Park Overview:

The Great Swamp Cluster was created about 10,000  to 15,000 years ago when the melting waters of the Wisconsin Glacier poured into the Passaic Valley, forming the Glacial Lake Passaic. As the lake drained northward it formed the Passaic River, leaving the Great Swamp behind.  Today the Great Swamp includes over 8,000 acres of protected public land.

Park Description:

Great Swamp Cluster

The Great Swamp Cluster was created about 10,000  to 15,000 years ago when the melting waters of the Wisconsin Glacier poured into the Passaic Valley, forming the Glacial Lake Passaic.  As the lake drained northward it formed the Passaic River, leaving the Great Swamp behind.  Today the Great Swamp includes over 8,000 acres of protected public land.

Despite its name, the Great Swamp Cluster is not entirely swampland, but rather a mixture of marshes, meadows, dry woodlands, and brush-covered swamps.  It is the intermingling of these four habitats that gives the Great Swamp its unique character.

What might have happened:  In 1959 the Great Swamp was proposed as the site for a New York metropolitan area airport.  An alliance of concerned citizens and local and national conservation groups waged an extended battle and halted the construction.

The following have hiking trails and handicap-accessible boardwalks or paved trails:

• Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge
• Great Swamp Outdoor Education Center
• Lord Stirling Park
• Loantaka Brook Reservation

The Great Swamp Cluster of parks is located east of I-287 between Exits 26 and 30.

Trails Overview:

Use links in Description to individual parks within the Great Swamp Cluster

Park Acreage:

Municipality: