Home | Department of Parks and Recreation | Park Guides & Trail Maps | Cold Brook Reserve
LOCATION
ABOUT
AGRICULTURAL USE
RECREATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES
HUNTING
WILDLIFE
SUMMARY OF RULES AND REGULATIONS
PRINTABLE BROCHURE (pdf)
TRAIL MAPS & GUIDES
 
Department of Parks and Recreation PO Box 2900, Flemington, NJ 08822-2900 1020 State Route 31, Lebanon, NJ 08833 Phone: 908-782-1158 * Fax: 908-806-4057 parks@co.hunterdon.nj.us OFFICE HOURS: Monday-Wednesday, & Fridays: 8:00am - 4:30pm Thursday: 8:00am-6:30pm Saturdays & Sundays: Office Closed |
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Location: Location: Cold Brook Reserve is located in Tewksbury Township. The park is open from sunrise to sunset. Please note that there are no restroom facilities at this park.
Directions from the Clinton Area: Take Interstate 78 east to exit 24, Oldwick/Whitehouse. Proceed north from this
exit on Route 523 towards Oldwick. Continue straight on Route 517 when Route 523 turns to the right. After passing through the center of Oldwick, the park entrance will be on the left. A gravel parking lot is located on the right side of the driveway.
Cold Brook Reserve, once known as the Van Doren Farm, is comprised of 287acres of rolling fields and old pastures. The property lies in the historic district of Oldwick in Tewksbury Township. Foundations from demolished structures and abandoned barn beams still dot the landscape. The reserve's agrarian past is preserved by a local farmer who has leased the farm fields. The picture below provides a look back in time at the old barns which no longer remain. The adjacent Cold Brook Cottage lends its name to the reserve. The cottage was constructed around 1750 by the Kline Family and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The county acquired the reserve in 1982.
Additional Information:
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The Hunterdon County Parks and Recreation Department is dedicated to preserving open space and natural resources, providing safe parks and facilities, and offering educational and recreational opportunities, all contributing to an enhanced quality of life for present and future generations.
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The County contracts much of the land to a local farmer. In accepting the agreement, the farmer has agreed to farm the property while complying with a management plan.
Please be considerate. Stay on the trails and do not pick or damage any crops.
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Cold Brook offers many forms of recreational activities. Visitors can hike over two miles of easy trails. The trail takes advantage of existing farm roads. Horseback riding, cross-country skiing, and mountain biking are permitted on the trail system. Visitors are exposed to a variety of habitats along the trail which include meadows, wooded areas, and the edge habitat between them. View the Cold Brook Reserve Trail Map (pdf file)
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TRAIL MAPS & GUIDES
NOTES: All links below are to PDF files - Adobe Acrobat Reader is required. Trail Guides are set up as foldable brochures. Please print and fold in half vertically to view in proper order. Additionally, you may have to rearrange pages. Maps should be printed on Legal Size Paper.
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In order to control the population of deer on park property, hunting is permitted. Hunters must obtain a special permit issued by the Parks Department to be able to hunt on the preserve. See the Departments Controlled Hunting Rules and Regulations for additional information. Visitors during hunting season are strongly encouraged to wear blaze orange or confine visits to Sundays.
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The fields of Cold Brook offer a wonderful opportunity to view and find evidence of some of the County's predators. Scan the skies to see if any raptors are hunting in the area. Red Tailed Hawks are common and Northern Harriers have been known to reside here during the winter season. While walking the trails, look for scat and tracks of coyotes and foxes .
There is an abundance of edge habitat throughout Cold Brook. The field edges provide shelter to several birds throughout the season. Some of the rarer species sighted include Fox Sparrows and Brown Thrashers. Small mammals, such as rabbits and skunks, also take advantage of this terrain.
Old debris and wood piles, which are scattered about in the old fence rows and tree lines, provide excellent habitat for snakes. Potential sightings include Black Rat Snakes and Eastern Milk Snakes.
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Home | Department of Parks and Recreation | Park Guides & Trail Maps | Cold Brook Reserve