Hopatcong State Park is a

state park State parks are parks or other protected areas managed at the sub-national level within those nations which use "state" as a political subdivision. State parks are typically established by a state to preserve a location on account of its natural ...

in the

Landing Landing is the last part of a flight, where a flying animal, aircraft, or spacecraft returns to the ground. When the flying object returns to water, the process is called alighting, although it is commonly called "landing", "touchdown" or ...

section of Roxbury Township,

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

. Operated and maintained by the

New Jersey Division of Parks and Forestry In the state of New Jersey, the New Jersey Division of Parks and Forestry is an administrative division of the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection. In its most visible role, the Division is directly responsible for the management and ...

, the park consists of two parcels of land: one that encompasses

Lake Hopatcong Lake Hopatcong is the largest freshwater body in New Jersey, United States, about in area. Located from the Delaware River and from Manhattan, New York City, the lake forms part of the border between Sussex and Morris counties in the state's ...

and some of its southwestern shore, and another that encompasses Lake Musconetcong about one mile to the west-southwest. The park contains remnants of

Morris Canal The Morris Canal (1829–1924) was a common carrier anthracite coal canal across northern New Jersey that connected the two industrial canals at Easton, Pennsylvania across the Delaware River from its western terminus at Phillipsburg, New Jers ...

, which operated from the 1830s to the 1920s and was largely fed by the lake. The park is also home to the Lake Hopatcong Historical Museum, housed in the former home of the lock tender and his family.

Activities

Swimming is permitted in the park from

Memorial Day Memorial Day (originally known as Decoration Day) is a federal holiday in the United States for mourning the U.S. military personnel who have fought and died while serving in the United States armed forces. It is observed on the last Monda ...

through

Labor Day Labor Day is a federal holiday in the United States celebrated on the first Monday in September to honor and recognize the American labor movement and the works and contributions of laborers to the development and achievements of the United St ...

while lifeguards are on duty. Subject to NJDEP regulations, there is year-round fishing at Lake Hopatcong and Lake Musconetcong, which are stocked by New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife stocks them with

brown trout The brown trout (''Salmo trutta'') is a European species of salmonid fish that has been widely introduced into suitable environments globally. It includes purely freshwater populations, referred to as the riverine ecotype, ''Salmo trutta'' morph ...

rainbow trout The rainbow trout (''Oncorhynchus mykiss'') is a species of trout native to cold-water tributaries of the Pacific Ocean in Asia and North America. The steelhead (sometimes called "steelhead trout") is an anadromous (sea-run) form of the coasta ...

and

brook trout The brook trout (''Salvelinus fontinalis'') is a species of freshwater fish in the char genus ''Salvelinus'' of the salmon family Salmonidae. It is native to Eastern North America in the United States and Canada, but has been introduced elsewhere ...

. Commonly caught warmwater species include

large mouth bass The largemouth bass (''Micropterus salmoides'') is a carnivorous freshwater gamefish in the Centrarchidae ( sunfish) family, a species of black bass native to the eastern and central United States, southeastern Canada and northern Mexico, but ...

, sunfish,

catfish Catfish (or catfishes; order Siluriformes or Nematognathi) are a diverse group of ray-finned fish. Named for their prominent barbels, which resemble a cat's whiskers, catfish range in size and behavior from the three largest species alive, ...

perch Perch is a common name for fish of the genus ''Perca'', freshwater gamefish belonging to the family Percidae. The perch, of which three species occur in different geographical areas, lend their name to a large order of vertebrates: the Percif ...

and pickerel. During the winter, ice fishing is allowed in certain conditions. Lake Hopatcong allows boating in canoes, large motor boats, sailboats, sailboards and

jet skis A personal watercraft (PWC), also called water scooter or jet ski, is a recreational watercraft that a rider sits or stands on, not within, as in a boat. PWCs have two style categories, first and most popular being a runabout or "sit down" wh ...

. Boats are available for rent at many private marinas around the lake. Boating is subject to New Jersey Boating Regulations and Marine Law. There is a boat ramp in the park. The park has two playgrounds, two half-basketball courts, sand volleyball, and a large playing field for field sports. There are several picnic areas in the park with grills and tables. Local children have been known to use the hill for winter sledding.

Museum

The Lake Hopatcong Historical Museum was originally the Lock Tender's House, built in , on the feeder canal for the

. The museum has collections on the history of Lake Hopatcong, with emphasis on transportation and entertainment. The Brookland Forge, along with several mills on the

Musconetcong River The Musconetcong River is a tributary of the Delaware River in northwestern New Jersey in the United States.U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed April 1, 2011 It flows through ...

, were built nearby when the river had been dammed to form Brookland Pond, now known as Lake Hopatcong. File:Lake Hopatcong Historical Museum, Landing, NJ - area view.jpg, Lake Hopatcong Historical Museum File:Brookland Forge display, Hopatcong State Park, NJ.jpg, Brookland Forge display

Morris Canal

The park has a display of the technology used by the Morris Canal to power its

inclined planes An inclined plane, also known as a ramp, is a flat supporting surface tilted at an angle from the vertical direction, with one end higher than the other, used as an aid for raising or lowering a load. The inclined plane is one of the six clas ...

. The Scotch Turbine, a type of reaction turbine, from Inclined Plane 3 East, formerly at Ledgewood, was brought here in 1926 as the canal was being decommissioned.

References

External links

*
Lake Hopatcong Historical Museum
* * * {{authority control State parks of New Jersey Parks in Morris County, New Jersey Parks in Sussex County, New Jersey Roxbury Township, New Jersey

Activities

Museum

Morris Canal

See also

References

External links