Freneau Woods Park — Attraction in Aberdeen Township

I visited Freneau Woods Park after 5PM on the evening of July 5th. I did the north part of the Lake Woods Trail and, by accident, the south part of this trail as well. What I appreciated was that the trail that I was on was, with the exception of a 90 foot stretch where the trail traverses the power line cut, nice and wide, which caused me not to worry too much about picking up any ticks on my trousers. (I am now almost 75 and I grew up near Sayreville, in Middlesex County, very nearby. As kids we were in the woods for hours almost every single day, yet I don't think that I ever even laid eyes on a tick until I was in my forties. Now, during the warmer months ticks seem to be EVERYWHERE in the woods here. Is there any tick-eating insect, bird, mammal or other creature that we could safely introduce into New Jersey woods to rid us of this scourge? In addition to the trail that I was on being comfortably wide, it was also very clean. I encountered only one (small) piece of glass and one (old) plastic bottle, both of which I took with me and deposited in the recyclables pail near the front door of the visitors' center. The cleanliness of the trail tells me that the local people have some class. One curious thing that I saw on the Lake Woods trail was a maple (?) tree APPARENTLY (SEEMINGLY) growing out of a crook in an oak tree. My guess is that there was just enough soil in this crook for the other species of tree to germinate and take root. If I had a suggestion it would be for the park management to paste a "YOU ARE HERE" arrow on the glass covering the map of the park that is to the west of the visitors' center building. As I was coming back to the parking lot after making my big Lake Woods loop, I found a couple, after 5 PM visitors like I had been, looking at the map but being puzzled, as I had been, about in which direction to go to pick up the north part of the Lake Woods Trail. Christopher X.O'Connor, from Albuquerque, N.M, but at present visiting...

This is a great park for just opening not that long ago! The trails, while limited are very nice and scenic.

IMPORTANT: For first time visitors looking for the trails, follow these directions:

Trail 1: After turning down Monastery Lane, continue down the road until you see the Assumption/Event center on your left. Enter the parking lot, and the trail is in the far left corner of the parking lot (farthest corner from the building. This trail “lets out” behind the house on the end of Monastery Lane.

Trail 2: After turning down Monastery Lane, continue down the road past the Assumption/Event Center. Enter the Visitor Center’s parking lot. After parking your car, walk around the back of the church towards the woods. You should see a small opening, which is the trail. This trail leads back near the power lines, and there are multiple exits. The trail has access to Lake Lefferts.

Trail 3: When coming from Route 79 on Wilson Avenue (Or after passing Monastery Lane coming from Greenwood Road), you will see a small opening across the street from multiple houses. This is the Hunter’s entrance, but there is also access to a third trail. The trail’s access is right next to the parking lot, and meets up with the power lines at the end.

Trail 4 (Horse Track): This trail is off of Greenwood Road. If coming from Route 79, continue on Wilson Avenue, until you come to the intersection with Greenwood Road. Turn right into Greenwood Road, and after driving a short distance, a small opening will be seen on your right.

There are a couple of other, smaller trail access points off of Greenwood Road and Wilson Avenue. The Henry Hudson Trail has yet to be connected to one of the park’s trails, and it is unknown if this connection will ever happen. I hope these directions helped those of you who previously couldn’t...

I was there for a seminar inside the building. I have no idea where the park and trails are located. I didn't notice anything from the building parking lot. Inside was ok. The instructor had the lights off in the room from when we walked in. She said it was the only way we could see the screen for the presentation. I would have at least expected the lights on during introduction and after the prevention was shown. The second half of the seminar was to meet people (& dogs) that are already part of the...