Area Parks & Trails Mendham Township has pursued an aggressive program of open space acquisition for a number of years. At present, Township parkland consists of ten tracts totaling 837 acres. All of the Township parklands described, with the exception of the Seeing Eye tract and Buck Hill Natural Area, are open to the public. Most were acquired with the assistance of the New Jersey Green Acres program and the Morris County and Mendham Township open space funds. Many of the parks have established trail systems; trails will be added to other parks as opportunity permits. Visitors are welcome to visit and explore all the tracts that are open to the public. Parks: -------------Trails----> Buttermilk Falls and India Brook Natural Areas These two contiguous natural areas comprise a 265 acre forested property traversed by India Brook. India Brook Natural Area was acquired in 1976. Buttermilk Falls Natural Area, approved for subdivision in the 1980s, was acquired for open space in 1997 after the builder went bankrupt. The Environmental Commission then undertook the ongoing restoration and management of the area, including reforestation and wetland restoration. Some of the loveliest trails in the Township wander through these properties: alongside India Brook with its sparkling trout waters; past the wetlands of Wood Duck Pond and Frog Pond; close to interesting ruins of colonial era iron mining and forging. There are also sites of 18th century dams, millraces, and sawmills. A highlight of the India Brook trail is picturesque Buttermilk Falls, a rock ledge spilling water into a pool that has been a swimming hole for generations. Dismal Harmony Natural Area This park, acquired in 1967 through the generosity of residents and with the help of the New Jersey Conservation Foundation, was the first natural area to be established in Mendham Township. The original 77 acres have been expanded to the present 146 acres. The park is named for the two streams that flow through the property: Dismal Brook and Harmony Brook. The origin of the name “Dismal” is unknown. Harmony Brook was probably named for the village of Harmony, which was the source of the stream. The village was settled about 1750 in the area now covered by Clyde Potts Reservoir and was destroyed when the reservoir was filled in the early 1930s. The two brooks powered several 18th and 19th century mills in the downtown Brookside area, formerly known as Water Street. Remains of stone walls from the farming era are evident throughout the property, as well as millponds and millraces. Dismal harmony Natural Area is bordered to the east by 198 acres of woods and streams donated to the Morris County Park Commission by the Badenhausen family. This beautiful natural area now comprises 344 acres. Burnett Brook Natural Area This 56 acre property, in two parcels, was purchased by the Township in 2000 from the Tomkins family. An adjacent third parcel of 55 acres, now privately owned, has also been preserved through the farmland preservation program. Burnett Brook flows through the forested property, which has benefited from Stirling Tomkins’ woodland management practices for over 50 years. A forester has identified and labeled nearly 100 different tree species on the properties. An easement for Patriots’ Path through the property will eventually allow a system of connecting trails to be developed. Buck Hill Natural Area In 1977 Cyril DosPassos donated his home and property of nearly 90 acres to the New Jersey Conservation Foundation to be preserved in its natural state as open space. The land was transferred to Mendham Township in 1984 and became Buck Hill Natural Area. The property lies within the upper extremes of the headwaters of the Passaic River. The topography consists of rolling hills bisected by two streams and interspersed with lowland swamps and several springs. Just below the confluence of the two streams, there is a three-acre lake which was constructed in the 1700s as a mill pond. The French chateau of the Dos Passos was built in 1928, and there is a miller’s cottage nearby that dates back to the early 1800s. This property is currently not open to the public. Meadowood Park This 50-acre park on Old Mill Road was purchased by the Township in 1970 and has an interesting history. It was developed in the 1930s as the Nature Lovers’ Club, and according to local legend, was a nudist camp with cottages and a swimming pool fed by the waters of Burnett Brook, which borders the property. Later it was converted to a family summer camp, and the large chimney next to the tennis court was part of the meeting house. Most of the structures were demolished by the Township after the property was purchased, but many of the fireplaces from the cottages are still standing. The Township held a contest to name this park, and the name Meadowood was chosen. The stone house next to the entrance was originally part of the camp, but is now privately owned. Cold Hill Reserve The 46 acres of Cold Hill Reserve, purchased from the Storer family in 1998, include a small pond, farm fields, wetlands, and steep forested slopes. From