Essex County Parks To Offer Free Hikes and Nature Programs at First Get Outdoors Day

Essex County will host its first Get Outdoors Day on Saturday, June 6. Free hikes, programs about nature, and outdoor activities run from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at four parks. South Mountain Reservation, Eagle Rock Reservation, Hilltop Reservation, and Branch Brook Park will all take part.

This event connects to the nationwide National Get Outdoors Day. People can choose self-guided visits or join hikes with naturalists, educators, and conservation groups.

“Our parks and reservations are wonderful resources for people of all ages to escape the concrete and asphalt, enjoy the outdoors, and take a deep breath of fresh air and relax,” said Essex County Executive Joseph N. DiVincenzo, Jr., according to Montclair Local.

Those who attend can learn about plants that grow here, animals in the area, and trails throughout the county. Guided hikes need advance registration through the Essex County Parks website.

Many groups will help make this happen. The Essex County Environmental Center will be there. So will Turtle Back Zoo, South Mountain Conservancy, Hilltop Conservancy, Branch Brook Park Alliance, New Jersey Audubon, the New Jersey Sierra Club’s Essex Chapter, and the New York-New Jersey Trail Conference.

At Hilltop Reservation, Senior Naturalist David Alexander and Chris Lawrence from the Hilltop Conservancy will lead two hikes at 9:30 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. These 2.5-mile walks follow the Arrowhead Trail to where the old Essex Mountain Sanitorium once stood, now turned into a wildlife habitat and wildflower meadow.

Eagle Rock Reservation offers hikes with Naturalist Maura Toomey at the same times. The 1.5-mile path reaches a stone bridge over a stream that starts the Peckman River and passes by a basalt rock outcrop of the Watchung Mountain range known as the sleeping giant.

South Mountain Reservation has several choices. An 8 a.m. hike covers five miles on the Lenape trail, led by Sharon Salmon. Two walks good for families circle the Orange Reservoir. They start at 9 a.m. and 11 a.m., led by Turtle Back Zoo Educator Katie Fenyar.

Branch Brook Park begins the day with the Olmsted Trek at 8 a.m., a 3.5-mile hike through the park’s four divisions. A free yoga session happens at 10 a.m. Pre-registration is required at www.branchbrookpark.org/wellness.

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