The Union County Department of Parks & Recreation will host a meeting to present a Trails Master Plan that has been developed for the Watchung Reservation. This plan will create new trails and open the Watchung Reservation to mountain biking.
The meeting will be held on Tuesday, March 7 at 7:00 p.m. at the Trailside Nature & Science Center. Trailside is located in the Watchung Reservation at 452 New Providence Road, Mountainside.
Representatives of the Parks Department and its trails planning consultant will explain the master plan and answer questions. There will be ample opportunity for those who use the trails and other features or facilities in the Watchung Reservation to offer their input on the plan.
There is no sign-up or reservation required to attend or to speak at the meeting. A similar meeting was held last October, primarily for mountain biking enthusiasts.
The Trails Master Plan includes the construction of 13 1/2 miles of new trails which will be restricted to mountain biking only. The new trails will be spread throughout most areas of the park. Portions of the Sierra Trail and other existing hiking or equestrian trails will be shared by all users, including mountain bikers. Some sections of existing hiking trails will be closed.
A map showing the location of the trails that will be constructed can be found at https://ucnj.org/watchung-reservation-trails-master-plan/