Lenape Park to Black Brook Park, NJ

ABOUT THE PARK:
Union County Parks - Union County, NJ
East Coast Greenway through Union County - Union County, NJ
Link to East Coast Greenway Opens in Union County - nj.com

DIRECTIONS:
GPS Coordinates 40.674338, -74.315034

View Larger Map

If your GPS tells you to turn on County Road then go off road, don't listen to it because you can't get to the parking lot that way.  There is a park entrance with the sign directly off of Kenilworth Boulevard.

TRAIL MAP:
Lenape Park Map - Union County, NJ
The map only shows the paved trails. There are some dirt trails off of the paved trail.  The map shows a paved connection to the East Coast Greenway - there is no paved connection.
Black Brook Park Map - Union County, NJ
There are a couple of dirt trails not on the map.

Lenape Park and Black Brook Park, NJ at EveryTrail


HIKE DISTANCE: 6 miles

THE HIKE:
I headed west to Echo Lake Park previously and discovered some dirt trails so this time I headed east to Black Brook Park in search of dirt trails off of the paved trail.  There is such a missed opportunity in Lenape Park.  It's huge for this area, you can go from one park to another in a linear route but the trails are disjointed and not connected where it seems trail connections could be made for a nice long loop within Lenape Park. 

If you head east from the parking lot on the mowed grass and through this fence opening ...

...  you should be on a paved trail that crosses over the Rahway River according to the map.  That is not the case.

I suppose you could walk across that concrete thing to the other side but I was not going to do it with 2 dogs.  We'll be crossing on that bridge up head which is Kenilworth Boulevard and get a better shot of this concrete whatever-it-is.

In the meantime, there are some pretty views of the Rahway River back in this part.

Heading out the entrance to Kenilworth Boulevard.

Turn left and cross the bridge over the Rahway River.

This is that white concrete thing from earlier.  It's not exactly a bridge - the top is somewhat rounded.

A little further along Kenilworth Boulevard, the entrance to the East Coast Greenway path but there are no signs.  It shows as being right after that bridge on GoogleMaps but that is not where it is.

The path curves to the left at a woods road ...

... the crosses a bridge over a side stream.

Right after the bridge the paved path veers right.  To the left is a path that leads to ...

... the Rahway River with the Kenilworth Boulevard bridge we just crossed up ahead.  To the right is a path that leads to where you would come out had you crossed that concrete thing.

Retraced from there and continue on the East Coast Greenway path that has mile markers every quarter of a mile.

We were excited to find a path off to the left between the 1/4 and 1/2 mile markers,

but it only went in a short distance to a loop.

An East Coast Greenway sign at a left turn.  Straight goes a short distance to a residential street.

A helmet attached to a tree marks the spot where a construction worker died while working on the path.

The two bridges along this route are pretty beefy considering they bring you over a smallish side stream.

Coming up on Springfield Road where the path connects to Black Brook Park.

Black Brook Park

At the far end of the pond, a dirt trail leaves the paved path heading away from the pond and goes steeply uphill.  It leads to the water tower which is private property but before that point, the trail forks and a left brings you down to a mowed area with the paved path on the other side.

The path crosses Michigan Avenue and continues a short distance before ending.

You can continue on Fairway Drive, a quiet residential street with Galloping Hills Golf Course on the right.

Returning to Black Brook Park, there is a dirt path on the side opposite the paved path.

Back in Lenape Park ...

Shortly after the construction worker's helmet an unmarked trail leaves to the right.

The trail alternates between well-defined to almost completely overgrown.

This unmarked trail follows along the Rahway River and is much more scenic than the paved path.  I was able to follow it for about 3/4 of a mile before I completely lost it and had to bushwhack back to the paved trail. 

Back on the paved path, being watched by baby deer and momma deer.

Coming up on Kenilworth Boulevard.

An East Coast Greenway sign at the exit.

Lenape Park to Echo Lake Park, NJ

ABOUT THE PARK:
Birds of Lenape Park - USGS
Union County Parks - Union County, NJ

DIRECTIONS:
GPS Coordinates 40.674338, -74.315034

View Larger Map

If your GPS tells you to turn on County Road then go off road, don't listen to it because you can't get to the parking lot that way.  There is a park entrance with the sign directly off of Kenilworth Boulevard.

TRAIL MAP:
Lenape Park Map - Union County, NJ
The map only shows the paved trails.  There are dirt trails also, one of which is blazed.
Echo Lake Park Map - Union County, NJ

Lenape Park and Echo Lake Park, NJ at EveryTrail
 

HIKE DISTANCE:  4.8 miles

THE HIKE:
Last I knew this was a skeet shooting range and at some point has become a park but there is almost no information online other than the building of the East Coast Greenway section that passes through the other side of the park.  That is where I intended to go but could not find the connection because the map is wrong.   I know how to get there now so that is for another day.

Walk back towards Kenilworth Boulevard from the parking lot then turn right at the kiosk on the paved multi-use trail.

The multi-use trail is elevated and in full sun along the first part.  Swallows use the lower level as their personal highway and they are zooming by constantly/

After about 3/4 of a mile Lenape Pond is on the right. 

Lenape Pond

An egret in Lenape Pond.

After Lenape Pond the trail becomes more shaded.  (That is Kacey who is staying with us while her family is away.)

At Williams Nursery you'll be coming up on Springfield Avenue.  Turn right a short distance ...

...  then left at the crosswalk into Echo Lake Park.

A lower level of the paved trail through Echo Lake Park runs right along the water, which is currently covered with green stuff.

Cross over Park Drive and the trail straight ahead ...

... is a dirt path which appears to end at a chain link fence but it does continue to the right and around the fence back to...

... Park Drive with a parking lot on the right.  Turn left here on the paved path.

The paved path follows between water on the left and ...

... Park Drive on the right before crossing over on the same crosswalk.

Retracing back through Echo Lake Park.

Crossing back over Springfield Avenue where the police stopped traffic just for us.

Turn left just before Williams Nursery back into Lenape Park.

A wildlife garden just before Lenape Pond.

The back side of Lenape Pond where we found ...

... an unmarked trail along the water.

When the unmarked trail fizzled out, I noticed a blue blaze off to the left.  A very short bushwhack brought  us to a blue-blazed trail!

Turn right and went until ...

... we could go no more.   The trail became completely choked due overgrowth.  Will have to explore this again in the winter to see where it comes out.

Heading back towards Lenape Pond on the blue trail there were bridges.

A lot of work was put into building this trail and it looks to be fairly new.  What a shame that it is not being maintained.

Heading back we decided to use the swallow corridor in the shade instead of the paved path up above to the left.