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In collaboration with Morris Township, the County Park Commission, and the Boy Scouts, the BPA has created a network of hiking trails in Jones Woods and the Green Strip (see map). Together with the Morris Twp Parks and Recreation Department, BPA board member Rick Bye and volunteers of all ages have extended the trails into a 3+ mile network that has been marked, mapped, enhanced and maintained on an ongoing basis. Download map.
The BPA and Morris Township has instituted a program of invasive species management and habitat restoration in the Green Strip and Jones Woods which includes removing vines that are strangling trees, controlling erosion by spreading native grass and forb seeds on steep slopes and rutted areas, and removing invasive plants and replacing with natives. Contact us to join the team! Jones Woods Enter through the gate at the dirt road where Hillcrest Ave meets East Lake Ave. The trail head is a few hundred yards on the right. Five trails - marked in yellow, white, red, blue and green - interconnect and loop around the pond and stream, down to Mendham Road, up to Picatinny Road and over to the Municipal Water Authority dirt road in back of the houses on Dorothy Drive, and up to Villa Walsh School. Benches installed by the Boy Scouts are situated around the pond and stream. Green Strip This trail runs through the wooded green space area between East and West Lake avenues, off of lower East Lake up to the top where East Lake and Hilllcrest avenues meet. This trail needs regular maintenance, best handled through regular use, so spread the word! Why not walk on a trail through the woods rather than on pavement! Hikes
BPA's 75th Anniversary - 2023 Hikes are planned throughout the year. Let us know if you would like to be notified of hikes. Saturday, May 13, 2023, at 1pm. Jones Woods hike. Meet at the gravel road entrance located off Hillcrest Ave where it intersects with East and West Lake Aves. Co-sponsored by "Morris Township in Motion (TBA)" and the BPA. May 7, 2023, the BPA's 75th Anniversary Family Fun Day in Burnham Park included a guided hike through Burnham Park, the Green Strip and up to Jones Woods pond. Trailmaster Rick Bye led a hike in the fall of 2019 in Jones Woods. He gave a brief history of the area and pointed out landmarks along the way. Others on the hike identified plants and how they got here. It was a glorious day with adults, kids and dogs enjoying the hidden gem locals call our "100 Acre Woods." History BPA member Tom Bowmaster began blazing hiking trails in Jones Woods and the Green Strip in 2017 in collaboration with Morris Township, the County Park Commission, and the Boy Scouts. In 2019, Rick Bye took over. Together with the Morris Twp Parks and Recreation Department, Rick and volunteers of all ages have extended the trails into a 3+ mile network that has been marked, mapped, enhanced and maintained on an ongoing basis. |
Jones Woods Trails
New Bridge in Jones Woods
In February 2020, the Morris Township Recreation Department built a bridge over the gully for easier access to the trail in Jones Woods that runs around the rim of the reservoir.
In February 2020, the Morris Township Recreation Department built a bridge over the gully for easier access to the trail in Jones Woods that runs around the rim of the reservoir.