Warren is full of opportunity for walking, running, biking, and hiking on several recreational trails
over hundreds of acres of open space throughout the Township. Maps and detailed information on each
site is available at the Recreation Department.
Codington Woods
(Open
space site
3A)
Forty five hilltop wooded acres; a working farm and woodlot from
before 1742 (when the adjoining historic farmstead was begun) until
the 1960’s when cultivation yielded to re-vegetation , in 2003 still
occupied by descendents of the original Codington family. In 1998
Lora Codington (b.1910), avoided development pressures by selling
the house, farmland, furnishings and equipment to Warren, to assure
historic and natural preservation.
Rough and
rocky blazed trails form two loops, together exploring the entire
tract. The southern loop includes a fruit orchard of old but
productive apple, pear, and cherry trees, two farm fields now
overgrown with bushes and young trees, a large open grove of mature
maples and oaks, and a former sheep pasture now colorful with
dogwood, cedar and birch trees and flowering shrubs. The northern
loop is dense with very large old hardwood groves and vines typical
of a virgin piedmont forest. Throughout are rows of basalt rocks
cleared from tillable farmlands, and occasional old iron farm
machinery.
Trail Access
points: Behind the homestead, at the hydrant by #23 Mt. Horeb Rd.,
and at cul de sacs named above. Parking is available near all
points. Terrain is dry and shady. Wildlife: Turkey, Fox, Coyote,
Deer (including albino strains) all smaller mammals and many bird
and insect species. This tract provides the only tree cover for
wildlife movement between second & third mountain ridges when
combined with Mt. Horeb Springs tract.
Dealaman Nature Trail and Pond
(Open space
sites 6B)
Dealaman Nature Trail and pond is located on Mt. Horeb Road about a 1/2
mile from the intersection of Mt. Horeb Rd. and Mt. Bethel Rd. past the
Central School on the right. Parking for the Dealaman Nature
Trail and Pond is available at 182 Mount Horeb Road. From the parking
lot you can walk to the pond 100 yards through
the woods. Parking
off of Powderhorn Drive and Technology Drive to access this
recreation area s prohibited (exception may be made
for the annual Spring Fishing Derby). The following rules apply:
Fish must be returned to the pond
No cooking/barbecues at the pond
Please help pick up litter around the pond, use garbage cans
supplied
No parking on the lawn
Ehlens Brook
(Open
space site
1A)
70 Mountainview, 12 Timber Ridge, end Nottingham, 11 Fox Hill West,
11 Hazelwood. A triangular 46 acres of old hardwood forest valley
containing 5 brooks, steep hillsides abutting large wooded home
sites built in 70s & 80s, and 2 large detention basins, which add 30
more acres of public land to south. Conservation easements
abutting, add more wild space. Terrain is shady, open under story,
wet near brooks, scenic rock outcrops. Lofty hardwood forests
throughout. Deer have eliminated brush and plants. Features include
natural beauty throughout and water amenities along all trails.
Trail status in 2005 – existing streamside pathways, not planned,
marked or cleared. Surface is rocky, rooted, many stopovers.
Following streams is the easiest traverse.
History: Town
acquired Boy Scout campsite by tax lien and remainder by lot
averaging of several subdivisions behind roads listed above.
Initial plans for large upland wilderness yielded to mandated
affordable housing provision to south..
Walk
suggestions: Follow brooks to south, then southeast to Fox Hill
Bridge and back, or continue south along Ehlens Brook to Greenwood
detention basins and back. Avoid main brook to the southwest, which
crosses private land. Be quiet and respectful of nearby private
dwellings; irregular tract shape brings hikers near rear yards.
Glenhurst
Meadows
(Open
space site
10C)
Access: Mountain Avenue at Cory’s Brook. Trails from Wagners Farm,
canoe from river. Over 100 acres of Passaic River floodplain and
uplands, formerly farmland, pasture, golf course and riverside
wetlands compensation (ponds) area. Acquired in 1980 at no cost,
through density modification and gift. County acreage to Old
Stirling Rd. (see below).
