Chimney Rock / Washington Valley park is 686 acres of undeveloped wooded areas includes mountain biking and hiking trails and a hawk watching area. The western portion next to Vosseller Ave. also has many rock walls some of which may be remnants of the Middle Brook Encampment during the revolution. It is located on the first ridge of the Watchung Mountains between Vosseller Ave. and Newmans Lane, on both sides of Chimney Rock Road and is the second largest park in the Somerset Co. Park System. It includes the Chimney Rock Hawk Watch, a platform a short walk from a parking area towards the end of Miller Ln. A team has been counting hawks here since 1990 and typically spot from 10 - 20,000 hawks, falcons and eagles in a season. The migration season runs from Sept. through Nov. with the greatest number of birds in the middle of Sept.
There are also several mountain bike and hiking trils in the park accessible from Newmans Ln. Gilbride Rd. and Miller Ln. MiddleBrook Trail runs thru the park. The Bound Brook/Elizabethtown Reservoir will become the focal point of future development.
Chimney Rock / Washington Valley park
Somerville, New Jersey 08876, Somerset County,
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