 1778, Alexander Hamilton first visited the Falls and was impressed by its potential for industry. Later, after Hamilton took the position as the nation’s first Secretary of Treasury, he selected the area as the site of the nation’s first planned industrial city, which he called a “national manufactory.”

In 1791, Secretary Hamilton helped found the Society for the Establishment of Useful Manufactures (S.U.M.), a state-chartered private corporation to fulfill this vision. Paterson itself was founded by the Society that same year and it chose to name the new town after New Jersey Governor William Paterson – a signer of the Constitution and, later, an Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court – in appreciation of his efforts to promote the society.

“Preserving this property is a win for New Jersey for both ecological and historic reasons,” said Rich Boornazian, Assistant Commissioner of Natural and Historic Resources. “New Jerseyans and visitors to our state will now have additional space to see this geologic marvel and to further learn how it inspired leaders to build Paterson and a new industrial foundation for a young nation.”

The Green Acres Program, with help from public and private partners, has directly protected more than 680,000 acres of open space and provided hundreds of recreational opportunities for a variety of activities, including natural areas, hiking and fishing areas, city parks, playgrounds, athletic fields, boat ramps, docks, fishing piers and environmental education.

For more information on the DEP’s Green Acres Program, please visit: nj.gov/dep/greenacres/

Paterson's Great Falls Named National Historical Park

Great Falls photo via Flickr by Ken Ronkowitz

President Obama recently signed into law the Paterson Great Falls National Historical Park Act. The Paterson Act is part of an omnibus parks and historic preservation bill.

Hamilton statue at the Great Falls
photo via Flickr by Ken Ronkowitz

As the nation’s first Secretary of the Treasury, Alexander Hamilton founded the City of Paterson to begin implementing his plan to harness the force of the Great Falls—then the nation’s largest waterfall—to power new industries that would secure America’s economic independence.

Considering that one federal agency has ranked Paterson as the most economically distressed city in the United States, the local community leaders hope the creation of the national historical park, along with preservation and redevelopment of the historic center of the city, will have a positive impact on Paterson’s 175,000 residents.

Groups such as NJ Heritage Development Coalition are recommending that the state enact a state historic preservation tax credit that will jump start redevelopment in Paterson and across the state.

President Barack Obama’s Remarks

"As Americans, we possess few blessings greater than the vast and varied landscapes that stretch the breadth of our continent. Our lands have always provided great bounty – food and shelter for the first Americans, for settlers and pioneers; the raw materials that grew our industry; the energy that powers our economy.

What these gifts require in return is our wise and responsible stewardship. As our greatest conservationist President, Teddy Roosevelt, put it almost a century ago, “I recognize the right and duty of this generation to develop and use the natural resources of our land; but I do not recognize the right to waste them, or to rob, by wasteful use, the generations that come after us.”

That’s the spirit behind the bipartisan legislation I’m signing today – legislation among the most important in decades to protect, preserve and pass down our nation’s most treasured landscapes to future generations."

Following the Lenape Through Irvington and Paterson

I grew up in Irvington, New Jersey and despite its current unsavory reputation, it was a great place to be a kid in the 1950s and early 60s.

It is hard for any of us to really imagine New Jersey 15,000 years ago, but what is now Irvington was then buried under hundreds of feet of glacial ice. As the ice receded present-day contours of the town emerged, such as the Elizabeth River. As a kid, we called that "The Brook" and it's a natural feature that bisects the town from north to south.

The river enters Irvington 140 feet above sea level and gradually descends as it exits the town at Hillside at an elevation of 70 feet. The land east of the Elizabeth River is a gently rolling plain and west of the river is part of the Orange Mountains. The town's little "mountaintop" reaches 220 feet above sea level at Franklin Terrace.

The Lenape (who were later named Delaware Indians by Europeans) were the natives who lived in what is now New Jersey and along the Delaware River in Pennsylvania, the northern shore of Delaware, and the lower Hudson Valley and New York Harbor in New York when Europeans arrived in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries.

They were the major tribes that lived in our state

The first inhabitants of this Elizabeth River valley were the Awkinges or Hackensacks, who were a subtribe of the Lenni Lenape. I couldn't find any evidence that there was any significant village there, but before Europeans came to the area there was plentiful game and well-stocked streams.

Around 1676, Newark's first settlers spread out towards the "suburbs" and laid out highways. We know that one Lenape trail became Clinton Avenue which ran straight to the Elizabeth River.

The Lenape Trail of today doesn't pass through Irvington or follow a historical American Indian trail exclusively.  Look at a map of the Lenape Trail (which is a component of the Liberty Water Gap Trail). You can see it go through Becker Park with a side trail that goes to to the Walter Kidde Dinosaur Park. The dinosaur tracks there (including the smallest ones ever found) pre-date even the Lenape but it doesn't tell any of our New Jersey natives' story.

The Lenape Trail continues west across the Morristown and Erie Railway tracks and passes under I-280 and continues along Hatfield Swamp and the Essex County Environmental Center before ending at the Patriots’ Path.

The Lenni Lenape people of our area were divided into smaller groups, but all participated in both hunting and gathering as well as cultivation. Deer, elk, bear, fox, raccoon, opossum, muskrat, beaver, squirrel and rabbit were all hunted for food and furs were used for clothing, bone for fashioning tools, toys, and sewing needles. Sinew was used as sewing thread.

Fish leftovers were used as fertilizer. They made maple sugar and had an abundant supply of natural honey. Cultivated garden plots usually contained corn, beans, pumpkins or squash, and tobacco. 

The Minsi  (AKA Munsee) were the "people of the stony country" whose totem was the wolf. They lived in the rugged country along the upper Delaware and their principal village was Minisink, on the east bank at the Delaware Water Gap.

You might know Mount Minsi and Lake Lenape which are located within the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area.

They were the largest of the subtribes and most warlike of the Lenape because of their proximity to the fierce Mohawks of the Iroquois nation.

