Making Greystone Walkable

It was not long ago that another field was dedicated at the Central Park of Morris County, the county-owned land of what was once the Greystone mental facility.

I seem to write a lot about Greystone. The county did a good thing in pulling down all the old buildings on the land it bought for $1. It opened the space and made it a lot less threatening to walk through, even though the playgrounds and now the ballfield that went up where hundreds of trees were cut down have brought some unintended consequences.

However, little by little there have been paths put in for those of us who prefer to walk. 

First, there was the cross-country track around one of the big fields along Hanover Avenue. When there are no competitions, it makes for lovely walking, particularly along the brook.

Then there was a hiking loop put in across from the dog park on Evans Rd. that I would never have noticed had my husband (MH) not seen people walking on it as he was driving along Old Dover Rd. into Parsippany. You can walk the loop or you can take a side trail that brings you up behind the new ballfields and on to Central Ave. and the old administration building.

As far as I know, no one advertised these paths. No member of the Jets came out from Florham Park for a dedication.

Now, I have found a third path, again thanks to MH seeing someone walk out of there with his dog. The paved road is the former Reservoir Rd. and, as the name says, it leads to the old Greystone reservoir. Now there is a handicapped-accessible trail around the smaller reservoir (which receives the overflow from the main reservoir up a hill) and at least one blazed trail (yellow) that leads into the woods and a second that goes up a steeper hill. 

MH conjectures these trails may at some point be hooked into the trails at the Mountain Way recreation area.

There's even a parking lot, of sorts.

We hiked up the yellow trail for a spell before returning the way we came and then taking the loop around the small reservoir. In an area of trees, weeds and wild plants - all full of seeds and fruits -- we found four types of sparrows, two kinds of kinglets and at least four hermit thrushes. Yes, weeds are good for something.

There was no one around while we were walking, even tho' this area allows bowhunting in season six days a week. (We saw no deer either.) 

As MH reminds me, for the county to "sell" having all that former state land for a county park rather than a housing development, it had to concentrate on putting in the kind of things most people want - ballfields, playgrounds, fields for people of all abilities and cross-country tracks for competitions.

I'm just relieved they finally got around to putting in those hiking trails at all.