Union County Trail Gets A Face-Lift

Mountainside, NJ -- It's a great weekend for a hike.

Why not try out the newly cleared and upgraded portion of the Ruth Yablonsky Geology  Trail in the Watchung Reservation?

To celebrate National Trails Day 2016 on June 4, 18 volunteers cleared the area of encroaching vegetation and built a set of stairs on the section of the trail.

“The project involved re-routing a trail that suffered a great deal of damage following a freak rain storm last August,” stated Freeholder Chairman Bruce H. Bergen in a release. “Thanks to the volunteers who donated their time and effort, the trail is in much better shape for all to enjoy.”

The re-routing project is still under way. It also included members of the Adopt-A-Trail Chainsaw crew, who removed several fallen trees from the trail.

The Chainsaw Crew was established in the 1990’s. The volunteers’ service in support of the Parks Department has enabled popular hiking trails to re-open in a timely manner after heavy storm damage, such as that occurring in the aftermath of hurricanes Irene and Sandy.

The Geology Trail is a popular destination that highlights some of the outstanding geological features in the Watchung Mountains. It is located near the Trailside Nature & Science Center, 452 New Providence Road in Mountainside.

A downloadable, self-guided walking tour of the Geology Trail is available at ucnj.org/geo-hike.

Any individual or group can join the Adopt-a-Park/Adopt-a-Trail program and assist with conservation programs in Union County’s system of 36 public parks. For more information visit ucnj.org/parks.

A downloadable trail map of the Watchung Reservation is also available at ucnj.org/parks.

(Photo by County of Union: Participants in National Trails Day 2016 take a well-deserved break during their volunteer project at the Ruth Yablonsky Geology trail in Union County’s Watchung Reservation.)