Cheesequake State Park
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Cheesequake State Park is a 1,274-acre (5.16 km2) New Jersey state park located in Old Bridge Township, Middlesex County, New Jersey in the United States.
History
The park was established in 1940. According to the US Geological Survey:
The park had at one time been partially developed in the last century with numerous buildings that supported a pottery factory. The ruins of an old dock along Cheesequake Creek is a reminder of times when ships were the primary means of transport for commerce (and smuggling).[1]
The name Cheesequake was derived from the Lenape Native American word Cheseh-oh-ke, meaning "upland"[2] or "upland village".[3]
Geography, flora, and fauna
The park's lowlands consist of freshwater and saltwater marsh and a tidal estuary near the mouth of Cheesequake Creek on the Raritan Bay. It also includes hills of Northeastern hardwood forest, open fields, and a white cedarswamp. It includes a small parcel of Atlantic coastal pine barrens, consisting of pine forest in sandy soil, an isolated section of the much larger New Jersey Pine Barrens. It also includes the 6-acre (24,000 m2) Hooks Creek Lake, a freshwater lake where recreational fishing includes catches of trout, largemouth bass, catfish, and sunfish. Crabbing is also available at the park.
Facilities, activities, and trails
The park includes an interpretive center and five marked trails for both hiking and mountain biking that run throughout the wooded hills and across long wooden bridges across marshland. The park has designated camping areas available by reservation. Swimming and boating are summertime activities, while sledding, cross-country skiing, and snowshoeing are available in wintertime.
The Garden State Parkway runs through the park near Exit 120 but offers no direct access. A road runs underneath the Parkway to connect the northern and southern sides of the park. Some of the park is visible from the Parkway. Aberdeen-Matawan (NJT station) is about two miles east of the park.
Administration
The park is operated and maintained by the New Jersey Division of Parks and Forestry and is part of the New Jersey Coastal Heritage Trail Route.
See also
References
- ^ CHEESEQUAKE STATE PARK, accessed May 2010
- ^ CHEESEQUAKE STATE PARK, accessed November 17, 2006
- ^ Cheesequake State Park: Cheesequake Cedar Swamp , accessed November 17, 2006
External links
- NJDEP Division of Parks and Forestry page on the park
- US Geological Survey page on the park
- NY-NJTC: Cheesequake State Park Trail Details and Info
40°26′6″N 74°16′13″W / 40.43500°N 74.27028°W
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