Great Destinations: Ringwood State Park

RELEASE: March 29, 2007 – Volume XXXVII, No.13

The Highlands of New Jersey are chock full of great destinations. But Ringwood State Park is one of the best examples of what is at stake in the fight to preserve open space in this region.

In the heart of the Ramapo Mountains of Passaic and Bergen Counties, Ringwood State Park is home to Skylands Manor and the State Botanical Garden. Built in the 1920s of native stone, the 44-room manor is a faithful reproduction of an English countryside mansion. Overlooking spectacular vistas of the Ramapo Mountains, the 96-acre New Jersey Botanical Garden offers an extensive variety of plant specimens, shrubs and trees arranged in specific settings to highlight their beauty. Since some even bloom in the winter months, there’s plenty to enjoy year-round.

Visitors to Ringwood State Park can also tour historic Ringwood Manor, a large country estate that’s part of a National Landmark District. One look at the classic, spectacular Highlands views from the Manor and you’ll have no trouble figuring out why a succession of the regions most influential iron barons chose to live there for almost 200 years.

The Shepherd Lake Recreation Area in the northeast corner of Ringwood State Park offers more traditional outdoors activities in the summer, like swimming, picnicking, canoeing and fishing. There’s even playground equipment and areas for playing ball, so it’s a great spot for the whole family. Completely enclosed by hills, home to a wide variety of plants and animals, the spring-fed lake and surrounding area is as picturesque as it is fun!

The recreation area is also an excellent spot to pick up the intricate system of marked trails. The trails range from easy to difficult hikes, and some connect to the Ringwood and Skylands sections of the park. The Skylands section also has multi-use trails that are great for hiking, horseback riding, mountain biking and even cross country skiing.

In addition to the many attractions Ringwood State Park has to offer, there’s another feature that’s sure to leave an impression: no matter where you are coming from, you will likely have to drive over or alongside a portion of the magnificent Wanaque Reservoir to get there.

As the drinking water source for roughly 2 million people, the Wanaque Reservoir embodies one of the most practical reasons to preserve as much of the Highlands as possible. The natural function of the watershed lands produces some of the cleanest water around – they didn’t even bother to filter the water until the 1980s!

The Wanaque Reservoir also embodies the picturesque landscape of the entire Highlands region, and actually serves as a visual hub for several preserved open spaces. In addition to Ringwood State Park, for example, trails in Norvin Green State Forest and the Weis Ecology Center – each a treasure trove of their own – provide stunning vistas of the reservoir.

It’s also the focus of much of the open space preservation activity in the region. Development of tracts overlooking the reservoir, like the Saddle Mountain, would destroy the landscape and valuable habitat; other threatened lands like the Wyanokie Highlands protect headwaters of streams that feed the reservoir. Yes, in every way, the Wanaque Reservoir may be the Highlands’ poster child.

So make plans to visit Ringwood State Park and see the wonders of the New Jersey Highlands! Visit the park’s website at www.state.nj.us/dep/parksandforests/parks/ringwood.html or call (973) 962-7031 for more information. The website provides links to detailed information about the State Botanical Gardens, as well as Skylands and Ringwood Manors. The New Jersey Botanical Garden/Skylands Association was founded in 1976 to help the State preserve and restore the gardens and manor house, and to develop programs for public education and enjoyment throughout the year. For more information, visit www.njbg.org or call (973) 962-9534.

I hope you’ll contact me at info@njconservation.org, or visit NJCF’s website at www.njconservation.org, for more information about conserving New Jersey’s precious land and natural resources.

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