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D&R Greenway Land Trust works to preserve and protect a permanent network of natural lands and open spaces in central New Jersey. Our mission is to provide appropriate public access to these areas and encourage active lifestyles and a greater
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appreciation of the natural world.
D&R Greenway has constructed approximately 20 miles of trails in partnership with our trails volunteers and site stewards. Take a walk through one of our preserves!
Greenway Meadows, which surrounds D&R Greenway Land Trust's home in Princeton, is a wonderful place to explore and play. In 2001, D&R Greenway Land Trust led the preservation of the 60-acre Robert Wood Johnson estate. When completed, 55 acres were deeded to Princeton Township, creating Greenway Meadows park.
The remaining acres surround a circa-1900 barn that D&R Greenway retained and renovated. In 2006, the Johnson Education Center opened to provide a home for D&R Greenway and a focal point for land preservation and stewardship activities throughout New Jersey. Here, state, county, and municipal officials, non-profit organizations, individuals and landowners partner to formulate landscape-scale preservation projects to benefit communities throughout New Jersey.
Princeton Township owns and manages Greenway Meadows park. They have incorporated walking paths, playground equipment, picnic areas, playing fields and public restrooms into the rolling, natural landscape. D&R Greenway has installed native plantings, the Edward T. Cone Grove, the Hartman Garden Path, the Carroll K. and Frederick P. King, Jr. Terrace, the Ellsworth Terrace, and Meredith's Garden for Inspiration - filled with native plants and nature-inspired sculptures - integrating the public park with the Johnson Education Center.
D&R Greenway is proud to present 10 upcoming Greenway Walks in 2012. It is strongly recommended that you RSVP due to the capacity limits of some of the walks. You can RSVP to any of the walks by calling 609.924.4646 or emailing rsvp@drgreenway.org and specifying which walks you are RSVPing for, and the number of people attending. Don't miss this chance to enjoy our beautiful trails and learn something from our knowledgeable trail leaders!
Click here for a PDF text-only version of the 2012 Greenway Walks list, or see below for the full details. *Please note we have made some changes in dates for our October walks, as of February 27, 2012. Re-download the document to get the latest dates.*
1. Inaugural Walk at Pryde's Point,
co-hosted by Pryde Brown on her preserved farm
Saturday, May 5th, 10:30am - noon
Leader: Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Alan Hershey
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Be among the first to walk the trail at Pryde’s Point when we open it to the public this spring. Start at one of the highest points in Hunterdon County, with long views towards the Delaware Water Gap, and descend to Alexauken Creek, where water tumbles across rock ledges on its course to the Delaware. Enjoy this newest addition to our trails!
Location: In West Amwell Township, Hunterdon County.
Directions: From Route 31, approximately a mile and a quarter south of the intersection with US Route 202, turn west onto Rocktown Lambertville Road. Take the next right onto Rocktown Hill Road, and then the next left onto Gulick Road. Proceed on Gulick Road a little less than one half mile and on the left (at a sharp bend in the road) is the driveway and parking area.
Cap: 40 people
2. Bird Walk at Dry Run Creek Trail
Saturday, May 19th, 8 - 10am
Leader: Director of Stewardship Jim Amon
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The birds are back! Join us to see some of the species that have been away for the winter. The mature, boulder strewn forest and wooded bluff over a rocky stream corridor support migrating warblers and thrushes, resident songbirds and woodpeckers.
Location: In West Amwell Township, Hunterdon County.
Directions: From County Route 518, about one mile east of the center of Lambertville, turn south onto Hewitts Road and then immediately bear to the right on Woodens Lane. Proceed about one mile southward on Woodens lane to a small parking lot on the left (east). The lot is small, but one can park along the east side of the road.
Cap: 20 people
3. Student-led Walk at the J. Seward Johnson, Sr. Woodland Preserve
Wednesday, June 6th, 5:30 - 7pm
Leader: Fifth grade student guides, led by Emily Blackman
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Celebrate the beginning of summer and the opening of a new trail managed by Johnson Park School and D&R Greenway. Johnson Park 5th graders will be your trail guides as you learn about forest regeneration, and see the work we’re doing to establish a native pollinator meadow and deer-protected native plant restoration area.
