Watchung Reservation — Attraction in Mountainside

3 1/2 stars

I live half an hour away from Watchung, and the fact that I can count the number of times I've been here over the last decade on one paw tells you something - this isn't one of my favorites. This was selected as the site of our annual First of the Year Hike due to its proximity to a specific top-tier chum. At first glance, Watchung Reservation has a lot going for it; oodles of history seeping out of every pore, culminating with the deserted village of Feltville (and a conveniently named Historic Trail leading us almost right to the entrance of it). But...it's Union County. This is the best hiking option in the area, and it unfortunately just doesn't mean much.

We met up in the parking lot of the Trailside Nature and Science Center, and embarked on a 4- to 5-mile hike (everyone's devices provided different mileage numbers). It was entirely improvised, as every official hike I could find in my books and online was over 6 miles, which meant a lot of stopping to peer intently at our maps/phones. Annoying overall, but the geosenses triumphed and we were never off-course. (One of the benefits to Watchung is that it's almost impossible to get lost - go in one direction long enough, and you'll either hit Route 78 or a nearby suburban enclave.) We took the purplish Historic Trail from the Scout Camping Area over and around Lake Surprise, uphill closer to 78 until turning off onto the Sierra Trail into Feltville and visiting both the village and the nearby cemetery. We then made our way onto another offshoot of the Sierra to the Blue Trail, crossing Blue Brook, until it turned into the Orange Trail and brought us back to the parking lot.

The trail markings are decent and freshly painted; the problem though is that there are WAY too many trails, and all of them are named. So instead of accepting the fact that you have a random, unofficial deer path or something (which is a very common occurrence in a park/reservation), they insisted that that path ALSO needs to share the name of an official trail. This is why the Sierra Trail seems to have five or six different trails. It's needless, and in an effort to provide options for hikers, it actually creates a disorienting sensation. At least two or three times we came to an intersection and noticed that both ways had the same color trail blaze. We had to spend an extra minute or two staring at our source material to figure out which Sierra Trail we should go on. If they're going to insist that everything be blazed, at the very least you need to have better signage at the intersections. I appreciated that there were three or four signs leading me to the restrooms near the Nature Center, but it would have been nice if that sentiment had carried over into the woods too.

The quality of the trail varied dramatically depending on where we were. Understandably the areas near Surprise Lake had some muddy stretches - made more interesting by the damp end to 2023 - but I wouldn't classify any of it as egregious. The Sierra Trail on the north end heading toward Feltville was my least favorite part, and I'm betting that's true for a lot of people. The noise from 78 is loud so if you're looking for some solace in nature, it's not going to be in this spot.

Feltville is a legitimately interesting stop on the way, though it's not as spooky as it used to be. They've cleaned up a lot of the structures so only two or three of them now look like drug dens (which is probably a good thing - not a particularly hot take) but it doesn't look quite as authentic, deserted village-wise. The cemetery just off to the north is a cool little detour if you have the time, and easy to locate with the signage (it's also visible from multiple parts of Feltville).

Your mileage may vary, but this to me is more of a walk in the woods/exploring cool old building versus a real hike (which is fine). But given that, they should really spend some time making these trails/paths more coherent...

I love the pink History Trail in Watchung. This is one of my "go to" trails for a weekend longish trail run when I don't quite feel like a 10 mile loop, but my regular weekday 3.5 mile loops aren't quite long enough. I run the 6 mile pink trail starting from the parking lot by the bathroom house and when I get back to the lot, I'll do a smaller loop around the field/playground area to make it a 10k. Today was the most crowded it's ever been because it looked like the NJ Trail Running Series was hosting and event, which was cool because I rarely see so many other trail runners - mostly hikers. Also, I got there around 10am, which is later than I usually hit the trails on a weekend. I prefer to have some solitude so I typically get there as soon as the sun comes up. The trail was gorgeous today! Autumn in Watchung is beautiful. Even with all of the leaves on the ground, you could still navigate the rocky parts and the pink trail is so well-marked, so it's easy to follow. I love this trail because there are inclines, creeks, rocky parts, muddy parts (today) and a small lake. I haven't been here since early spring because it gets overgrown in the warmer weather, which I don't enjoy, especially on some of the more narrow parts of the path. This is the first time I ran this trail with my dog and she loved the adventure. There were lots of other hikers with dogs, and only one person with their small dog unleashed. Not a fan of folks who don't leash their fur babies since it's really for everyone's (including the fur baby) safety. I like to find new trails for my weekend runs, but I will continue to keep this one in...

A Magical & Historical Place packed with Lots of Adventure Possibilities

Watchung Reservation not only has trails and playgrounds for kids, it also has a nice lake and an incredible piece of history called Deserted Village.

Deserted Village is packed with rich historical events perfectly well explained on the signs place all over by Union County Park Authorities. It tells the history of the first family that moved there and started the village. Besides describing the historical events, it also holds the grave yard with the grave stones of the first settlers. If you are like me, and love hiking and history, this is by far one of the best places to visit. There are well marked trails all over the Reservation. So there is no excuse to get lost.

For years, people have kept uttering urban legends about the ghosts of people who live in the abandoned houses. Unfortunately those urban legends have caused son vandalism-- I was told by a local that one of the graveyard stones was stolen, so it had to be replaced with a new one-- Some of these unfortunate situations happen especially by Halloween where some people like to play pranks. I guess this is part of the magic of this area.

Autumn is already here, and Halloween is around the corner, so Union County Park Recreation always plans lost of great activities for all families. It is without a doubt a great season to stop by and learn about the history of this enchanting...