As part of my "spring and summer" NJ bucket list, I want to go to more local parks. Last year we went to a lot of northeast parks, but we've been feeling the shore this year! I've already been to Turkey Swamp in Freehold as well as Cattus Island in Toms River.
Anyway, one park I've wanted to go to was Hartshorne Park in the Atlantic Highlands. It's a little bit of a treck (about 80 minutes), but one random weekday last week, we decided to drive up there.
Hartshorne Park is a lot hillier than anticipated. I thought, oh it's along the shore it will probably be flat. That was not the case and my Garmin said I climbed about 80 flights of stairs. Not that it matters, but don't go in expecting a flat shore park. Hartshorne is 794-acre site and overlooks the Navesink River. After some research, I came to find out it's one of the highest elevations along the Atlantic Coast. If you are looking for a great park for walking, hiking, and even mountain biking (we saw many bikers), this park is for you! No, the park is not paying me to tell you that, parks are free fun.
During World War II, batteries for artillery were built in Hartshorne Park to modernize coastal defense. You can view several of the bunkers in the park.
With the rise of Airpower (go Air Force). Military bunkers were not needed as much. During the Cold, War Hartshorne served as a missile defense site and command center. It was equipped with radar, computers and electronic plotting devices. All of these structures have been removed, but the bunkers are still in place.
The Hartshorne Park site is now listed officially listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
As I mentioned, I hadn't done a lot of research about the hiking in the park. If I had, I would have known all of the historic sites are in the parking lot, and the park is much hillier than anticipated. We got there around noon, and it took us just about 4 hours to hike 8 miles. We stopped, we took photos, we looked at the history. It was a beautiful park with many different views from the woods and deer, to the shore, as well as the military site.
We ended up hiking about 8 miles around the trails and then finished up by viewing the military site.
I didn't expect so much green, but we did about 6 miles of hiking through that. Before we came, I expected it almost to be on the water since that is what people took photos of!
Most of my photos are from the military site which is within 200 yards of the parking lot.
Now onto the hiking portion. With the hiking, it goes deep into the pines as well as near the water. There are so many different views!
In all, it was a beautiful hike in the forest as well as along the water. I'm glad we finally made it up there!
What was the last historical place you went?
Do you plan to go to the beach this summer?
Wow–that place looks awesome. As far as historical places, my wife and I stayed at the oldest hotel that has been in continuous operation in Texas this past weekend. It's also haunted. And we hiked at Caprock Canyons State Park, which is where Charles Goodnight drove some of the few remaining buffalo to save them from the hunters in the late 1800's. (Their descendants are still there.) And yes to the beach! Panama City Beach, Florida in June!
That sounds like fun- and it looks like such a gorgeous place!!
Nice pictures, specially 2nd one. Thanks for sharing and introduces nice places.
Nice places you shared with us. Thanks for post.