Location: Johnson Park School, 285 Rosedale Rd, Princeton, NJ 08540
Directions: From Route 206, turn on Elm Road and take a left on Rosedale Rd. The school’s driveway (Johnson Rd) will be on your right.
Cap: unlimited. Walks will begin at 5:30 pm and leave every 15-20 min until 7 pm.
4. Native Plant Walk and Tour of the Native Plant Nursery at D&R Greenway's Johnson Education Center Campus
Wednesday, June 27th, 4 - 5pm
Leaders: St. Michaels Farm Preserve Site Manager Bill Flemer, and Emily Blackman
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Get a behind the scenes tour of our nursery, where we grow over 50 species of native plants. Learn about plant propagation and the ecological importance of native species, and take a walk around our property to see native plants in bloom!
Location: D&R Greenway Land Trust, Johnson Education Center, One Preservation Place, Princeton, NJ 08540
Directions: From Route 206, turn on Elm Road and take a left on Rosedale Rd. Preservation Place will be on your left- look for the D&R Greenway sign. Parking is available at the Johnson Education Center and at Greenway Meadows, ~500 feet further down Rosedale on your left.
Cap: 35 people
5. Picnic at Greenway Meadows and Explore the Stony Brook,
co-sponsored with Stony Brook Millstone Watershed Association
Wednesday, July 11th, 6:30 - 8:30pm
Leader: Jeff Hoagland of Stony Brook Millstone Watershed Association
Cost: $5 per person
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Join us for our second annual family picnic and naturalist-led walk along the Stony Brook. Bring your dinner (drinks and desserts provided) and enjoy a picnic on the terrace and then explore the brook! The walk will introduce you to aquatic plants and animals (bring your water-friendly shoes!), and teach you about vital ecological stream functions.
Location: D&R Greenway Land Trust, Johnson Education Center, One Preservation Place, Princeton, NJ 08540
Directions: From Route 206, turn on Elm Road and take a left on Rosedale Rd. Preservation Place will be on your left- look for the D&R Greenway sign. Parking is available at the Johnson Education Center and at Greenway Meadows, ~500 feet further down Rosedale on your left.
Cap: unlimited
6. Meadow Walk at Cedar Ridge Preserve
Tuesday, August 7th, 9:30 - 11am
Leader: Director of Stewardship Jim Amon
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Native grasses and blooming wildflowers are featured on this summer morning walk through our Cedar Ridge meadow. Along the way you’ll learn about the invasive species removal and habitat restoration we have accomplished here.
Location: Van Dyke Road, Hopewell, NJ 08525
Directions: From Route 518, turn onto Van Dyke Road (at the blinking traffic light). The trailhead and parking lot will be on your left at the bottom of the hill, just beyond the stream crossing.
Cap: 25 people
7. Perseid Astronomy Walk at Cider Mill Preserve
Sunday, August 12th, 10pm - midnight
Leader: Vice President Jay Watson
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Experience a great open view of the peak Perseid meteor showers (60+ meteors per hour) from the hill at Cider Mill Preserve! Surrounded by acres of open space and farmland, you’ll see one of the darkest skies in the area. While you are there, learn about the importance of Cider Mill’s grassland habitat.
Location: East Amwell Township, Hunterdon County.
Directions: From the center of Hopewell Borough, take Greenwood Avenue north (this road changes its name from Greenwood to Hopewell-Wertsville to Rileyville, but stay on the same road for about four miles to its dead end with Wertsville Road and turn right. Proceed about a mile and a half, then make a sharp left turn onto Welisewitz Road. Proceed about a half mile then turn right onto Cider Mill Road. The preserve is about a mile to a sharp bend in the road and park on the side of the road.
