Lake Surprise | |
---|---|
Location | Berkeley Heights, New Jersey, Mountainside, New Jersey, United States |
Coordinates | 40°41′07″N74°22′45″W / 40.68528°N 74.37917°W |
Type | Reservoir |
Primary inflows | Blue Brook |
Primary outflows | Blue Brook |
Basin countries | United States |
Surface elevation | 269 ft (82 m) |
Lake Surprise [1] is a reservoir made by Surprise Lake Dam [2] on the Blue Brook in Watchung Reservation. On the border of Berkeley Heights and Mountainside in Union County, New Jersey, the lake was created in 1845 [3] for David Felt's papermill. [4]
The lake was previously known as Feltville Lake, then renamed Ackerman Lake, and renamed again as Silver Lake. The Union County Park Commission bought the property for inclusion in the Watchung Reservation[ when? ] and named it Lake Surprise, due to the winding road park planners paved, on which a visitor's view of the lake is obscured until the visitor is right next to the lake.[ citation needed ]
Watchung is a borough in Somerset County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, located approximately 29 miles (47 km) west of New York City. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 6,449, an increase of 648 (+11.2%) from the 2010 census count of 5,801, which in turn reflected an increase of 188 (+3.3%) from the 5,613 counted in the 2000 census. It is located within the Raritan Valley region.
Berkeley Heights is a township in Union County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Located on a ridge in northern-central New Jersey, Berkeley Heights is a commuter town of New York City in the New York metropolitan area, nestled within the Raritan Valley region and also bordering both Morris and Somerset counties in the Passaic Valley region. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 13,285, an increase of 102 (+0.8%) from the 2010 census count of 13,183, which in turn reflected a decline of 224 (−1.7%) from the 13,407 counted in the 2000 census.
The Great Falls of the Passaic River is a prominent waterfall, 77 feet (23 m) high, on the Passaic River in the city of Paterson in Passaic County, New Jersey. The falls and surrounding area are protected as part of the Paterson Great Falls National Historical Park, administered by the National Park Service. Congress authorized its establishment in 2009.
Lake Passaic was a prehistoric proglacial lake that existed in northern New Jersey in the United States at the end of the last ice age approximately 19,000–14,000 years ago. The lake was formed of waters released by the retreating Wisconsin Glacier, which had pushed large quantities of earth and rock ahead of its advance, blocking the previous natural drainage of the ancestral Passaic River through a gap in the central Watchung Mountains. The lake persisted for several thousand years as melting ice and eroding moraine dams slowly drained the former lake basin. The effect of the lake's creation permanently altered the course of the Passaic River, forcing it to take a circuitous route through the northern Watchung Mountains before spilling out into the lower piedmont.
The Watchung Mountains are a group of three long low ridges of volcanic origin, between 400 and 500 feet high, lying parallel to each other in northern New Jersey in the United States. The name is derived from the American Native Lenape name for them, Wach Unks. In the 18th century, the Euro-American settlers also called them the Blue Mountains or Blue Hills. The Watchung Mountains are known for their numerous scenic vistas overlooking the skylines of New York City and Newark, New Jersey, as well as their isolated ecosystems containing rare plants, endangered wildlife, rich minerals, and globally imperiled trap rock glade communities. The ridges traditionally contained the westward spread of urbanization, forming a significant geologic barrier beyond the piedmont west of the Hudson River; the town of Newark, for example, once included lands from the Hudson to the base of the mountains. Later treaties moved the boundary to the top of the mountain, to include the springs.
Hāʻena State Park is a state park on the north shore of the Hawaiian island of Kauaʻi. It is often called the "end of the road" and marks the endpoint of the Kuhio Highway. The park provides access to beaches, trails, and several ancient Hawaiian sites, including sea caves estimated to be more than 4,000 years old. Archaeological sites associated with the hula, including a heiau (shrine) dedicated to Laka, are above the park's beaches.
Swartswood State Park is a 3,460-acre (14.0 km2) protected area located in the Swartswood section of Stillwater and Hampton townships in Sussex County, New Jersey, in the United States. Established in 1915 by the state's Forest Park Reservation Commission, it was the first state park established by the state of New Jersey for the purposes of recreation at the state's third-largest freshwater lake. Today, Swartswood State Park is operated and maintained by the New Jersey Division of Parks and Forestry.
