Somerset County has long been committed to remaining green and providing high quality passive and active recreation opportunities. Included in the county park system are five championship golf courses, one executive-style golf course; three driving ranges; a pitch and putt course; a complete golf learning center; a recreational putting course; a riding stable; an environmental education center; two tennis facilities; an outdoor pool; paddle boating; a rock and rare plant garden; a nationally recognized award winning rose garden; an arboretum; a sensory and fragrance garden; six parks offering amenities including athletic fields, pavilions, and picnic facilities; one all-purpose synthetic turf field; bike paths; fishing opportunities; and several natural areas offering solitude and recreational pursuits including bird-watching, cross country skiing, and hiking. Throughout the summer months, the Somerset County Park Commission presents free live concerts in the park every Sunday evening.

General Parks

Colonial Park
156 Mettlers Road
East Millstone, NJ
732-873-2695

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Colonial Park, located in Franklin Township, offers a variety of features and
activities for park visitors. Acquired in 1965, this 685.5 acre facility includes scenic
frontage on both the historic Delaware and Raritan Canal and the Millstone River.
Recreation facilities, prize winning horticultural displays, and pristine natural areas are
spaced amid the broad lawns and ponds of this diverse Somerset County Park. Located
within Colonial Park is Spooky Brook Golf Course; an 18 hole championship course
which offers a wide open layout with spacious fairways and greens.
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Duke Island Park
Old York Road
Bridgewater, NJ
908-722-7779

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Located in Bridgewater Township, Duke Island Park is a site of rich beauty which
offers varied recreational experiences. Truly an "island" park, it is traversed by the
historic Raritan Power Canal. The Somerset County Park Commission acquired this
340.5 acre site in 1958, and has developed it to provide a wide variety of active and
passive recreational opportunities and special events for park visitors. Duke Island Park
also offers bike trails for those Somerset County biking enthusiasts, as well as softball
fields and ice skating in the winter.
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Leonard J. Buck Garden
11 Layton Road
Far Hills, NJ
908-234-2677

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The Leonard J. Buck Garden is one of the premier rock gardens in the eastern United
States. Begun in the late 1930's, the garden has reached a breathtaking point of maturity.
It consists of a series of alpine and woodland gardens situated in a 33-acre wooded
stream valley. Named for Mr. Leonard J. Buck, who developed the garden as part of his
estate, it was donated to the Somerset County Park Commission by Mrs. Helen Buck in
1976.
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Natirar
Main Street
Peapack, NJ

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Natirar is a 411-acre property located in the scenic hills of Somerset County within the
municipalities of Peapack/Gladstone, Far Hills and Bedminster. There are 247 acres
located in Peapack/Gladstone, 124 acres in Far Hills, and 40 acres in Bedminster.
Formerly the estate of Kate Macy Ladd and Walter Graeme Ladd, the property is rich in
culture and history. The property features extensive areas of lawn and woodland, river
access and scenic views and contains historic farm buildings and various other residential
structures and out-buildings dating from the mid-18th through mid-19th centuries. The
North Branch of the Raritan River and Peapack Brook traverse the property. Natirar
presents a unique opportunity for a single property to preserve, showcase and interpret
many aspects of the area's rich architectural, cultural, and historic and archaeological
heritage.
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Natural/Undeveloped Parks

Environmental Education Center
190 Lord Stirling Rd
Basking Ridge, NJ
908-766-2489

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The Somerset County Park Commission Environmental Education Center is located within Lord Stirling Park, in the Basking Ridge section of Bernards Township, and is nestled within 425 acres of the western portion of the Great Swamp Basin of the Passaic River.  The variety of habitats of floodplains, swamps, rivers, intermittent streams, marches, meadows, and natural and man-made ponds, fields, and forests provide homes for diverse plant and animal populations in this environmentally sensitive park.  All are within walking distances of the multi-faceted building.  The Great Swamp Exhibit, a swamp vivarium, and an environmentally based library are located within the Center itself.
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Little Brook Sanctuary
Steven Lane
Bernardsville, NJ

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This unique 100-acre sanctuary, located in Bernardsville, has a meandering brook that runs through the habitats of a wide variety of wildlife: birds, mammals, amphibians, reptiles, and flowers.  It remains undeveloped in order to further its role in acquiring and conserving, for future generations, lands that have unique or special value because of their natural beauty and ecological features.  There is a small parking area adjacent to the rustic entrance.
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Sourland Mountain Preserve
East Mountain Road
Hillsborough, NJ

General Information
The 3,196.7 acre Sourland Mountain Preserve is county owned and administered by the Somerset County Park Commission.  The Preserve provides passive recreational opportunities in an undisturbed natural setting. The Preserve occupies a portion of the northeast "point" of the Sourland Region, which stretches southwest across Hillsborough and Montgomery Townships through southern Hunterdon and northern Mercer Counties to the Delaware River. The Sourland Mountain Preserve offers several recreational opportunities in an undisturbed natural setting,
including hiking, mountain biking, bird watching, bouldering, and horseback riding.
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Washington Valley Park
Bridgewater, NJ

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Washington Valley Park consists of approximately 715.5 acres that lie along the First Watchung Ridge in Bridgewater Township.  The park contains the former Bound Brook Elizabethtown Reservoir that will become the focal point of the park along a network of trails.
The Park is located between the first and second Watchung Mountains at the geographic center of Somerset County.  It consists of Pine and Hemlock forests, open freshwater wetland marches, impressive rock outcroppings, numerous historic features and a 21-acre reservoir.
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Washington Valley Hawk Watch
Miller Lane
Bridgewater, NJ

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From August through November, the Washington Valley Park Hawk Watch Area is host to several hundred hawkwatchers from all over the northeastern United States.  They come to witness the thousands of hawks, falcons, and eagles flying overhead, sometimes just over the treetops.  Armed with binoculars, spotting scopes and cameras, the hawkwatchers wait patiently while keeping an eye in the sky.  They wait to both count and identify the onslaught of raptors making their journey south to far away places in Central and South America.  Endangered and threatened birds like Osprets, Peregrine Falcons, and Bald Eagles are some of the most noteworthy of the birds soaring above the area, especially when weather conditions are just right.
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Washington Valley Park Reservoir
Newman's Lane
Bridgewater, NJ

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Washington Valley Park Reservoir is a 21-acre impoundment located in Bridgewater Township.  The Impoudment lies within the Lower-Raritan River drainage, and was created in the 1920's by the damming of the West Branch of Middle Brook for Water Supply to the Bound Brook area.  Four small, unnamed tributaries also feed the impoudment. Located at the east end of the reservoir, near the dam, the maximum depth of this body of water is 22 feet.
-Access to the reservoir can be gained by parking in the Newman's Lane parking lot.  The reservoir does not have a boat ramp.  There are, however, extensive trails around the perimeter of the reservoir for shoreline fishing. The Reservoir, with its steeply sloped banks, offers the angler several species of fish including Largemouth Bass, Black Crappie, Bluegill, Pumpkinseed, and Yellow Perch.  All that is needed is a New Jersey fishing license, which can be purchased at a nearby sporting goods store.
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