Cap: unlimited
8. Beagle Club Field Trials and the Plum Brook Greenway,
co-sponsored by the Central Jersey Beagle Club
Saturday, September 15th, 2 - 4pm
Leader: Conservation Biologist Diana Raichel
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How do Beagle field trials relate to conservation? Come learn how habitat management for field trials also provides critical wildlife habitat, take a walk on our Plum Brook Preserve and watch a field trial in action!
Location: Delaware Township, Hunterdon County.
Directions: From County Route 523 turn northward onto Ferry Road. Proceed on Ferry Road about a mile and three-quarters to a driveway on the left that is marked as the Beagle Club entrance. Proceed up driveway to the club headquarters and parking area.
Cap: 40 people
9. Fall Foliage Walk in the Sourlands Ecosystem Preserve
Sunday, October 14th, 10am - noon
Leader: Director of Stewardship Jim Amon
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Fall is the perfect time to appreciate our Sourlands Preserve, part of a larger ecosystem of 20,000 forested acres. Learn about our native plant restoration work and experience the largest intact forest area in Central New Jersey!
Location: Mountain Road, Hopewell, NJ 08525
Directions: From Route 518, turn onto N Greenwood Ave. (Hopewell-Wertsville Rd) and take a left on Mountain Road (your first left after Mountain Church Road). The trailhead and parking will be on your left.
Cap: 25 people
10. Teaching our Future Conservation Leaders to Value Nature:
A Family Walk on the Charles Evans Children's Discovery Trail
Sunday, October 21st, 9:30 - 11am
Leader: Conservation Biologist Diana Raichel
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Bring your family for a morning of exploration and fall colors. Kids can walk on boardwalks, climb over rocks and play in a stream while learning to listen to and think about nature. Interactive, kid-inspired trail signs guide the way!
Location: Drake’s Corner Road, Princeton, NJ 08450
Directions: From Route 206, turn onto Elm Road (the Great Road). Take a left onto Drake’s Corner Road- look for the Princeton Academy of the Sacred Heart sign. Take Drake’ Corner Road to the end and the trailhead will be on your left. Street parking is available.
Cap: 30 people
Take Your Own Walk
Featured Walk:
The Scott and Hella McVay Poetry Trail
A crisp fall day in October 2010 marked the
dedication of the Scott and Hella McVay Poetry Trail
In autumn 2010, the Scott and Hella McVay Poetry Trail was dedicated in Greenway Meadows park. The mile-long Trail begins at an allée of century-old hybrid sycamore trees, moves up the hill past newly planted American chestnuts and loops a meandering mile down through a meadow. Forty-eight poems feature the work of poets from fourteen countries and cultures. The common thread is the poet’s close read of some aspect of the natural world. The Scott and Hella McVay Poetry Trail speaks to the symbiotic relationship between art and nature. Please visit Greenway Meadows to fully experience the Scott and Hella McVay Poetry Trail. The trail is easily accessed from the lower parking lot at Greenway Meadows. Walk up the path, past the playground and soccer fields. Look for an allee of large Hybrid Sycamore Trees to start exploring the Poetry Trail.
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The documentary, Transplanted Trees, by David Kelly Crow, assisted by cameraman Raja Kayithi, takes viewers to the stunning Scott and Hella McVay Poetry Trail, a 1.5 mile maze of paths that wind among the grassland of the 55-acre Greenway Meadows Park off Rosedale Road in Princeton. The Scott and Hella McVay Poetry Trail was inspired and designed by Scott and Hella McVay in partnership with D&R Greenway Land Trust. It extends into the surrounding park from D&R Greenway's Johnson Education Center.
Filmed live on April 15 of this year, "Transplanted Trees" follows native American poet, storyteller, and author Joseph Bruchac as he leads a large group of Princeton area residents, poetry aficionados, and nature lovers along the trail, stopping at 23 of the 48 poetry "markers," which feature poetry from around the globe and across time. Each of the poems was chosen for how it speaks to and about nature. Bruchac stops with the group at the markers and takes turns with several other area poets and writers, including Jim Haba, Penny Harter and Nupur Lahiri, to read the poem aloud, accompanied only by the sound of the breeze, the birds in the trees, and a Native American flute played by Bruchac's son, Jesse.