Garret Mountain Reservation is a 568-acre (230 ha) park located on First Watchung Mountain in Paterson and Woodland Park in southern Passaic County, New Jersey. In 1967, it was designated a National Natural Landmark as part of the Great Falls of Paterson-Garret Mountain listing. The park extends into Clifton. Garret Mountain is Passaic County's major recreational area, providing the visitors with grass fields, several miles of walking/running trails, basketball courts, picnic areas, Barbour's Pond is state stocked with fish for anglers, as well as an Equestrian Center with horseback riding lessons.
Watchung Reservation is the largest nature reserve in Union County, New Jersey, United States. The Watchung area is located on a ridge within northern-central New Jersey, as it consists mainly of the upper valley of Blue Brook, between the ridges of the First Watchung Mountain and Second Watchung Mountains. A dam near the headwaters of the creek creates Lake Surprise.
Cushetunk Mountain is a ring shaped mountain in the U.S. state of New Jersey, located in Readington and Clinton Township in Hunterdon County. The Lenape Native Americans called the mountain "Cushetunk" meaning "place of hogs" after the wild hogs found there. In the 1960s, the valley at the heart of the mountain was dammed and filled with water to create Round Valley Reservoir. Today, the mountain and its accompanying lake act as a vital water supply to Central New Jersey, while at the same time providing numerous recreational opportunities to the region.
Campgaw Mountain is the northernmost ridge of the volcanically formed Watchung Mountains, along the border of Franklin Lakes, Oakland, and Mahwah in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. Located almost entirely within the bounds of Campgaw Mountain Reservation, the mountain offers numerous outdoor recreational opportunities, including the only ski slope in the Watchungs. Campgaw Mountain is commonly considered to be part of the greater Ramapo Mountains region, but the flora and geology of the mountain is quite different from the surrounding area and more closely resembles the nearby Preakness Range to the south.
The Feltville Historic District, located in the Watchung Reservation in Berkeley Heights, Union County, New Jersey, United States, is a historic area which contains several buildings dating to the 18th century. It is known locally as "Deserted Village."
Hylebos Creek is a stream located in the U.S. state of Washington near Tacoma and emptying into Commencement Bay, part of Puget Sound. It flows through southern King County and northern Pierce County, through the cities of Tacoma, Federal Way, Milton, and Fife, as well as the Puyallup Indian Reservation.
Middle Brook is a tributary of the Raritan River in Somerset County, New Jersey. The stream can be referred to as Rha-weigh-weiros, a Native American name meaning "running from a deep hole", on early maps of the area.
The Watchung Outliers include six areas of isolated low hills and rock outcrops of volcanic and sedimentary origin in the U.S. states of New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. These geologic outliers are primarily diminutive and detached remnants of the Triassic/Jurassic age Watchung Mountain basalt flows with intervening layers of sedimentary rock. All six of the outliers are found along the western edge of the Newark Basin, occupying small synclines adjacent to the Ramapo fault system. The outliers, from north to south, are known as: Ladentown, Union Hill, New Germantown/Oldwick, Prospect Hill, Sand Brook, and Jacksonwald.
Jutland is an unincorporated community located within Union Township in Hunterdon County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.
Blue Brook is a tributary of Green Brook in Union County, New Jersey, in the United States.
Rancocas is an unincorporated community located within Westampton Township in Burlington County, New Jersey. The name derives from the Native American word Rankokous, which was used in the name of the Powhatan Lenape Nation Indian Reservation located in Westampton Township. The name was also known as a sub-tribe of the Ancocus. The Reservation was a popular tourist destination for visitors from the Philadelphia area, New York, and local residents, before the Reservation became Rancocas State Park.
High Mountain is a mountain on the Bergen and Passaic county line, New Jersey. The peak rises to 1,106 feet (337 m). It is part of the Ramapo Mountains, and is not to be confused with the like-named High Mountain in the Preakness Range of the Watchung Mountains. High Mountain is partially within Ringwood State Park.
The Houdaille Quarry is a 120-acre (49 ha) former rock quarry located in Springfield Township, Union County, New Jersey bordering the northern edge of the Baltusrol Golf Club.