In the Central area of NJ lived the Unami, “the people down the river.”

The southern part of our state was home to the Unilachtigo, “the people who lived near the ocean.”

These were some of the Indians that I read about as a kid in The Last of the Mohicans and the other Leatherstocking Tales of James Fenimore Cooper. I don't think I had any sense that these people had walked over the same lands that I grew up walking over myself.  Many years later, I taught The Light in the Forest in which a European is adopted by a band of Lenape.

The Lenni Lenape people participated in both hunting/gathering as well as cultivation and fishing. In their lands were a great assortment of animals such as deer, elk, bear, fox, raccoon, opossum, muskrat, beaver, squirrel and rabbit. Nothing went to waste. Furs were used for clothing, bone was used for fashioning tools and toys for children as well as being used for sewing needles, and sinew was used as sewing thread.

They spoke what we call an Algonquian language, known as either Lenape or Delaware. Among other Algonquian peoples the Lenape were considered the “grandfathers” from whom all the other Algonquian peoples originated. Consequently, in inter-tribal councils, the Lenape were given the respect one would give to elders.

The Treaty of Easton, signed between the Lenape and the English in 1758, moved them west out of New York and New Jersey and into Pennsylvania. Then they were pushed to Ohio and beyond.

It didn't work to their advantage, but the Lenape were the first Indian tribe ever to enter into a treaty with the United States government. They signed the Treaty of Fort Pitt during the American Revolutionary War and supplied the Continental Army with warriors and scouts in exchange for food supplies.

When the white man arrived, the Lenape had developed an extensive system of trails through the wilderness. These trails were originally 18 inches wide and could only accommodate persons walking in single file. Warriors, messengers, hunters, diplomats and visiting families apparently used separate paths. These Indian paths became bridle trails, wagon roads and twentieth century highways.      via  newhopepa.com

The Lenni-Lenape of New Jersey were peaceful and they were sometimes intermediaries in resolving problems within the nation. The hostile Iroquois mockingly called them “The Old Women.”

North of my hometown of Irvington, the Lenape were also living in what is now the Passaic valley around where I worked for a number of years at Passaic County Community College.

At the Paterson Museum, I learned that the Lenni Lenape Indians knew the Great Falls as a prime camping and fishing site. They called it “Totowa” which meant "to be forced beneath the waters" which shows their respect for the power of the falls.

The Passaic Falls, more popularly known as the Great Falls. There is no record of who first "discovered" the Great Falls. History books record the white settlers who moved into the area following the settlement of Newark in 1666. Of course, the Lenape discovered the Falls long before any white hunters or land prospectors from that colony wandered up the river.

Acquackanonck was the land in lower Passaic County from Essex County line to Pompton. The name is said to be derived from several  Indian words meaning place of brush net + rapid stream. The V-shaped brush nets were set in the river in shallow places so that fish became entangled in the twigs during the seasons when spawning runs of shad and sturgeon were underway.

Over a long period of time, the area of the falls was a productive source of fish for the Indians and later for the white settlers. During the spawning season, shad and other anadromous species (fish that migrate up rivers from the sea to spawn) would come in great numbers to the waters below the falls, where their upstream progress would be stopped.

These large catches couldn't be consumed immediately and much of the catch was dried for later use. Sturgeon, as well as shad, made their way to the foot of the falls and, because of their size, were especially prized. One of the largest ever reported was taken on August 31, 1817, and was said to have weighed 130 pounds.

The Lenape were not the only Indian tribe in this area, but they were the dominant tribe. There is still a group of the Ramapough Lenape Indian Nation (AKA Ramapo Mountain Indians) numbering about 5,000 who live around the Ramapo Mountains of northern New Jersey and southern New York.


Sources

• http://www.usgennet.org/usa/nj/state/Lenape.htm
• http://www.newhopepa.com/delawareriver/Lenape2.htm
• Irvington (Images of America) by Alan Siegel
• Paterson Great Falls National Historical Park

New Jersey's Newest National Park

Not far from downtown Paterson is is the Great Falls on the Passaic River which recently become America's 397th national park. The National Park designation makes the 35-acre site eligible for federal funds.

The 77-foot waterfall in downtown Paterson is second only to Niagara Falls in terms of water volume east of the Mississippi River.




Alexander Hamilton (lieutenant colonel in the American Revolution, confidant to George Washington, delegate to the Constitutional Convention, and first Secretary of the Treasury) formed in 1792 an investment group called the Society of Useful Manufactures (the “SUM”) whose funds would be used to develop a planned industrial city that was later to be known as Paterson.

Hamilton believed that the United States needed to reduce its dependence on foreign goods and should instead develop its own industries. The industries developed in Paterson were powered by the 77-foot high Great Falls of the Passaic, and a system of water raceways that harnessed the power of the falls. The district originally included dozens of mill buildings and other manufacturing structures associated with the textile industry and later, the firearms, silk, and railroad locomotive manufacturing industries. In the latter half of the 1800’s, silk production became the dominant industry and formed the basis of Paterson’s most prosperous period, earning it the nickname “Silk City.”

 Take a look at the Great Falls from a webcam view via EarthCam and the City of Paterson.

Waterfall Hikes in New Jersey

I love waterfalls of all sizes, from the power of the Great Fall in Paterson to small tumbling waters on streams. As a kid in Essex County, Hemlock Falls in South Mountain Reservation was a frequent place to visit by bike.

Paterson's Great Falls of the Passaic River is the top waterfall site in NJ, but for a real hike, as opposed to a nice walk, head over to nearby High Mountain.

Hikes that include a waterfall are a great hike break in the heat of summer or when they are partially or totally frozen in winter. In spring, especially after a rainfall, they will have their greatest drama.

Hemlock Falls was one of our stops while hiking through South Mountain Reservation along with historic Washington Rock, fishing at Diamond Mill, and back in my childhood, a visit to the "Deer Paddock."