Extensive
wildflower meadows among old oak groves and other hardwood stands
along the Passaic River. In 2004, about 50 acres were added to the
east, mostly woodlands along former Old Stirling Road extension with
informal trail access. Parking on the cul de sac off of Mountain
Avenue. Also by Wagner Farms trails and Old Stirling Road extension
paths.
Over two miles
of mostly level, moved trails loop along all edges, across central
meadow sections, around two large open ponds and along the berms at
the river edges. Short blazed side trails access 3 small woodland
ponds and three steel bridges over Cory’s Brook. Some trails cross
small wetland areas and are subject to river flooding and rain-ponding
at times. Trails may become rutted and uneven as wet and dry
seasons alternate. Small plank bridges are planned next. Brambles
grow quickly over meadow trail edges; carry hand clippers!
This is the
largest complex of open space areas owned solely by Warren and is
popular for bird-watching, nature study, photography and extensive
hiking activities.
Stransky Farm
(Open
space site
6C)
173 Mt. Horeb, 14 Canterbury, trails from Dealaman Pond, Powderhorn,
Technology.
A 21 Acre farm
and woodlot purchased in 1998 from the Stransky family. The
driveway leads to an informal parking area and small vacant
dwelling. Behind this, the mowed trails loop around the large
meadow in both open and shaded areas, connecting with blazed wooded
trails along Cory’s Brook, also around rear blackberry meadows and
along a young maple woodlot connecting to Dealaman Pond Trails,
site 6B. A wide variety of wildflowers, shrub and trees, aged and
young line the level, generally smooth trails. A few large old farm
equipment items add historical interest. A variety of species and
settings, plus convenience and ease of walking, combine to make a
popular outdoor retreat. Brookside or wooded trails are blazed,
open land paths are mowed.
Town Hall Circles
Two improved walkways opened in 2006 surrounding the Municipal
Complex:
The TOWN
HALL CIRCLES
(Open
space site
13C)
encloses the building complex on this site, and is mostly paved.
From the library parking area the walk follow the edge of the play
area and along the brook, around the rescue squad building and
across Bardy road up to the traffic light, then crosses the front
lawn, on grass, back to the start. Wheelchairs may use the front
parking area to complete the circle on pavement.
The
BALLFIELD CIRCLE
(Open
space site
13C)
is a similar loop, connected by either of two bridges over the
brook, to the Town Hall Circle. The path surrounds the five
southerly baseball fields along the wooded edges of this tract,
crossing 3 driveways, passing the Hofheimer Woods Trailhead and the
public works complex, keeping in or next to wooded areas
throughout. Most of this trail may not be paved, but cleared &
smoothed for easy access.
The
HOFHEIMER WOODS
(Open
space site
13D)
is a 15 acre rectangle sloping up into Greenbrook and toward the
golf course is totally wooded. The mostly smooth trail winds around
the Hofheimer Mausoleum tract in its center and is part of the 1956
town purchase of the estate as the government center for Warren; in
1957 our new high school improved it for a cross country running
course, still one of its uses.
Enter at any
of 3 points; Behind the scoreboard at ballfield M2, above the
ballfield parking lot on the mausoleum access lane; or the end of
Bardy Road at the DPW complex gate. For those not used to trail
walking or remote sites, this is an ideal introduction.
Wagner Farm
(Open
space site
10B)
Access: 197 Mountain Avenue or Glenhurst trails from the West. 50
acres, 20% shaded, trails mostly grassy, level, at times muddy in
the old hardwood groves along the river. A working dairy farm until
purchased by Warren in the 1990’s, buildings are now used by Warren;
up-land is being developed as community gardens, arboretum &
learning center, maze, memorial park, children’s activity site,
picnic area, all near Mountain Avenue. Trails enter flood plain or
wetland areas along the Passaic River and connect to Glenhurst
trails at 3 locations. Enter trails between barns and gardens, or
from Glenhurst trails. Use Glenhurst – Wagner trail map.
Permits & Forms
***Please review
Sport Organization Requirements To Use Fields and Gyms before
submitting permit!***
FACILITY USE REGULATIONS AND LEASE AGREEMENT
(MS Word Document)
Warren Township Recreation Commission
46 Mountain Boulevard, Warren, NJ 07059
Phone: (908) 753-8000, x270 - Fax: (908) 753-7768 |