A Hike Through Cheesequake State Park

Not yet in full bloom but not crowded either

To get to the trail I took I had to first cross this crabbing bridge, a popular spot for, well, crabbing. Cheesequake State Park is located in central New Jersey on the east side of the state. Part of the park is actually tucked under the Garden State Parkway but you can’t even hear the traffic at the western edges of the park where I hiked.

The trail I took was tree-lined, wide and on mostly flat land. I’d rate it an easy trail appropriate for people of all ages.

The trail borders this pond. I especially like this photo because of how the water is framed by the trees.

Unfortunately at the point where the Cheesequake Creek empties into the pond there is an oil sheen and a number of dead fish. I haven’t been able to determine the source of the spill but I hope someone from the state is taking enforcement action.

Somehow this tree survives even though much of its roots are above ground.

Cheesequake is a relatively small state park encompassing 1,610 square acres. That’s approximately twice its size when it opened in New Jersey’s Middlesex County in 1937. According to the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, the park is a transitional zone between two ecosystems. With both freshwater and saltwater marshes.

They’re enjoying the pre-sunset solitude of the park’s lake now while they can. Once the Memorial Day weekend hits, they’ll be displaced by human beings using the lake to swim.

All photographs copyright Gary Baumgarten

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