On the njhiking.com website, you will find waterfall hikes. A few are excerpted below.

at Buttermilk Falls

Buttermilk Falls is reachable and via some elaborate stairs you can get some great views. If you go up a steep uphill to the Appalachian Trail you can hike to to Crater Lake and on to Hemlock Pond.

Chikahoki Falls is located in the Norvin Green State Forest, up north in the Jersey Highlands. The recommended hike route includes the Chikahoki Falls, Otter Hole, and the viewpoint at Wyanokie High Point.

Cascades are small waterfalls, typically in sets that fall in stages down a steep rocky slope. You'll find some along hiking trails in Apshawa Preserve on the Apshawa Brook in the Jersey Highlands and Butler reservoir. You will also find cascades in Hacklebarney State Park
along the Black River in Chester

For more NJ waterfall info:
The Waterfall Record 
The Waterfalls of NJ 

Hike New Jersey

Pond in Lontaka Brook Reservation, Morris County  Photo by Chris Casciano via Flickr

No big plans for the Labor Day weekend? How about detoxing your brain with a local hike?

Hike New Jersey is a great online guide to hiking trails, local parks, and other outdoor activities in the Garden State.

It may not cover every park in the state (so far) but it just might motivate you to do some exploration on our NJ trails.

Don't be afraid that these are long, arduous, carry a backpack journeys. Many of these hikes are short, loop hikes that bring you back to where you started.

Just looking at the list of sites and trails in northern NJ brought up this short list of places that I have hiked that would be appropriate to newbies and parents with kids.

• Eagle Rock Reservation
• Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge
• Jockey Hollow
• Loantaka Brook Reservation
• Lord Stirling Park
• Palisades Interstate Park

Hemlock Falls by Chris Casciano via Flickr

I have been hiking in South Mountain Reservation ever since I was a kid, but I still find places I haven't seen or new views in a changing landscape.

South Mountain Reservation in Essex County is a 2000+ acre park that borders Millburn, South Orange and Maplewood. It follows the ridge of the lower Watchung Mountain range.

There are some easy and moderate hiking options and the Lenape Trail [yellow blazes] runs the length of the park.

There are two ponds along dammed sections of the Rahway River. My favorite spot as a kid was Hemlock Falls and I still like walking to that spot (especially after a good rain. It is no Paterson Great Falls, but it's a nice spot. There are a few other smaller water falls along trails.

One well known basalt rock formation is Turtle Back Rock which gave its name to the nearby Turtle Back Zoo.

There are also a number of overlooks to the east with views to the Hudson River and New York City skyline. It's a vantage that General George Washington also took advantage of during the Revolutionary War.

Hike NJ suggests for an afternoon hike starting at the Tulip Springs parking area along Glen Ave. in Millburn and following the white blazed trail north along the Rahway River until it meets South Orange Ave. Make a short detour to see Hemlock Falls and follow the yellow or white/red blazes back south along the top of the ridge.

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Photos used here were taken by Chris Casciano and these and other NJ park photos can be purchased at New Jersey Landscape Photography by Chris Casciano. Buy a print to support the Hike NJ site

12 Places in New Jersey to Celebrate the Centennial of the National Park Service

The National Park Service marks its centennial this month. You may think first of the biggest and most prominent parks that are far from New Jersey, but did you know that New Jersey has 12 locations that are part of the National Park Service celebration?

Take a tour of all 12 at www.nps.gov/state/nj/ and you will find that one of the newest members of the system is the Paterson Great Falls, which was designated a National Historic Park in 2009. Located in the city conceived by Alexander Hamilton to spur American industry, the Paterson Great Falls succeeded in driving manufacturing in early 19th-century New Jersey. The centerpiece is the 77-foot-high falls which can be viewed from several vantage points including a footbridge over the Passaic River.

We also have the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area. It is 70,000 acres of forests and 40 miles of river.

Less well known is the Great Egg Harbor River. Named "egg harbor" for its abundant waterfowl nesting grounds, it runs 129 miles from Berlin in Camden County to Great Egg Harbor near Ocean City.

Sandy Hook is part of the NY/NJ Gateway National Recreation Area. It ha popular beaches and offers camping, birdwatching, tours of historic sites, including Sandy Hook Lighthouse and a decommissioned Nike missile base.

We are also home to 72.2 miles of the Appalachian Trail which contains sections that might surprise even New Jerseyeans with the views of scenic bluffs, glacial lakes, and a boardwalk through a wetlands area. It's great for a day hike or a multi-day hiking/camping trip.

A personal favorite is the Pinelands National Reserve. People outside our state may be surprised that we have 1.1 million acres of forests, wild rivers, cranberry bogs and historic towns - and the legendary Jersey Devil.

History buffs will enjoy traveling back to the American Revolution which was often fought in our state by visiting Morristown National Historical Park. The park includes Washington’s headquarters from the tough winter of 1779-1780 and the army’s encampment at Jockey Hollow. The Washington-Rochambeau National Historic Trail passes through New Jersey and proceeds to Yorktown, Virginia, where armies led by Washington and French General Rochambeau defeated the British in the Revolutionary War’s last major battle.

Another kind of inventive history is on view at Thomas Edison National Historic Park in West Orange. I have been there a dozen times since my childhood to see Edison's laboratory and nearby Glenmont, Edison’s mansion home.

Finally, we have the museum at Ellis Island (part of the Statue of Liberty National Monument and often considered a New York site) where you can walk through the immigrant experience that many of our ancestors lived through.

Waterfalls of New Jersey

New Jersey probably is not the first place one thinks of to find waterfalls. The Garden State has about 30 waterfalls. Most of them are found in the Kittatinny Ridge (northwest), the north-central Highlands, and the Piedmont of the central part of the state. Almost all of them are on public lands and so are accessible to visitors, and many of them offer surrounding lands suitable for a walk or hike.

