Apshawa Preserve
Apshawa Preserve | |
---|---|
County park | |
Location | West Milford, New Jersey, U.S. |
Area | 576 acres (233 ha) |
Created | 1928 |
Operated by | Passaic County and New Jersey Conservation Foundation |
Open | Year round. Dawn till dusk |
Hiking trails | 3 loop trails. 5 connector. ~5 miles total |
Website | Official website |
The Apshawa Preserve is a 576-acre
The Apshawa is a brook, a tributary of the Pequannock River; it flows through the preserve and is dammed to form the 40-acre Butler Reservoir within the preserve. The reservoir once served to provide water to Butler.[2] Apshawa Preserve includes a network of hiking trails and a 43-acre reservoir.
Since 2010 part of the preserve is protected by a gated deer fence to protect native plants that otherwise would be decimated by a high density deer population.[2]
In September 2014, 22-year-old student Darsh Patel was mauled by a 300-pound (140 kg) black bear in the preserve and died. He was the first known person in New Jersey history to be killed by a black bear.[3]
Location and access
The Apshawa Preserve is open year round from dawn to dusk for recreation, and can be accessed from 4 Macopin Road, West Milford.[4] Onsite parking is provided in a gravel parking lot that is located off Northwood Drive (turn off of Macopin), where hikers will find a kiosk with trail maps as well as trailheads. Apshawa Preserve cannot yet be accessed via public transportation.[5]
Hiking
There are about five miles of marked trails including three loop trails (Red 1.6 miles; Green 1.7 miles; Yellow .5 miles). There are five other connector trails which create a variety of possibilities. The red loop trail goes all the way around the Butler Reservoir and is accessible by the 1 mile blue trail from the parking lot.
References
- ^ "Apshawa Preserve". New Jersey Conservation Foundation. Retrieved July 12, 2014.
- ^ a b "West Milford's Apshawa Preserve!". NJUrbanForest.com. August 11, 2011. Archived from the original on July 14, 2014. Retrieved July 12, 2014.
- ^ "Hiker snapped pictures of bear before fatal attack in West Milford". 25 November 2014. Retrieved November 26, 2014.
- ^ "Apshawa Preserve". New Jersey Conservation Foundation. Retrieved 2019-04-23.
- ^ McLewin, Phil (2016-10-21). "Apshawa Preserve". New York - New Jersey Trail Conference. Retrieved 2019-04-23.