Thompson Park | |
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Type | Suburban county park and nature reservation |
Location | Monroe Township, New Jersey |
Operated by | Middlesex County Park System |
Status | Open all year |
Website | https://www.middlesexcountynj.gov/Home/Components/FacilityDirectory/FacilityDirectory/71/261 |
Thompson Park is a 675-acre park and 925-acre nature reservation. [1] The entire park is connected to sports fields operated by Monroe Township High School, and located in the municipalities of Monroe Township and Jamesburg in Middlesex County, New Jersey. It is the largest park in the Middlesex County Park System, and features Lake Manalapan at its center. [2]
The park has a wide array of amenities, making it popular for families. It includes a playground, basketball courts, tennis courts, a disc golf course, a dog park, and open fields for other forms of recreation. On the shores of Lake Manalapan is an artificial beach, with volleyball nets. There are also various picnic grounds and gazebos. [3]
The nature reservation at Thompson Park totals about 925-acres and stretches from the main section of Thompson Park on Schoolhouse Road to the Gravel Hill. The heavily wooded reservation is located along the Manalapan Brook, with some of the land still being utilized by local farmers in cultivating crops. [1] The reservation features roughly 9 miles of easy-to-moderate trails. [4] [5] There are two main trails, the main 8-mile Hoffman Station trail connects to the rest of Thompson Park through open fields and is considered easier. The shorter Gravel Hill trail traverses through hills and forestland, but is considered harder. [5] Other activities such as walking, bird watching, and photography. [4] Hunting is also allowed along the heavily forested Gravel Hill trail, but not on the more open Hoffman Station trail.
The park also features a small fenced in zoo. The zoo has various native and exotic animals on display. [6] Some of these animals include goats, pigs, emu, deer, turkeys, and peacocks.
Located along the course of Manalapan Brook, Lake Manalapan is at the center of this park. Despite its name, the body of water is more akin to a pond rather than a traditional lake. [2] Lake Manalapan is a popular place for fishermen and fisherwomen for freshwater fishing. The pond features a diverse species of fish, such as bass, bluegill, yellow perch, and black crappie. [7] Other water activities such as kayaking and rowing are also popular, (although motorboats are not allowed on the lake).
East Brunswick is a township in Middlesex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The suburban bedroom community is part of the New York City metropolitan area and is located on the southern shore of the Raritan River, directly adjacent to the city of New Brunswick and located roughly 29 miles (47 km) away from New York City. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 49,715, its highest decennial count ever and an increase of 2,203 (+4.6%) from the 2010 census count of 47,512, which in turn reflected an increase of 756 (+1.6%) from the 46,756 counted in the 2000 census.
Jamesburg is a borough in Middlesex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 5,783, a decrease of 132 (−2.2%) from the 2010 census count of 5,915, which in turn reflected a decline of 110 (−1.8%) from the 6,025 counted in the 2000 census.
Monroe Township is a township located in southern Middlesex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The township is centrally located within the Raritan Valley region and is an outer-ring suburb of New York City within the New York metropolitan area. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 48,594, its highest decennial count ever and an increase of 9,462 (+24.2%) from the 39,132 recorded at the 2010 census, which in turn reflected an increase of 11,133 (+39.8%) from the 27,999 counted in the 2000 census. Monroe Township also comprises the largest land area of any municipality in Middlesex County, at approximately 42 square miles (110 km2).
Manalapan Township is a township in western Monmouth County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The township is centrally located within the Raritan Valley region and is a part of the New York Metropolitan Area. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 40,905, its highest decennial count ever and an increase of 2,033 (+5.2%) from the 2010 census count of 38,872, which in turn reflected an increase of 5,449 (+16.3%) from the 33,423 counted in the 2000 census.
Hocking Hills State Park is a state park in the Hocking Hills region of Hocking County, Ohio, United States. In some areas the park adjoins the Hocking State Forest. Within the park are over 25 miles (40 km) of hiking trails, rock formations, waterfalls, and recess caves. The trails are open from dawn to dusk, all year round, including holidays.
Cleveland Metroparks is an extensive system of nature preserves in Greater Cleveland, Ohio. Eighteen reservations, which largely encircle the city of Cleveland, follow along the shore of Lake Erie and the rivers and creeks that flow through the region. Referred to unofficially as the 'Emerald Necklace', the network of parks spans over 25,000 acres (10,000 ha) and includes over 300 miles (480 km) of walking, bicycle, and horse trails as well as numerous picnic areas, nature education centers, golf courses, and countless fishing spots. In addition, the district includes the zoo in Cleveland. Four of the reservations are adjacent to Cuyahoga Valley National Park.