The film may transport you to a place of simple beauty, a little peace, and perhaps inspiration. DVD copies of the film are available for purchase for $20 each by calling D&R Greenway at 609.924.4646, or visiting the Johnson Education Center. Click below to view the film in its entirety:
Transplanted Trees from Princeton Community Television on Vimeo.
Other walks on D&R Greenway preserved lands:
St. Michaels Farm Preserve in Hopewell, New Jersey
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The 340-acre St. Michaels Farm Preserve is officially preserved, and the public is invited to walk on trails through the non-agricultural open space portions of the property for walking, horseback riding and nature study. D&R Greenway requests that anyone who wants to see the property stay on existing farm roads. Please visit during daylight hours. Please keep your dog on a leash due to the presence of ground nesting birds. Dogs can and will hurt ground nesting birds. Thank you for your help in protecting the wildlife that exists on the preserve.
Click here to open a new 2011 map of St. Michaels Farm Preserve Trails!
D&R Greenway welcomes the community to our St. Michaels Farm Preserve. The majority of the property between Princeton Avenue and Aunt Molly Road is protected with a farmland easement. Wooded areas are preserved for conservation. You may walk on old farm roads and along hedgerows and in the wooded areas. Please respect the farm fields. The Diocese of Trenton has retained ownership of the 20 acres closest to town as shown on the map. This area is not open for public access.
Cedar Ridge Preserve in Hopewell Township, Mercer County
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Click for the profile of this preserve
Sourlands Ecosystem Preserve
Take a walk in the Greater Sourlands Ecosystem Preserve in Hopewell and East Amwell Townships!
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Click here to open a color map of trails connected to the Northern Stony Brook Preserve.
Click here to open the Sourlands Ecosystem Preserve brochure with information about the wildlife, history, and trails of the preserve.
The Northern Stony Brook Preserve trail profile - East Amwell Township, Hunterdon County
Sourlands Foothills Trail trail profile - Hopewell Township, Mercer County
Dry Run Creek Trail in West Amwell, Hunterdon County
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Trail profile and directions on the NJ Trails website
Rawlyk Preserve in Kingwood Township, Hunterdon County
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The Rawlyk Family preserved its farm in 2006. The land has been in the Rawlyk family since the mid-1920s. This preserve serves as a demonstration to other landowners of how they can restore native grassland and wetlands. There are woodlands, grasslands and wetlands that can be seen by walking a loop trail. Click here to open a trail map. A parking area is located off Hampton Road in Kingwood, New Jersey. Wear comfortable clothes and sturdy shoes - certain trails can be wet. Click here for directions to the Rawlyk Preserve.
To find more trails in central New Jersey:
New Jersey Trails Association offers free resources for trail guides and maps. NJ Trails Association is a group of non-profit organizations, led by D&R Greenway Land Trust, that encourages families and individuals to get outdoors and experience preserved lands close to home.
See the NJ Trails Association website to explore over 79 walking trails in central New Jersey!
I place my feet with care in such a world. - William Stafford
I reach, I touch, I begin to know you. - Muriel Rukeyser
Friends for the Marsh sponsors events all year long in the Hamilton - Trenton - Bordentown Marsh
Click to Visit our Partners Page to learn more about Friends for the Marsh
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WALK THE TRAILS IN AND AROUND PRINCETON
The year 2009 marked the 20th anniversary of D&R Greenway's founding and the 175th anniversary of the D&R Canal, which inspired our first preservation goal to permanently protect the land surrounding and buffering this important water resource. Sophie Glovier, an active supporter of D&R Greenway and former trustee, is the author of a new trail book, Walk The Trails In And Around Princeton. Sophie along with Bentley Drezner, a well-known photographer, compiled some wonderful trail guides, along with interesting highlights along the trail. You may click here to e-mail a request for the book or call 609.924.4646.
In 2009 Packet Magazine featured this book - Click to view/download article