the springs and wetlands on this property rise the headwaters of the Whippany River, which flows through Brookside. The Reserve can be accessed from the cul de sac on Robert Road, off Summit Road, in Brookside. Seeing Eye This 103-acre tract on Ironia Road, which has been the home of the Seeing Eye breeding facility for its guide dogs since 1948, was purchased by the Township in 2001. The property has extensive open fields as well as forested slopes that lead down to India Brook and offer many possibilities for recreation. Together with the Buttermilk Falls Natural Area, lying across India Brook, and the India Brook Natural Area, the properties will create a 368-acre natural area to protect this pristine trout stream. The Seeing Eye tract will be open to the public after the Seeing Eye moves its facilities, probably in 2003. Tempe Wick Reserve The sprawling 51 acres of open fields and woods of the Tempe Wick Reserve, acquired in 1997, were formerly part of Franklin Farms, the early twentieth century estate of former New Jersey Governor Franklin Murphy. The property was actively farmed by Governor Murphy and the property owners who succeeded him, and most of the tract preserves the vista of the former farmland. A marshy wooded area bordering the Passaic River offers a pleasant destination for a short walk from the parking area on Tempe Wick Road. Ralston Recreation and Natural Area This 48-acre tract was acquired in the late 1960s. While much of the area is devoted to playing fields, a wooded portion extends almost half a mile along the North Branch of the Raritan River, offering an opportunity for short leisurely walks with a chance to observe abundant wildlife. The property also offers access to Patriots’ Path. Trails: -------------Parks----> Patriots’ Path Patriots’ Path, which extends some 20 miles across Morris County, was developed by the Morris County Park Commission and follows a generally east-west route from its entrance into Mendham Township in Lewis Morris Park near Sunrise Lake. Much of the route through the Mendhams follows the right-of-way of the Rockaway Valley Railroad, abandoned in 1913, and for the most part is hard-packed gravel with gentle slopes. This trail is open to cyclists, and walkers should be alert for bicycle traffic, particularly on weekends. Maps are available from the Morris County Park Commission. Buttermilk Falls & India Brook Natural Areas The Buttermilk Falls and India Brook natural areas form a continuous tract of woodland along two miles of India Brook. A trail system blazed in various colors traverses the properties. Maps are posted at parking areas on Mountainside Road, Calais Road, and Combs Hollow Road and are available at the Township Municipal Offices and Library. The trails, maintained by Mendham Township, are primarily narrow woodland trails. An exception is the broad woodchip trail that extends 1.5 miles between the Combs Hollow and Calais Road entrances. The main trail along India Brook from Mountainside Road to Combs Hollow Road is narrow and rocky with two stream crossings over rocks that require some agility to negotiate. This trail passes by lovely Buttermilk Falls. Lewis Morris Park Lewis Morris Park, maintained by the Morris County Park Commission, has an extensive network of trails, some of which are part of the Patriots’ Path system. Others are individually blazed, and maps are posted at parking areas and are available from the Morris County Park Commission. The trails have wide, well-maintained (often gravel) surfaces. Many are open to cyclists, and caution by walkers is suggested, particularly on weekends. Morristown National Historic Park Developed by the U.S. National Park Service in 1933, the Jockey Hollow area in Mendham and Harding Townships has an excellent network of well-maintained trails. The walking surface is generally smooth, and the trails have been developed with moderate grades. An attractive starting point is the Trail Center parking lot at the First Maryland Brigade Area on the Park Tour Road. Maps of trail routes are posted at trail intersections throughout the park and are available from the National Park Service. Schiff Reservation Schiff Reservation occupies a portion of a former Boy Scout National Training Center. Some 298 acres of woodland and meadow are owned and managed by the Schiff Natural Lands Trust. Many of the former Boy Scout trails remain, providing walks of varying degrees of difficulty. A parking area is located off the main entrance on Pleasant Valley Road. Trail maps will be available at the Reservation kiosk. Dismal Harmony Natural Area A blazed trail, which is a spur of Patriots’ Path, extends from the parking area on East Main Street in Brookside to its terminus near Clyde Potts Reservoir. Other unblazed trails traverse the Natural Area and most are rocky and narrow. Steep climbs are required to explore all of the trails, but the most scenic trail following Dismal Brook through a lovely gorge requires only a moderate climb. A map is posted at the East Main Street entrance and is also available at the Township Municipal Offices and Library.