Manalapan Brook is a tributary of the South River in Monmouth and Middlesex counties, New Jersey in the United States.
The Monroe Township School District is a comprehensive community public school district that serves students in kindergarten through twelfth grade from Monroe Township, in Middlesex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.
Monroe Township High School is a comprehensive four-year public high school located in Monroe Township, in Middlesex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, serving students in ninth through twelfth grades part of the Monroe Township School District. The school serves students from Monroe Township and approximately 300 from Jamesburg who attend Monroe Township High School as part of a sending/receiving relationship with the Jamesburg Public Schools that has been in place since 1980. The school's mascot is a falcon and the school colors are purple and Vegas gold. The motto is "Excellence is Our Expectation".
Turkey Swamp Park is a 2,388-acre (966 ha) county park and nature preserve in Freehold Township, New Jersey. Within the northernmost fringes of the Pine Barrens, the Turkey Swamp area is located on a ridge, being a major drainage divide within Central New Jersey. It includes the headwaters of the Manasquan that flows into Manasquan Inlet, and the Metedeconk and Toms River systems that flow into Barnegat Bay, to the east; the Manalapan Brook system that is part of the Raritan River basin, to the north; and the Assunpink and Crosswicks systems that flow into the Delaware River, and the Millstone River system that also flows to the Raritan, to the west. The chief recreational attraction of this park is the 17-acre (6.9 ha) lake suitable for bass, bluegill and catfish fishing, as well as canoeing and paddle boating.
The Jamesburg Public Schools are a community public school district that serves students in kindergarten through eighth grade from Jamesburg, in Middlesex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.
County Route 527 is a county highway in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The highway extends 84.8 mi (136.47 km) from Main Street in Toms River to Pompton Avenue in Cedar Grove. It passes through more counties (six) than any other county route in New Jersey. CR 527 is also the second longest 500-series county route in New Jersey after Route 519. The county route traverses through the northernmost stretches of the Pine Barrens in South Jersey, much of the Raritan Valley and Rahway Valley regions in Central Jersey, and the First and Second Watchung Mountains in North Jersey. It passes through Ocean, Monmouth, Middlesex, Somerset, Union, and Essex counties on the eastern side of the state.
County Route 522 is a county highway in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The highway extends 21 miles (34 km) from Route 27 in South Brunswick to West Main Street in Freehold Borough.
The Freehold and Jamesburg Agricultural Railroad was a short-line railroad in New Jersey. The railroad traversed through the communities of Freehold Borough, Freehold Township, Manalapan Township, Englishtown Borough, Monroe Township, and Jamesburg Borough, en route to Monmouth Junction in South Brunswick Township.
Stony Brook Reservation is a woodland park in Boston and Dedham, Massachusetts, a unit of the Metropolitan Park System of Greater Boston, part of the state park system of Massachusetts. It was established in 1894 as one of the five original reservations created by the Metropolitan Park Commission. The park is served by the Stony Brook Reservation Parkways, a road system that was entered into the National Register of Historic Places in 2006.
Jamesburg High School was a public high school that operated in Jamesburg, Middlesex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, as the lone secondary school of the Jamesburg Public Schools until its closure at the end of the 1978–79 school year.
Hoffman is an unincorporated community located within Monroe Township in Middlesex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The settlement is located at the site of a former railroad station on the Freehold and Jamesburg Agricultural Railroad. Today, most of the area is made up of homes and housing developments along Hoffman Station Road and Gravel Hill-Spotswood Road. Forestland and the Manalapan Brook valley make up the remainder of the area.
Powhatan State Park is a state park located along the James River in Virginia. It is in Powhatan County. The park is 1,565 acres (6 km2) total with a 2-mile (3.2 km) of riverfront. Powhatan opened in 2013 after a 10-year process of transferring it from use by the Virginia Department of Juvenile Justice to a Virginia state park.
The Middlesex County Park System is an agency that maintains over 32 parks and recreational areas, in Middlesex County, New Jersey, United States. The largest park is Thompson Park in Monroe Township and Jamesburg with 675 acres.
Forsgate is a golf course community and census-designated place (CDP) in Monroe Township, Middlesex County, New Jersey, United States. It consists of Forsgate Country Club and its associated housing developments. As of the 2020 United States census, it had a population of 2,056.