Hartshorne Woods Park
Hartshorne Woods Park (pronounced: hurt-shern) is a 736-acre (298 ha) county park located in Northern Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States, in New Jersey's Bayshore Region. The park has 16 miles (26 km) of trails, several old military bunkers and a small beach with a fishing pier. It is roughly bordered to the north and west by Navesink Ave and Route 36. Its southern borders are Hartshorne Road and the Navesink River. Its eastern border is the Upper Shrewsbury River. The Park is split into three sections from west to east: The Buttermilk Valley Section, the Monmouth Hills Section, and the Rocky Point Section.
History
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a0/Battery_Lewis_NJ7.jpg/300px-Battery_Lewis_NJ7.jpg)
The park is named after Richard Hartshorne, who acquired the land from the Lenape for thirteen shillings after sailing to the Highland in 1674.[1][2] Rocky Point, the 224-acre (0.91 km2) easternmost section of the park, contains a World War Two-era Coast Artillery site known as Battery Lewis on the former Highlands Military Reservation (also called Navesink Military Reservation). Later, the Highlands Air Force Station, a long-range air defense radar installation and the Highlands Army Air Defense Site (HAADS) were constructed here. The Air Force closed its installation in 1966. The Army continued to operate HAADS through 1974 to support Nike missile batteries throughout the region, including some which were later revealed by historians at nearby Sandy Hook recreation area to carry nuclear warheads.
In January 2017 a retired US Navy 16"/50 caliber Mark 7 gun, serial number 291, formerly fitted aboard USS New Jersey (BB-62), later retained as a spare for the Iowa-class battleships, was placed on display in one of the gun positions of Battery Lewis.
Major trails
Classification:
- Green Circles indicate: Easy Trails for walking.
- Blue Squares indicate: Moderate Trails for hikers, equestrians and all-terrain bicycles.
- Black Diamonds indicate: Challenging Trails for experienced hikers, equestrians and all-terrain bicyclists.
Buttermilk Valley
- Kings Hollow Trail- easy loop (0.7 mile)
- Candlestick Trail- easy (1.5 miles) - Navesink Overlook
- Laurel Ridge Trail- moderate loop (2.5 miles)
Monmouth Hills
- Cuesta Ridge Trail- moderate (1.6 miles)
- Grand Tour Trail- challenging (3.1 miles)
Rocky Point
- Lewis Overlook- easy loop (0.2 mile) - There is a trail to the top of Battery Lewis with great views.
- Battery Loop- moderate loop (1.3 miles) - Paved surface
- Black Fish Cove- moderate (0.3 mile) - Steep trail to pier
- Command Loop- moderate (0.4 mile) - Paved surface
- Bunker Loop- moderate (0.3 mile)
- Rocky Point Trail- challenging (4.1 miles)
Notes
References
- Monmouth County Parks System, "Hartshorne Woods Park" n.p., 2005.
- "Mountain Bike Trails in New Jersey: Shore Region: Hartshorne Woods Park". May 25, 2006. [1]
External links
- v
- t
- e
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- Middletown Township Public School District
- Monmouth County Vocational School District
- Brookdale Community College
- Christian Brothers Academy
- Mater Dei High School
- Oak Hill Academy
- Gateway National Recreation Area
- Hartshorne Woods Park
- Henry Hudson Trail
- Poricy Park
- Tatum Park
- Thompson Park
- All Saint's Memorial Church
- Brookdale Farm Historic District
- Dempsey Pump House
- Fort Hancock and the Sandy Hook Proving Ground Historic District
- Grover House
- MacLeod–Rice House
- Middletown Village Historic District
- Christ Church
- Navesink Historic District
- Sandy Hook Light
- Seabrook–Wilson House
- Union Schoolhouse
- Water Witch Club Historic District
- Middletown station
- List of NJ Transit bus routes (800–880)
- NY Waterway
- Seastreak
- Garden State Parkway
- Route 35
- Route 36
- Newman Springs Road
- County Routes
- Evil Clown of Middletown
- Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
- Naval Weapons Station Earle
- Navesink River
- Raritan Bayshore
- Quick Stop Convenience Store (where Clerks was filmed)
- Woods Park Website[permanent dead link]
- Mountain Biking in Hartshorne Woods
- Highlands Army Air Defense Site Archived 2007-04-03 at the Wayback Machine