300 Navesink Avenue, Locust, NJ (Buttermilk Valley Entrance) 07716
1402 Portland Road, Highlands, NJ (Rocky Point Entrance) 07732
(732) 872-0336 or 2670
Park Brochure & Map

Selected as one of the 2010 
Best Hiking Trails in New Jersey 
by the readers of 
New Jersey Monthly Magazine

A hilly, forested 787-acre site overlooking the Navesink River, this park is among the highest elevations along the Atlantic Coast and features prominently in area history as a former coastal defense site.  Known for its challenging trail system and scenic views, Hartshorne Woods is a popular park for area hikers, bicyclists and outdoor enthusiasts.

Park features: group cabin camping (by reservation), cross country ski trails, fishing in the Navesink River and trails for walking, hiking, biking, and horseback riding. It's the perfect place to escape the sounds of suburbia.

History

This park is named after Richard Hartshorne an English Quaker from London who settled here in 1669 and acquired more than 2,300 acres of land. By the early 1880s, some of the land was sold to private individuals and the U.S. government, but large portions remained in Hartshorne family ownership.

The Park System acquired the first 660 acres of this park in 1974.  Additional land was conveyed from the government in 1984, and subsequent purchases – including the 44-acre Claypit Creek section in 2005- brought the park to its current size.

Military Installations at Rocky Point 1940's

The Hartshorne property was a desirable defense site because of its high elevation. Through the years, it hosted a number of different land and air-based military installations to defend New York Harbor and surrounding areas.

During the WWII era, batteries for heavy artillery were built on this site to modernize coastal defense efforts. These concrete and earth encasements or bunkers – considered “bomb-proof” at the time – protected personnel and equipment. These structures can still be viewed today.

With the rise of strategic air power and nuclear weapons, the reliance on artillery guns for coastal defense ended.  During the Cold War Era, from the 1950s-1970s, the site served as a missile defense site and command center with radar, computers and electronic plotting devices. Structures from this era have all been removed.

Trails
Hartshorne Woods Park has the most extensive and challenging series of trails (over 19 miles) in the Park System. Hardy hikers, bicyclists, and casual walkers can all find trails to their liking.  Please stay on marked trails, plan your route, take a trail map, and wear appropriate safety gear. Enter from Navesink Ave., Locust or Portland Rd., Highlands.

Park Map with Trails (PDF)

Click on map to enlarge & print.

Directions