The Black River County Park is a public park in Morris County, New Jersey operated by the Morris County Park Commission. The park covers an area of along the eastern shore of the Black River and is located between Long Valley and Chester. Its land represents a

glacial valley U-shaped valleys, also called trough valleys or glacial troughs, are formed by the process of glaciation. They are characteristic of mountain glaciation in particular. They have a characteristic U shape in cross-section, with steep, straight s ...

carved by the Black River and some of its tributaries. The park is home to the Nathan Cooper Gristmill, the Elizabeth D. Kay Environmental Center, the

Bamboo Brook Outdoor Education Center Bamboo Brook Outdoor Education Center is a botanical garden and public park in Chester Township, New Jersey. The house and garden, listed using its historic name, Merchiston Farm, was added to the National Register of Historic Places The Na ...

, and the

Willowwood Arboretum Willowwood Arboretum, , is an arboretum and public park located at 300 Longview Road, Chester Township, New Jersey, Morris County, New Jersey. It is part of the Morris County Park System and is open to the public daily. The location was first ...

. The land was mined for iron ore during the 19th centuries, and within the park is an old iron mine. In 1883 the Hacklebarney Branch of the High Bridge Railroad, later part of the

Central Railroad of New Jersey The Central Railroad of New Jersey, also known as the Jersey Central or Jersey Central Lines , was a Class I railroad with origins in the 1830s. It was absorbed into Conrail in April 1976 along with several other prominent bankrupt railroads of ...

(CNJ), was built to serve the local iron mines. The railway was abandoned in 1900. The railway trestle has in part become part of a hiking trail along the river. When Alfred and Elizabeth Kay moved from Pittsburgh to the area in 1924 they consolidated land to establish the Hidden River Farm; later some of their land was donated to the park system. The park is used for hiking, fishing, bird watching as well as for activities through its educational centers. A list of its botanical offering has been collected. Other parks in the Black River valley are the

Black River Wildlife Management Area The Black River Wildlife Management Area is located along the Black River (also known as the Lamington River) in Chester Township of Morris County, New Jersey. This WMA is and includes diverse landscape with plentiful flora and fauna. The Patr ...

and the

Hacklebarney State Park Hacklebarney State Park is a state park of the U.S. state of New Jersey, located between Long Valley and Chester in Morris County. The park is managed by the New Jersey Division of Parks and Forestry. Other parks in the Black River region inc ...

Gallery

File:Nathan Cooper Gristmill, Chester Township, NJ - looking north.jpg, Nathan Cooper Gristmill and mill race File:Willowwood Arboretum, Chester Township, NJ - Tubbs House and conservatory.jpg, Tubbs House and conservatory at the

File:Hutcheson House, Merchiston Farm, Chester Township, NJ - looking north.jpg, Hutcheson House and garden at the

File:Patriots' Path by the Black River, NJ.jpg, The

Patriots' Path The Patriots' Path is a multi-use trail system in Morris County, New Jersey, open to cyclists, hikers, and horseback riders, consisting of a main trail and of spur trails. The main trail is marked with white blazes or a white circular blaz ...

by the Black River near the Elizabeth D. Kay Environmental Center

References

External links

Morris County Park Commission, official site that has separate sections for the four educational site of the park: Cooper Mill, Elizabeth D. Kay Environmental Center, Bamboo Brook Outdoor Education Center, and Willowwood Arboretum

Hacklebarney State Park Trail Details and Info

NY-NJTC: Black River County Park Trail Details and Info
{dead link, date=November 2016 , bot=InternetArchiveBot , fix-attempted=yes County parks in New Jersey Parks in Morris County, New Jersey