NJhiking.com has many hikes that feature waterfalls.

Buttermilk Falls in Sussex County tops out at 80-90 feet and cascades spectacularly down the red shale face of the Kittatinny Ridge. It is the only waterfall in New Jersey, apart from Paterson's Great Falls, with a developed viewing area created by the National Park Service. There is an interpretive display and a wooden walkway to the top.

Buttermilk Falls is in the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area, alongside a gravel road south of Walpack Center. The Park Service does not advertise Buttermilk Falls, keeping the location a pleasant surprise.

Coppermines Trail has several pretty cascades. Norvin Green State Park has Chikahoki Falls and the Apshawa Preserve has some nice cascades on Apshawa Brook.

Hacklebarney State Park has multiple cascades along the Black River in an easily accessible park.

The Pocono Environmental Center has a nice shady hike through a hemlock forest with several waterfalls.

Hemlock Falls

 

As a young boy, South Mountain Reservation in Essex County was my local forest, and I made many trips to there. The landscape and trails are moderate and somewhat rocky, and you're never that far from roads and development. It is a bit harder to escape the traffic noise than some of those northwestern NJ trails. It's suburban.

At the eastern edge is the view from Washington Rock, where a signal beacon warned the General and his Army at Morristown that the British Army was approaching. My favorite destination was probably Hemlock Falls and walking along the Rahway River (white trail markers). You could also walk part of the 40-mile Lenape Trail (Yellow trail markers) that uses some of South Mountain.  There is a nice hike of about 6 miles that will include Hemlock Falls.

If waterfalls are something you'd like to explore, your best bet in books for our area is Waterfalls of the Mid-Atlantic States: 200 Falls in Maryland, New Jersey, and Pennysylvania.

Hinchcliffe Stadium

2020 aerial photo shows Hinchliffe Stadium with the Great Falls in the foreground

On May 19, 2010, the National Trust for Historic Preservation named Hinchliffe Stadium to its list of America’s 11 Most Endangered Historic Places. 

Hinchliffe Stadium is a 10,000-seat stadium located in Paterson, New Jersey. The stadium is located atop the Great Falls of the Passaic River, and is part of the surrounding National Historical Park. The stadium, built in 1932, was closed in 1996 after years of neglect. 

The stadium was designed as an Art Deco stadium with distinctive Spanish tile trim and OLympian decoration as an oval with near-continuous seating laid out like a classical amphitheater. Building the stadium was pushed through by its namesake Mayor John Hinchliffe, who made his fortune from Hinchliffe Brewing before it closed due to Prohibition. 

After 26 years, Hinchliffe Stadium opened its gates again on May 17, 2023, and on May 20th, the stadium hosted the first professional sporting event in a National Park. The stadium's primary user is the Paterson Board of Education, where it serves as a multipurpose facility for the city’s two high schools, Eastside High School and Kennedy High School. As of 2023, it also serves as the home stadium for the New Jersey Jackals of the independent Frontier League in Minor League Baseball. The Jackals spent their previous 25 seasons playing at Yogi Berra Stadium in Little Falls, New Jersey.

Hinchliffe Stadium had been the home of the New York Black Yankees of the Negro League from 1933-38 and is one of only four stadiums still standing that hosted Negro League baseball games.

Players who hit the field there include Monte Irvin, Satchel Paige, Josh Gibson, Oscar Charleston, and "Cool Papa" Bell, among many others. Hall-of-Famer Larry Doby, the legendary player who broke the American League color barrier in 1947, grew up in Paterson playing football and baseball in Hinchliffe Stadium for Paterson's Eastside High School and was scouted from Hinchliffe for the Newark Eagles in 1942.

Hinchliffe became an important venue for boxing (Diamond Gloves, precursor to the Golden Gloves), auto racing (precursor to NASCAR featuring stock car racing, pre-Indianapolis racing, and midget car racing events), and professional football.

Victory Bond rallies held at the stadium during World War II drew sports stars and New York and Hollywood celebrities by the dozens. Among the many notable events headlined at Hinchliffe were shows performed by Abbott and Costello. Lou Costello was born and raised in Paterson's Eastside section.

In addition to the stadium revival, the project includes senior housing, a parking deck, a food court and a museum dedicated to the Negro Leagues and the civil rights struggle. 

northjersey.com/story/news/paterson-press/2023/05/19/paterson-nj-hinchliffe-stadium

New Jersey's National Parks

Paterson Great Falls

You could probably ask as a trivia question, "How many National Parks are in New Jersey?" and you would get a lot of wrong answers.  Some people - especially people outside of our state - might even answer that there are none.

I'm afraid that the Grand Canyon and Acadia, and other National Parks get most of the attention.

Writer and historian Wallace Stegner called national parks "the best idea we ever had. Absolutely American, absolutely democratic, they reflect us at our best rather than our worst."

The National Park Service runs not only parks but scenic trails, recreation areas, rivers, and even waterfalls and pinelands.

Since 1916, the National Park Service has been entrusted with the care of our national parks, and with volunteers and partners, they protect these special places. 275 million visitors enjoy the parks every year.

There are ten National Parks in New Jersey. Perhaps your summer list can include a trip to each of them.

1. Appalachian National Scenic Trail
2. Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area
3. Edison NHS
4. Gateway National Rec Area
5. Great Egg Harbor Scenic and Recreational River
6. Middle Delaware National Scenic River
7. Morristown NHP
8. New Jersey Coastal Heritage Trail Route
9. New Jersey Pinelands
10. Paterson-Great Falls

The Passaic River Watershed

The Passaic River runs almost 80 miles (129 km) through northern New Jersey.

It starts by winding its way around the swamp lowlands in and around the Great Swamp taking in through tributaries much of the surface waters of northern portion of the state. In its lower portion, it moves through some of the most urbanized and industrialized areas of the state.

