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Saddle River County Park is a
county park
A park is an area of natural, semi-natural or planted space set aside for human enjoyment and recreation or for the protection of wildlife or natural habitats. Urban parks are green spaces set aside for recreation inside towns and cities. N ...
in
Bergen County
Bergen County is the most populous county in the U.S. state of New Jersey.[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 ...]
, United States, stretching from
Ridgewood to
Rochelle Park, and extends out to Glen Rock. The park is located along the
Saddle River and consists of five sections, all of which are connected by a paved path that is open to both pedestrians and bicyclists.
Sections
Listed from north to south:
Wild Duck Pond: located on Ridgewood Ave in
Ridgewood, this area features a pond with picnic areas, a dog run, and playgrounds.
Glen Rock Area: located off of Prospect Street in
Glen Rock, features a pond with picnic areas, playgrounds, and tennis courts.
[
Dunkerhook Area: located in ]Paramus
Paramus ( Waggoner, Walter H ''The New York Times'', February 16, 1966. Accessed October 16, 2018. "Paramus – pronounced puh-RAHM-us, with the accent on the second syllable – may have taken its name from 'perremus' or 'perymus,' Indian for ...
and Fair Lawn on Dunkerhook Road which can either be accessed from Paramus Road or Century Road, features picnic areas, playgrounds, and tennis courts. The section also contains a waterfall in the river.[
Otto Pehle Area: located on Saddle River Road in Saddle Brook, features a lake with picnic areas, a softball field, basketball courts, and tennis courts.][
Rochelle Park Area: located on Railroad Ave in Rochelle Park, features picnic areas, a softball field, playground, basketball courts, tennis courts, and a roller hockey rink.][
]
Walking/cycling trail
The walking/cycling trail consists of 6.8 miles of paved concrete trails, stretching from either Ridgewood Duck Pond to Rochelle Park (6 miles total), or from Glen Rock Duck Pond to Rochelle Park (5 miles total). The trail is completely without cars, and prohibits all motorized vehicles, aside from electronic wheelchairs and other medical devices. There are benches laid out frequently on the trail, and water fountains and bathrooms in each of the parks. The trail has numerous path features, including 5 underpass bridges, which pass under existing roadways, and 5 bridges, which cross over various bodies of water.
The park also has several off-road trails for hiking/mountain biking which branch off the main walking trail into the woods, on dirt paths. The longest of these trails is about 2 miles long, and stretches from Fair Lawn to Paramus, and follows along the existing paved trail but on the other side of the Saddle river.
Landmarks
The Saddle River County Park Trail has numerous referable landmarks aside from the 5 parks. These include:
The Waterfall: This is a small waterfall that exists in the Glen Rock section of the trail, directly after the Glen Rock path merges with the Ridgewood - Rochelle Park section of the trail. This is approximately half a mile from the Glen Rock Duck Pond, and a tenth of a mile from Dunkerhook.
Easton Tower
Easton Tower is a historic building located in Paramus, New Jersey, and originally used as the housing for a water pump on the estate of businessman Edward D. Easton
Edward Denison Easton (10 April 1856 – 30 April 1915) was the founder and pr ...
: Also known as "The Tower" or "The Mill", this is a 20 foot high rotary mill that exists directly under Route 4 and the Paramus section of the park. This branches out of the main trail and is a popular spot for photos.[
The "Hill": The "Hill", as it is referred to, is the steepest part of the trail. It is an approximately 20 foot high drop or climb (depending on the direction) at an 8% grade. This hill is in between the waterfall and Easton Tower, in Fair Lawn.
]
Fishing
The County Park waters are stocked with trout and bass, notably at these following spots.
Glen Rock Duck Pond: The Glen Rock Duck Pond primarily has bass and sunfish, although people have caught carp and even catfish here.
Waterfall Area: This is the most popular fishing spot in the County Park. The area directly downstream of the waterfall has fast moving water, bubble water, in which people catch stocked trout and bass. The area also has sunfish, carp, and white suckers. The waterfall is specifically the widest spot to fish on the Saddle River, which follows along this trail. There are other spots along the Saddle River to fish on, but none as open as this spot.
Otto Pehle: The Otto Pehle lake primarily has bass and sunfish, although some people have caught carp and catfish here. Can get bloated on the weekends.
Ridgewood Duck Pond: The Ridgewood Duck Pond was formerly a fishing spot, but in recent years the pond has dried up substantially and there are either a few or no fish left.
References
External links
Official website
{{Paramus, New Jersey
Parks in Bergen County, New Jersey
County parks in New Jersey
Fair Lawn, New Jersey
Glen Rock, New Jersey
Ridgewood, New Jersey
Rochelle Park, New Jersey
Saddle Brook, New Jersey
Paramus, New Jersey