Kings Pond Park

Last updated
Kings Pond Park
KingsPondPark KingsPond.jpg
Kings Pond in Kings Pond Park, Ridgewood
Kings Pond Park
Type Municipal park
Location Ridgewood, New Jersey, United States
Coordinates 40°58′41″N74°08′31″W / 40.97806°N 74.14194°W / 40.97806; -74.14194 (Kings Pond Park) Coordinates: 40°58′41″N74°08′31″W / 40.97806°N 74.14194°W / 40.97806; -74.14194 (Kings Pond Park)
Area30 acres (12 ha)
Operated by Village of Ridgewood Division of Parks, Shade Tree, and School Grounds
StatusOpen all year

Kings Pond Park, including the associated Gypsy Pond Park, is a public, municipal park spanning close to the entire length of Goffle Brook through the village of Ridgewood in Bergen County, New Jersey. It is the second largest wildscape in the village of Ridgewood [1] and one of the larger wooded areas along the lower Bergen-Passaic border.

Contents

Description

Map of Kings Pond Park and Gypsy Pond Park KingsPondPark Map.png
Map of Kings Pond Park and Gypsy Pond Park

Kings Pond Park forms a forested greenway extending from just south of CR 87 Lake Ave at the Midland Park border to just north of Rock Rd at the Hawthorne/Passaic County border. Technically, Kings Pond Park is really two parks, Kings Pond Park, surrounding Kings Pond in north, and Gypsy Pond Park, encircling its namesake pond in the south. The main entrance to the park is on the east side of Lakeview Drive, but there are additional entrances, including a path running from the end of McKinley Place (off of nearby Mountain Ave). Another entrance is found along the Hawthorne border where an unmarked driveway enters the park from Rock Road, following the New York, Susquehanna and Western Railway. [1]

The main feature of the park is a nature trail which extends nearly a mile across the park's length. Other recreational opportunities primarily involve the park's two ponds and include ice skating in the winter [2] and fishing and canoeing in the summer. Additionally, a grassy field covers much of the west bank of Kings Pond along Lakeview Drive.

Wildlife

Forty species of birds reside in Kings Pond Park, including many common species of ducks and Canada geese. In the forest, bracken fern is a prominent ground plant. Another plant commonly seen growing along the railroad bed is pinxter flower, or pink azalea (Rhododendron periclymenoides). Herbs such as wild garlic and mustard also grow throughout the park. [2]

See also

Related Research Articles

Route 21 is a state highway in northern New Jersey, running 14.35 mi (23.09 km) from the Newark Airport Interchange with U.S. Route 1/9 (US 1-9) and US 22 in Newark, Essex County to an interchange with US 46 in Clifton, Passaic County. The route is a four- to six-lane divided highway known as McCarter Highway on its southern portion in Newark that serves as a connector between the Newark and Paterson areas, following the west bank of the Passaic River for much of its length. It also serves as the main north–south highway through the central part of Newark, connecting attractions in Downtown Newark with Newark Airport. The portion of Route 21 through Newark is a surface arterial that runs alongside the elevated Northeast Corridor rail line through the southern part of the city and continues north through Downtown Newark while the portion north of Downtown Newark is a freeway. Route 21 intersects many major roads including Interstate 78 (I-78), Route 27, and I-280 in Newark, Route 7 in Belleville, and Route 3 in Clifton.

Route 208 is a state highway in the northern part of New Jersey in the United States. It runs 10.07 miles (16.21 km) from an interchange with Route 4 and County Route 79 in Fair Lawn northwest to an interchange with Interstate 287 (I-287) in Oakland. The route runs through suburban areas of Bergen and Passaic counties as a four- to six-lane divided highway. It is a limited-access road, as intersections with cross roads are controlled by interchanges, but is not a controlled access road as several driveways exist. The route runs through the communities of Fair Lawn, Glen Rock, Hawthorne, Wyckoff, and Franklin Lakes along the way, interchanging with CR 507 in Fair Lawn and CR 502 in Franklin Lakes.

Passaic River River in New Jersey, United States

The Passaic River is a river, approximately 80 mi (129 km) long, in northern New Jersey, United States. The river in its upper course flows in a highly circuitous route, meandering through the swamp lowlands between the ridge hills of rural and suburban northern New Jersey, called the Great Swamp, draining much of the northern portion of the state through its tributaries. In its lower portion, it flows through the most urbanized and industrialized areas of the state, including along downtown Newark. The lower river suffered from severe pollution and industrial abandonment in the 20th century. In April 2014, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced a $1.7 billion plan to remove 4.3 million cubic yards of toxic mud from the bottom of lower eight miles (13 km) of the river. It is considered one of the most polluted stretches of water in the nation and the project one of the largest clean-ups ever undertaken.

Bergen County Line Commuter rail line in New Jersey

The Bergen County Line is a commuter rail line and service owned and operated by New Jersey Transit in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The line loops off the Main Line between the Meadowlands and Glen Rock, with trains continuing in either direction along the Main Line. It is colored on NJT system maps in grey, and its symbol is a cattail, which are commonly found in the Meadowlands where the line runs.

Saddle River (Passaic River tributary)

The Saddle River flows south through much of Bergen County, New Jersey. The river runs through densely populated suburban areas for much of its course. The river takes its name from the river near Saddell in Argyll and Bute in Scotland.

Forest Park (Queens) Public park in Queens, New York

Forest Park is a park in the New York City borough of Queens, spanning 538 acres (218 ha). It is the tenth-largest park in New York City and the third-largest in Queens. Created on August 9, 1895, it was originally referred to as Brooklyn Forest Park, as the area was part of Brooklyn at the time.