The Passaic River formed as a result of drainage from the massive proglacial lake that formed in Northern New Jersey at the end of the last ice age, approximately 13,000 years ago. Glacial Lake Passaic, as we call it now, had its center in the present lowland swamps of Morris County.

Great Falls of the Passaic River, by ronkowitz

The lake rose as the river was blocked, but eventually broke through at the Millington Gorge and the Paterson Falls as the glacier retreated.

Much of the lower river suffered severe pollution during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries because of the development that grew on its banks - in many cases in order to use the river as a resource or as a garbage dump.

The river's health has improved in the past 30 years. Some of that comes from the enactment of the 1972 Clean Water Act and other environmental legislation. Some improvement has come as a result of the decline of industry along the river.

The water quality is still poor. Sediment at the mouth of the river near Newark Bay still registers contamination by pollutants such as dioxin. Dioxin was produced at the Diamond Shamrock Chemical Plant in Newark as a waste product resulting from the production of the agent orange defoliation chemical used during the Vietnam War. The issue of responsibility for the cleanup of the dioxin contamination has been in the courts for decades without resolution.

The Passaic River flows close to my hometown, but even closer is the Peckman River which is one of the many small tributaries. The Peckman River originates in West Orange and flows northeasterly through Verona, Cedar Grove and Little Falls to its confluence with the Passaic River in the borough of Woodland Park (formerly West Paterson).

The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) has issued notices banning commercial fishing and advising the general public that fish caught in the tidal Passaic River (from Dunedee Dam to the mouth at Newark Bay) should not be eaten. Still, I see people fishing along the banks - particularly for catfish.

You can access the the Passaic from a number of county parks. It is pretty much free of industrialization until it reaches the Summit/Chatham border. The upper portion before Summit is far more natural in appearance. I have seen canoeists and kayakers there.

When it enters Essex County, there are some natural marsh lands and wooded areas that make it more inaccessible and somewhat protected.

The more heavily populated areas of Passaic County come next with the lower portions of the river south of Paterson being much wider but more industrialized as it flows into Newark Bay.

The Passaic River is known for chronic flooding problems during heavy rainfall or snow-melt. The worst area is where the Pompton River joins the Passaic River in Wayne, New Jersey.

Unfortunately, building has long been allowed in this flood plain. A plan has been proposed for years to build a 20 mile river flood tunnel. The tunnel would divert flood waters directly into the bay. Some riverside residents have already taken buy-outs from the federal government but many people still live within the flood plain.

The Passaic River Coalition (PRC) gives valuable assistance and stewardship for the preservation and protection of over 1,000 miles of waterways including the Passaic River. It was established in 1969.

Their goals include improvements in land-water resource management, and public health issues by working as an advisor to citizens, other environmental organizations, governments, and businesses. They gather scientific data to be used for creating wise management policies. They create maps and graphic displays that illustrate the physical, demographic, and socioeconomic characteristics of the River and its watershed for reports, open space plans, and natural resource inventories.

Their scope goes beyond the Passaic River's banks and into the larger watershed. They have met a Land Trust goal of obtaining 1000 acres by acquiring 34 properties in 6 counties (Passaic, Morris, Bergen, Essex, Sussex, and Somerset).

Protecting the watershed means protecting drinking water, preserving sensitive wildlife habitat, improving water quality, creating new open space, and promoting natural flood control management.

The PRC has been involved in the creation of new surface supply systems such as the Monksville Reservoir and the development of three Water Supply Master Plans for New Jersey. PRC has assisted in plans to restore Greenwood Lake, a primary water source for northern New Jersey and is creating the overall restoration guide for the Lake.

The next challenge is to address the 46 million gallon per day groundwater deficit in the NJ Highlands. You can join the PRC and donate to their fight.



A Great Conveniency - A Maritime History of the Passaic River,
Hackensack River, and Newark Bay


MORE INFORMATION

• Glacial Lake Passaic
• Great Swamp Watershed Association

Walking the Lenape Trail

Originally posted in a slightly different version on Weekends in Paradelle

I was recently on one of my many walks on the local Lenape Trail. It’s not hardcore hiking. Chunks of it don’t even run through woods as you might expect of a trail.

I was looking at a map of the trail and realized that many parts of my own childhood and the childhood days of my sons are on that trail.

The trail crosses Essex County, N.J., one of the most congested counties in the United States. It connects Newark, New Jersey with Roseland, New Jersey.

This trail forms a segment of the Liberty-Water Gap Trail and incorporates the West Essex Trail (the Lenape Trail’s only rail-to-trail section) and it connects with Morris County’s Patriots Path trail. It was only established in 1982, though some of the trails it followed have been used for a long time. It is the fifth-longest trail in the state behind the Delaware and Raritan Canal Trail, the Appalachian Trail, the completed section of the Highlands Trail in NJ, and the Batona Trail.

It’s a suburban-urban trail and it traverses Newark (Jersey doesn’t get more urban than that) and its suburbs, through parks as well as the Watchung Mountains and Passaic Meadows.
I walked the mostly urban street parts of the trail when I worked at the New Jersey Institute of Technology in Newark. I have walked all of its 34 miles piece-by-piece. The eastern terminus is in Newark’s Ironbound district. A nice urban start with plenty of places to eat.

It’s street walking through downtown Newark and through the Frederick Law Olmsted-designed Branch Brook Park (home to the city’s Cherry Blossom Festival with 3,500 cherry trees and the most diverse cherry blossom display in the country).

Do you want old trails? The Passaic Meadows was the former basin of Glacial Lake Passaic. We are talking about dinosaurs and the earliest natives. Glacial Lake Passaic was a prehistoric proglacial lake at the end of the last ice age approximately 13,000 years ago.

