Merrill Creek Reservoir, located in Harmony Township, New Jersey in central Warren County, New Jersey, is a 650-acre artificial lake designed to hold 15 billion gallons of water that is surrounded by 290 acres of protected woodland and fields. These lands are themselves part of 2,000 acres of open spaces.
Learn more insights from Wanderboat AI.
My review has nothing to do with Merrill Creek (MCR) itself, we have been hiking / kayaking here for a number of years...the place is as described by previous postings....tranquil and relaxing.
We took our two seat kayak last Saturday (trailered) and we were met at the reservoir parking area by a very officious / rude "security guard" (ORSG) ....at least we assumed it was a security guard, I didn't see any logos or ID on this ORSG.
This ORSG was, to say the least, a little "heavy-handed" and clearly ORSG wasn't really a reservoir/boat savvy person.
ORSG proceeded to tell us that we'd have to park our vehicle in a parking spot and carry our 75 lb kayak back down to the boat ramp. On all previous visits, even when an attendant has been present, we've pulled to one side of the ramp and quickly off-loaded the kayak to the ramp or the adjacent kayak launch area, without causing any disruption to boat launchers using the ramp. We have also used the ramp with our trailer.
Furthermore, we were told by ORSG that wearing life-jackets / PFD's was mandatory. I mentioned that NJ (and most other states) only require that adults carry life jackets on their watercraft...(the NJ regs. are stated on the Merrill Creek General Rules & Regulations...however somewhat baffling is the fact that MCR over-rides the state regs. and does require the wearing of PFD's while on the water). The GR&R pamphlet was handed to me by ORSG...after which ORSG told us that if we didn't "like it", we could go some place else...hmmmmm. . Now here's the kicker...having "read us the riot act" and we complied, we launched our kayak with ORSG watching...while no less than three other kayakers launched their kayaks from the boat ramp...with their PFD's strapped to their kayaks !!!....talk about "stupid is as stupid does" !
Upon returning to the ramp after an afternoon without further ado...a second security company employee (she had just arrived in a mini-SUV) instructed us to move our kayak off the ramp...I informed this young lady that we had a trailer and I was about to retrieve it. This young lady relented and allowed us to quickly load our tandem kayak onto its trailer from the boat ramp... one-up for commonsense !
Meanwhile, ORSG was busy untying the powered dinghy from its dock and taking off into the reservoir....without wearing the required PFD !...lol (I have the video).
BTW...there was a total of circa ten or less cars / trucks / trailers in the parking lot...quite surprising given the beautiful weather last Saturday. That said, maybe word is already "out" that Merrill Creek has become a PITA to deal with...what a shame.
One small consolation..on a recent visit we got up close and personal (through a Samsung 'phone telephoto lense) with one of the reservoir residents..we saw two pairs that day...quite...
Read more
Beautiful hiking trails. There is a long loop trail, all the way around the lake for those who want to make a day of it. There are also shorter loop trails for those who have less time, or energy.
It is private property, so please respect the rules, as we would all like it to remain open to the public. It is free to the public, all year round. No swimming. No littering. No drugs or alcohol. No gas engine boats. Follow the hours of operation.
Features include: multiple hiking trails, large man-made 650 acre lake, large man-made stone dam, 2,290 acres of woods and fields, butterfly and hummingbird garden, multiple historical ruins sites, bird watching, bird blind, hawk sighting, Eagle sighting, New Jersey Native trees and plants, boat ramp, boat fishing, dock fishing, shore fishing, dog friendly, scout events, school events, visitor center, New Jersey...
Read more
UPDATE: This review was from 2023 - the Perimeter Trail has been restored. This is just a head's up, if you want to do the perimeter, presumably last Sunday's storms (July 16) have rendered the bridge impassable. Counter-clockwise from the boat launch this is @ 1 mile. I was excited to do the loop this morning but had to settle taking the blue trail back - which was also severely washed out in one spot, but passable. Lots of berries to grab along the way! Still giving MCR 5-stars because it's so beautiful and peaceful. Lots of...
Read more
