Spend some time with nature.
With the summer underway and the weather being perfect for outdoor activities, why not try giving hiking a try on your to do list of outdoor fun this summer? It’s a great way to spend time with friends, family and can make for a great day trip with your significant other. Not only is this a great way to get in exercise this summer, but it is also an amazing way to learn and see the great amount of diverse wildlife around Montclair. Through some research and personal treks myself, here are two great parks and trails that are great to start with.
Mills Reservation, located on Normal Avenue, is a 143 acre park that consists of many amazing nature trails that run through the length of the park. This makes the reservation a great spot for hikers of any skill and endurance level. Some research and reviews of the park suggest that one major drawback to this park is the many unleashed dogs that can be a nuisance at times; however, if you go on your own way to the trails in the park’s interior and stay away from the main park loop, you should avoid any problems. I myself didn’t run into any problems and the nature trails deeper into the park seemed free of pets.
Alonzo F. Bonsal Wildlife Preserve, located on Riverview Drive, is a 20 acre wildlife preserve and contains more stunning trials to explore. Not only is this another great hiking spot but it is a great spot to go bird watching as well since the park contains and protects many species of birds hardly found anywhere else in the state. Since the park is a natural preserve much of it has been untouched and has been left alone from human intervention. The amount of wildlife in the park is also uncanny as said here from their website, njurbanforest.com, “The richest concentration of wildlife found in the Third River watershed is found in the Bonsal Preserve. Baltimore Orioles, Red-Eyed Vireos, Red-Winged Blackbirds, White-Tailed Deer and Raccoon have all been spotted among others.”
If you love nature and have an active lifestyle maybe a hike through these two great parks is just what you are looking for this summer. Including the fact that they are conveniently located in Montclair itself and are not hard to get to. So pack a bag with some water and maybe some food because this is one of the many great ways to get out and appreciate the summer in Montclair this year!
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