I read about it when I was a kid. I had found some fossils and wanted to be a paleontologist. The lake was formed from waters released by the melting of the retreating Wisconsin Glacier that had pushed large quantities of earth and rock ahead of its advance, blocking previous natural drainage.
The drainage basin is what we call today the Passaic Meadows and the part near our walking trail is the Hatfield Swamp. The lake was formed on the western side of the Watchung Mountains by a blockage of the Passaic River.

Eventually, the river formed its present course, a circuitous detour around the north end of the Watchung range through present-day Paterson. And the lake found a new outflow to the ocean via the Great Notch in Little Falls, near Totowa and Montclair. And when the glacier retreated farther to the north, the outflow of the lake drained toward the north and formed the gorge of the Great Falls of the Passaic River in Paterson, which is just a short walk from my office at Passaic County Community College.

What is left of Glacial Lake Passaic is several swamps in northern New Jersey, particularly, the Great Swamp.

Back on the trail.

Leaving Newark, it goes west through Belleville, Nutley, Bloomfield, Montclair, and into my town, Cedar Grove. That part of the trail I have covered many times. It’s my favorite section.

Mills Reservation is a county park, 157.15 acres that bridges Cedar Grove and Montclair. I walked these woods many times with my sons when they were young Indians, soldiers, hunters, wolves, and Cub Scouts.

The reservation has no development other than a small parking area and the trails. It is a minimalist design by the Olmsteds in their last association with Essex County. The three of us made maps of the area, brought our lunch packs, hiking staffs, compasses, cowboy hats, Indian weapons, and lots of energy and imagination into those woods.

The Eastview Trails runs the edge of a cliff that overlooks the New York City skyline to the east. It was a part that my sons loved to walk. It was a part that terrified me when they were young - the cliff, the edge - stay close.

On a clear day, you can see to the south and east the Verrazano Narrows Bridge, the New York City skyline including the Statue of Liberty. To the northeast is the Palisades and to the north and west, peaks from the Ramapo Mountains can be glimpsed and the beginning of the Second Watchung Mountain.

The outcrop at Quarry Point was the site of a World War Two anti-aircraft gun emplacement and the remaining cement circle was our resting place. My son, Drew, at age 5, planted a circle of trees near there, and again at the north end so that the forest people would have a place for their ceremonies.

Right across from that point you can see the Montclair Hawk Lookout. Atop a 500-foot basalt ledge, it’s a stone-filled platform that is the site of a sanctuary of the New Jersey Audubon Society where birders gather to watch the migration mixture of both coastal and ridge flights in autumn.

After Mills Reservation, the yellow blazes lead you to a place where it combines with the West Essex Trail on the former Caldwell Branch of the Erie Railroad. You enter Verona on the old Erie Railroad line, hit some pavement, and go into Verona Park.

Verona Park was the fishing hole for my sons. Sunfish, stocked trout, catfish and even once a big carp that someone must have released. I spent many happy hours in that park with my boys.
Then, the trail moves into Eagle Rock Reservation passing the Eagle Rock lookout on the ridge of the First Watchung Mountain (AKA Orange Mountain). From that view of the New York Skyline, many people watched the Twin Towers fall on September 11, 2001. There is a memorial there now.

The trail goes under Interstate Highway 280 and follows power lines over the Second Watchung Mountain (AKA Preakness Mountain).

I read that a side trail is planned that would lead to South Mountain Reservation. That sanctuary between Orange Mountain and Preakness Mountain was where this urban kid tried out his Huck Finn fantasies.

South Mountain Reservation was my childhood forest. It is much bigger than Mills Reservation. I took my sons there too, but it wasn’t around the corner, so it wasn’t a big part of their childhood. It covers 2,047.14 acres between the first and second ridges of the Watchung Mountains.
In 1896, John Durand described the mountain that includes South Mountain Reservation as:

“a wilderness, as it probably existed at the time of Hendrick Hudson, a primitive forest abounding with deer and other wild animals, and traversed by streams alive with trout. Game was plentiful – partridges, quail, woodcock, rabbits, squirrels of every species, raccoons and foxes; while occasionally a hungry bear that had trespassed on the farmyards in the vicinity would be tracked to its den and shot.”

In 1680, wolves, bears, and cougars were observed in the area, and there was a bounty on them. As a kid, I saw them all. Well, I imagined I saw them all. I did see deer, and foxes and once I saw a porcupine. Sometimes these days a black bear is spotted.

I had my favorite places. Hemlock Falls and the smaller cascade Blackrock Falls were always rest stops when we were hiking or biking. At the far south end of the reservation, we used to go fishing at Diamond Mill Pond. There was bass there and the state would put trout in, but usually we were catching and releasing sunfish.

Another view of New York City there is a ridge called Washington Rock. A plaque there sent me to a history book as a kid. I had to check the facts again now.

It was from this outlook that, on June 23, 1780, Essex County and Newark Militia were first warned that the British had launched an attack westward toward “the Gap,” (now Hobart Gap), a natural pathway to Washington’s troops encamped at Morris Town. In a pincer movement designed to gain access to the Gap, Hessian troops fought bitterly along Vaux Hall Road, with the British advanced along Galloping Hill Road, until they were repelled, the Hessians at the base of the mountain and the British in Millburn—called Millville in those days. Washington Rock served again as a lookout for the Army when reactivated during the War of 1812.

The Lenape Trail also goes through Becker Park and a blue side trail goes to the Walter Kidde Dinosaur Park. This park has thousands of dinosaur tracks, including the smallest ones ever found.

Then the Lenape Trail continues west across the Morristown and Erie Railway tracks and passes under I-280 and continues along Hatfield Swamp and the Essex County Environmental Center before ending at the Patriots’ Path.

New Jersey's Watchung Mountains

Looking west to Second Mountain from a ridge of First Mountain - part of the NJ's Watchung Mountains

Though New Jersey has many places that are called "mountains," we know that they do not compete with the western U.S. mountain ranges. Probably the best-known NJ mountain area is the northwestern area where we find the Appalachian Trail.

