Garret Mountain Reservation (also spelled Garrett) is a park located on
First Watchung Mountain
The Watchung Mountains (once called the Blue Hills) are a group of three long low ridges of volcanic origin, between high, lying parallel to each other in northern New Jersey in the United States. The name is derived from the American Native Lena ...
(Garret Mountain) in
Paterson and
Woodland Park (formerly West Paterson) in southern
Passaic County
Passaic County ( ) is a county in the U.S. state of New Jersey that is part of the New York metropolitan area. As of the 2020 United States census, the population of Passaic County was enumerated at 524,118, an increase of 22,892 (4.6%) from t ...
, New Jersey.
In 1967, it was designated a
National Natural Landmark as part of the
Great Falls of Paterson-Garret Mountain listing. The park extends into
Clifton
Clifton may refer to:
People
*Clifton (surname)
*Clifton (given name)
Places
Australia
* Clifton, Queensland, a town
**Shire of Clifton
*Clifton, New South Wales, a suburb of Wollongong
*Clifton, Western Australia
Canada
*Clifton, Nova Scotia ...
.
[ Garret Mountain is Passaic County's major recreational area, providing the visitors with grass fields, several miles of walking/running trails, basketball courts, picnic areas, Barbour's Pond is state stocked with fish for anglers, as well as an Equestrian Center with horseback riding lessons.
The Passaic County Parks Department operates the park while the Passaic County Sheriff is responsible for law enforcement in the reservation. For the past several decades, the reservation has been the site of hundreds of high school and college cross country meets in the fall, including the ]New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association
The New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) is an association of hundreds of New Jersey high schools that regulates high school athletics and holds tournaments and crowns champions in high school sports.
State championsh ...
(NJSIAA) High School State Sectional Championships at the end of every October.
Etymology
There are two theories about the origin of the name Garret. One references the Garret Society, founded in Newark
Newark most commonly refers to:
* Newark, New Jersey, city in the United States
* Newark Liberty International Airport, New Jersey; a major air hub in the New York metropolitan area
Newark may also refer to:
Places Canada
* Niagara-on-the ...
in 1810, which met in local garrets. In 1834, the group visited Paterson and met on what was then known as Weasel Mountain. In 1861, a local map named the mountain as Garret's Rock. The second references Garret Pier, who owned property here.
History
Lambert Castle, located on the eastern slope of the First Watchung Mountain, just off Route 19, is a 19th-century castle which has been recently renovated and now hosts the Passaic County Museum (open to the public). It was built in 1892 by Catholina Lambert and was added to the National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...
in 1976 for its significance in art, architecture, and industry. Lambert Tower, on the crest of the mountain, overlooks the area.
The Morris Canal once passed east of the castle. Up until 1962, the right-of-way now occupied by I-80 and Route 19 around Garrett Mountain was part of the Boonton Line
The Montclair-Boonton Line is a commuter rail line of New Jersey Transit Rail Operations in the United States. It is part of the Hoboken Division. The line is a consolidation of three individual lines: the former Delaware, Lackawanna & Western R ...
of the Lackawanna Railroad.
Fauna
Since the park is an oasis of woodland surrounded by urbanity, Garret Mountain is a stopover point for migrating song birds, including 35 species of warblers, numerous vireos, orioles, sparrows and thrushes. Birdwatchers from the tri-state areas flock to this hotspot for great views of over 150 species per year along the easily accessible trails.
Gallery
File:Lambert Castle, Paterson, NJ - looking northwest.jpg, Lambert Castle
File:Lambert Tower, Garret Mountain Reservation, NJ.jpg, Lambert Tower on basalt
Basalt (; ) is an aphanite, aphanitic (fine-grained) extrusive igneous rock formed from the rapid cooling of low-viscosity lava rich in magnesium and iron (mafic lava) exposed at or very near the planetary surface, surface of a terrestrial ...
outcrop
File:Watch Your Step (210242747).jpeg, Red-tailed hawk in nest
File:Small Cormorant Big Fish (208099233).jpeg, Cormorant
Phalacrocoracidae is a family of approximately 40 species of aquatic birds commonly known as cormorants and shags. Several different classifications of the family have been proposed, but in 2021 the IOC adopted a consensus taxonomy of seven ge ...
with fish
File:View of NYC from Garret Mountain Reservation.jpg, View of NYC from trail on Garret Mountain
See also
*List of National Natural Landmarks in New Jersey
From List of National Natural Landmarks, these are the National Natural Landmarks in New Jersey. There are 11 in total, many of them are related to the glacial geology, especially the Wisconsin Glacier and the Glacial Lake Passaic that it create ...
*Rifle Camp Park
Rifle Camp Park is a 225-acre (0.9 km2) county park of Passaic County, New Jersey. It is located mostly within Woodland Park, but its eastern edge extends into Clifton as well. The park includes hiking trails, an observatory, nature center ...
*1880 Garret Rock May Day riot
The 1880 Garret Rock May Day riot or 1880 Garret Mountain May Day riot was a civil disorder event in New Jersey that harshly protested oligarchical power.
Riot
For many years Paterson, New Jersey’s mostly Catholic German immigrant community ha ...
References
External links
*
Garret Mountain Reservation page
on Passaic County website
2009 map of Garret Mountain Reservation
1953 map of Garret Mountain Reservation
Lambert Castle - Passaic County Historical Society
{{authority control
Nature reserves in New Jersey
Parks in Passaic County, New Jersey
National Natural Landmarks in New Jersey
Geography of Paterson, New Jersey
Watchung Mountains
Woodland Park, New Jersey