Ho-Ho-Kus Brook

Ho-Ho-Kus Brook is a tributary of the Saddle River in Bergen County, New Jersey, in the United States.

Goffle Brook

Goffle Brook is a tributary of the Passaic River which flows south through a section of Passaic County and Bergen County in New Jersey and drains the eastern side of the First Watchung Mountain. Heading up the brook from the confluence with the Passaic River, one encounters the borough of Hawthorne, the village of Ridgewood, the borough of Midland Park, and the township of Wyckoff.

Diamond Brook

Diamond Brook, also known as Bass Brook, is a tributary of the Passaic River which flows south through a section of Bergen County in New Jersey, United States. Heading up the brook from the Passaic River, one encounters the boroughs of Fair Lawn and Glen Rock, as well as the village of Ridgewood.

Endcliffe Park Park in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England

Endcliffe Park is a large park in the city of Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. The park was opened in 1887 to commemorate the Jubilee of Queen Victoria. When travelling West from the city centre it is the first in a series of parks and green spaces, known collectively as Porter Valley Parks, all of which lie along the course of the Porter Brook. The next park in the sequence is Bingham Park, separated from Endcliffe Park by Rustlings Road. In 1924 Patrick Abercrombie said of the parks, "The Porter Brook Parkway, consisting as it does of a string of contiguous open spaces, is the finest example to be found in this country of a radial park strip, an elongated open space, leading from a built-up part of the city direct into the country, the land occupied being a river valley and so for the greater part unsuitable for building."

County Route 507 is a county highway in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The highway extends 28.37 mi (45.66 km) from Harrison Avenue on the Kearny-Harrison town line to the New York state line in Mahwah. Between Ho-Ho-Kus and Mahwah, this highway is known as Franklin Turnpike. At its northern terminus, County Route 507 continues north into New York as Orange Avenue, which is a portion of U.S. Route 202 (US 202).

Saddle River County Park County park in Bergen County, New Jersey

Saddle River County Park is a 596-acre (2.41 km2) county park in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States, stretching from Ridgewood to Rochelle Park, and extends out to Glen Rock. The park is located along the Saddle River and consists of five sections, all of which are connected by a paved path that is open to both pedestrians and bicyclists.

Passaic–Bergen–Hudson Transit Project

The Passaic–Bergen–Hudson Transit Project is a project by NJ Transit to reintroduce passenger service on a portion of the New York, Susquehanna and Western Railway (NYSW) right-of-way (ROW) in Passaic, Bergen and Hudson counties counties using newly built, FRA-compliant diesel multiple unit rail cars. Plans call for service to run from Hawthorne south through Paterson, east to Hackensack and then southeast to North Bergen, where it would join the Hudson-Bergen Light Rail (HBLR).

Molly Ann Brook

Molly Ann Brook is a tributary of the Passaic River which flows south between the northern ranges of First Watchung Mountain and Second Watchung Mountain in Passaic County and Bergen County, New Jersey. Traveling north from its confluence with the Passaic River, Molly Ann Brook passes through the city of Paterson and the boroughs of Haledon, Prospect Park, North Haledon and Franklin Lakes.

Goffle Brook Park

Goffle Brook Park is a public, county park spanning much of the length of Goffle Brook through the borough of Hawthorne in Passaic County, New Jersey, United States. Since its designation and construction between 1930 and 1932, the park has served to protect the waters of Goffle Brook while at the same time providing recreational opportunities to the residents of Passaic County and nearby Bergen County. Goffle Brook Park has been included in the National Register of Historic Places since 2002.

Goffle Hill Mountain range in New Jersey, USA

Goffle Hill, also referred to as Goffle Mountain and historically known as Totoway Mountain and Wagaraw Mountain, is a range of the trap rock Watchung Mountains on the western edge of the Newark Basin in northern New Jersey. The hill straddles part of the border of Bergen County and Passaic County, underlying a mostly suburban setting. While hosting patches of woodlands, perched wetlands, and traprock glades, the hill is largely unprotected from development. Extensive quarrying for trap rock has obliterated large tracts of the hill in North Haledon, and Prospect Park. Conservation efforts seeking to preserve undeveloped land, such as the local Save the Woods initiative (2007–present), are ongoing.

McDonald's Brook is tributary of the Passaic River. It is a natural stream originating in Clifton, New Jersey, passing through Passaic, New Jersey. For most of its length, it runs underground in a culvert constructed by the United States Army Corps of Engineers. Prior to the construction of the culvert, larger parts of it ran through a ground-level stream bed, though parts of it ran underground even in its natural configuration.

Franklin Lakes Nature Preserve

Franklin Lakes Nature Preserve is a 147 acre public nature reserve located mostly within Franklin Lakes, New Jersey, with a tiny portion extending into North Haledon, New Jersey. Situated between the First and Second ridges of the northern Watchung Mountains, the preserve occupies the site of the former Haledon Reservoir, which previously supplied water to North Haledon, Haledon, and Prospect Park. Passive recreation opportunities include hiking, fishing, and bird watching.

Wortendyke, New Jersey Unincorporated community in New Jersey, United States

Wortendyke is a residential and commercial unincorporated community located within Midland Park, in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States.

Wortendyke station

Wortendyke is a former railroad station in Midland Park, New Jersey along the New York, Susquehanna and Western (NYSW) main line which serves rail freight. Passenger service was discontinued in 1966. The station house and adjacent rail cars are used for local businesses.

References