But New Jersey also has the Watchung Mountains (once called the Blue Hills), which are actually a group of three long, low ridges of volcanic origin, between 400 ft. (122 m) and 500 ft. (152 m) high, lying parallel to each other primarily in northeastern New Jersey.

All of the ridges lie to the east of the higher Appalachian Mountains, which in northern New Jersey are often referred to as the New York-New Jersey Highlands.

Together with the Appalachian Mountains to the west, the Watchungs pen in an area formerly occupied by the prehistoric Glacial Lake Passaic.

The Great Swamp, a large portion of which is designated as the Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge, is a remnant of this lake. The swamp area is presently retained by what we call the Third Watchung Mountain.

200 million years ago, magma intruded into the Newark Basin, then an active rift basin associated with the breakup of the supercontinent Pangaea. The magma formed large intrusions like the Palisades Sill. But the magma ultimately broke out to the surface through large, episodic eruptions and formed the Watchung Mountains.

Throughout the early Jurassic period, the Newark Basin underwent extensive dipping and folding, and at the western edge of the Newark Basin, along the Ramapo Fault System formed alternating synclines and anticlines warped the layers of basalt and sedimentary rock. Jurassic sedimentary rock layers between and above the ridges form the Feltville, Towaco, and Boonton formations.

The Watchung Mountains are known for their numerous scenic vistas overlooking the New York City and New Jersey skylines, as well as their isolated ecosystems containing rare plants, endangered wildlife, rich minerals, and globally imperiled traprock glade communities.

If you drive on I-280 up or down the big hill in "The Oranges", you see the cliffs that consist of a single massive lava flow that cooled and cracked into columnar joints.

In some locations, the joints tend to radiate away from a central core in a pattern generated by an uneven cooling pattern in the flow. There are also complex areas in the middle of the outcrop that show a small normal fault that may have formed from seismic activity that occurred about the time that the flows were still cooling. There are also lots of boulders (glacial erratics) scattered in the woods along the hilltop.

The ridges once held back the westward spread of urbanization, forming a significant geologic barrier beyond the Piedmont west of the Hudson River. But in many places within the state, they are smaller islands of natural landscape within suburban sprawl.

Parks, preserves, and numerous historical sites dot the valleys and slopes of the mountains, providing recreational and cultural activities to one of the most densely populated regions of the nation.

From near the summit of High Mountain in Wayne - in the right foreground is the eastern slope of Mount Cecchino  (third-highest peak of the Watchung Mountains)
Garret Mountain in the background (First Watchung Mountain) overlooking Paterson.

The two most prominent ridges are known as First Watchung Mountain (the southeastern ridge) and Second Watchung Mountain (the northwestern ridge). They stretch for over forty miles (64 km) from Somerville (in Somerset County) in the southwest through Morris County, Union County, Essex County, and Passaic County to Mahwah (in Bergen County) in the northeast.

The less prominent and discontinuous ridge formed by Long Hill, Riker Hill, Hook Mountain, and Packanack Mountain is sometimes referred to as Third Watchung Mountain and lies on the northwestern side of Second Watchung Mountain.

The First and Second Mountains are often erroneously referred to as Orange Mountain and Preakness Mountain. "Orange" and "Preakness" more properly applies to specific geographic sections of these ridges.

Third Watchung Mountain is sometimes referred to locally as Hook Mountain.

A smaller fourth ridge exists south of Morristown and west of Third Watchung Mountain. This ridge lacks topographic prominence, only rising to about 100 ft (30 m) above the surrounding terrain and the only named portion (at Harding Township) is known as Lees Hill.

The original inhabitants of the Watchungs were the Native American Lenape. They referred to the mountains as the Wach Unks, or ‘high hills’. Evidence of the Lenape presence in the Watchungs can be seen in numerous camps sites that have been uncovered, mainly along the rivers coursing through mountains and in the small caves abundant in the volcanic rock.

It is thought the Lenape favored the Watchungs for their profusion of natural resources, including abundant freshwater rivers and streams, a variety of forests, and plentiful fish and game. They also took advantage of the rich soils and maintained many farm areas where they raised a variety of seasonal crops.

With the arrival of Europeans, the rivers and streams of the Watchungs also supported grain, grist, and saw mills. Later, the energy of these rivers would be harnessed for industry, most notably at the Great Falls of the Passaic River, where mechanical and hydroelectric systems exploited the energy of water falling over the face of First Watchung Mountain.

During the Revolutionary War, General George Washington used the protection of the Watchung mountains to erect the first and second Middlebrook encampment. This position on the high ground also allowed him to monitor the area between Perth Amboy and New Brunswick as well as to identify and disturb British movements between Manhattan and Philadelphia.

During World War Two, an anti-aircraft gun emplacement was made in Mills Reservation (Cedar Grove & Montclair) at the lookout point on the cliffs overlooking New York City. All that remains of this today is a circular cement platform.

In the twentieth century, the Hilltop in Verona, the highest point in Essex County, served as the site of a sanatorium for tuberculosis patients. The county hospital was built there because the high elevation provided clean, mountain air away from the cities to the east.

At the height of the Cold War, Campgaw Mountain was selected to house a Nike missile base. Installed on the mountain between 1955 and 1971, the base’s missiles served to guard New York City air space, standing by to intercept nuclear armed Soviet bombers. The facility ultimately was abandoned with the advent of intercontinental ballistic missiles. Two other missile sites were nestled into the forests atop peaks in Mountainside and Morris Township, creating a triangle of redundant sites.

NYC skyline seen from Mills Reservation, First Watchung Mountain

There are many parks and recreational areas to visit along the Watchung Mountains.

Campgaw Mountain Reservation (First and Second Watchung Mountain) is the northernmost ridge of the Watchungs and its northern terminus is the Ramapo Mountains, near the New York border. A shallow gap separates its southern end from Preakness Mountain and Goffle Hill.

Preakness Mountain comprises part of the northern extent of Second Watchung Mountain between the Passaic River and Campgaw Mountain.[ Along with Packanack Mountain (part of Third Watchung Mountain) to the west, Preakness Mountain forms the Preakness Range. The three highest peaks of the Watchungs are located in this range.

Great Falls State Park in Paterson is on First Watchung Mountain.

Nearby Garret Mountain Reservation is 568 acre park located within the Borough of Woodland Park (formerly West Paterson), although it also extends into the cities of Paterson and Clifton. The reservation covers the northernmost part of the First Watchung Mountain and reaches over 500 feet (152 m) above sea level.

Continuing along the Watchung Mountains, popular locations include:
* Mills Reservation, First Watchung Mountain
* Hilltop Reservation, Second Watchung Mountain
* Eagle Rock Reservation, First Watchung Mountain
* Riker Hill Park, Riker Hill (Third Watchung Mountain)
* South Mountain Reservation, First and Second Watchung Mountain
* Watchung Reservation, First and Second Watchung Mountain
* Washington Rock State Park, First Watchung Mountain
* Washington Valley Park, First Watchung Mountain
* Leonard J. Buck Garden/Moggy Hollow Natural Area, Second Watchung Mountain

Appalachian National Scenic Trail and New Jersey

Most people who are not hikers probably don't think of New Jersey when they hear talk about the Appalachian Trail.

The Appalachian National Scenic Trail, generally known as the Appalachian Trail or simply the A.T., is a marked hiking trail in the Eastern United States extending between Springer Mountain in Georgia and Mount Katahdin in Maine. The trail is about 2,200 miles (3,500 km) long. A beautiful 162-mile segment of the Appalachian Trail passes through the New York-New Jersey region.

final section of the AT through NJ

Probably equally surprising to even people living in New Jersey is that there are 10 National Parks in New Jersey.

1. Appalachian National Scenic Trail
2. Delaware Water Gap National Rec Area
3. Edison NHS
4. Gateway National Rec Area
5. Great Egg Harbor Scenic and Rec River
6. Middle Delaware National Scenic River
7. Morristown NHP
8. New Jersey Coastal Heritage Trail Route
9. New Jersey Pinelands
10. Paterson-Great Falls

Since 1916, the National Park Service has been entrusted with the care of our national parks, which they do with the help of volunteers and partners.

New Jersey is home to 72.2 miles (116.2 km) of the trail. The trail enters New Jersey from the south on a pedestrian walkway along the Interstate 80 bridge over the Delaware River.

It ascends from the Delaware Water Gap to the top of Kittatinny Mountain in Worthington State Forest, passes Sunfish Pond, continues north through the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area and Stokes State Forest and eventually reaches High Point State Park,where it turns in a southeastern direction along the New York border for about 30 miles (48 km), passing over long sections of boardwalk bridges over marshy land, then entering Wawayanda State Park and then the Abram S. Hewitt State Forest just before entering New York near Greenwood Lake.

In New Jersey the New York - New Jersey Trail Conference maintains and updates the Appalachian Trail.

If you want to explore our Jersey section of the A.T., here are some resources to get you started.

• https://www.nps.gov/hfc/carto/PDF/APPAmap1.pdf   map of AT  
• https://www.nps.gov/appa/ 
• https://www.nynjtc.org/park/appalachian-national-scenic-trail 
• planning your visit  https://www.nps.gov/appa/planyourvisit/
• doing section hikes is one way to cover the trail in NJ-NY or even the entire 2000 miles. For example, Crater Lake Trail to Buttermilk Falls Trail and the NJ Park Boundary at Blue Mountain is 4.5 miles of mostly moderate hiking difficulty.  https://www.nps.gov/dewa/planyourvisit/appalachian-nst.htm 
• https://www.nynjtc.org/view/hike
• Jersey-centric view of the A.T. http://www.princetonmagazine.com/hiking-the-appalachian-trail-national-scenic-trail-in-new-jersey/

Beyond Thanksgiving

Now that the turkey has been digested, maybe you can chew on some information about that first Thanksgiving and consider visiting an exhibit in Paterson, NJ.

The Paterson Museum's permanent Delaware-Lenape exhibit, opens in early December. You can see tolls like axes, harpoons and fishing nets,plus murals and an 11-foot dugout canoe and a full-size eight-foot diameter wigwam. This is believed to be the only permanent Lenape exhibit in the mid-Atlantic states.

Sam Beeler, elder of the Sand Hill Delaware Indian tribe, was the technical adviser for the exhibit. He says that American Indians (not "Native Americans" which he dislikes) play a much wider role than the Thanksgiving story.

Beyond that historic meal is the idea that potatoes, peppers, tomatoes, chocolate, corn, and all the beans we use comes from this hemisphere and were passed on and exported by those colonists.

The Thanksgiving story has always been a little vague and is now full of popular cultural additions. We know that the first pilgrim Thanksgiving in 1621 has lots of venison. We're not sure about turkey, although it makes sense that it might have been included.(A letter from a colonist tells us that the local Wampanoag Indians brought five deer.)

In the 392 years since, we have added a lot of information - much inaccurate and some offensive to the Indians.

In what we know of as northern New Jersey,  the people of the Munsee ("stony country") region of the Lenni-Lenape held a  regional autumn celebration that, Beeler says, that broght people to the Great Falls in Paterson for "The Rendezvous" or "The Pawwaw."

The Lenni Lenape Indians knew the Falls as a prime camping and fishing site and called it “Totowa” (to sink or be forced down beneath the waters by weight).

Passaic County's 5,000 or more Lenape celebrate on the Thursday before the federal holiday. A typical meal will include the "three sisters" (corn, beans and squash). Since the Indians were the original American locavores, the meal would include what was available here in the season, including seafood, venison, turkey, rabbit and squirrel.

SOURCE: northjersey.com/community/233195111_Thanksgiving__the_Lenape_way.html