Mercer County Park

Trail & Path Info

Though many hikers and bikers do not consider Mercer CP to contain challenging trails, we certainly do recommend everyone to come out and explore, no matter your level. Most of the trails are flat, since there is only a tens of feet elevation change. With many rooty sections, you will find yourself bumping around a good bit. The blue trail in the north eastern section of the park is not traveled by most, but is a LOT of fun. The western section of the park (near the Vannest area) offers a nice section of trails, along with some somewhat technical looping trails. The paved path is very nice, and is about 4 miles long. You can find yourself putting in 10-14 miles of riding / walking with the proper loops.

Tips and Tricks

Park in the east picnic area on the night of the yearly 4th of July fireworks. Though it adds about a mile and a half from car to festival, your walk back will contain a beautiful light show from thousands and thousands of lightning bugs!

Admission & Guidelines

There are no fees for individuals using the general park during regular hours. Some special events do charge a nominal fee that is closely monitored by the MCPC and is used for either operation, maintenance or capital expense related to Mercer County Park and programming.

Facilities

• 17 Athletic Fields used for soccer, football, lacrosse, Frisbee and more
• 18 Hole Disc Golf Course
• Ice Skating Center
• Tennis Center -28 total courts, all of which are lighted
• Festival Grounds
• Cross Country
• Mountain Biking
• Boathouse/Marina
• Finn Casperson Rowing Center
• Crew Course
• Hiking and Trails
• Fishing
• Nature Study
• Nature Photography
• Jogging
• Bike Trail and Inline Skating
• Picnic Areas
• Basketball Courts
• Dog Park-One each for large and small dogs
• 3 Sand Volleyball Courts
• 2 Cricket Pitches
• 10 softball fields
• Vietnam Memorial
• 9/11 Memorial
• Grandparents Grove
• Public restrooms are available at all Facilities

Parking

There are multiple parking areas around the park. Please view the map for these locations.

S.M.A.R.T.

Monthly Trail Work:Every third Saturday of the month, you can give back to the park by working with JORBA/Save Mercer And Ride Trails (S.M.A.R.T.)by cleaning up and maintaining the trails of MCP. Please check the SMART website for specific dates. Membership/waivers are needed before you can officially join the group.

Typical TM Day Agenda:
Volunteers meet in the designated parking lot at 9:00 am. We will divide into work parties and hike (or bike) into the work areas. We usually finish up no later than 1:00 pm. Tasks will include: clearing overgrowth, removing small blowdowns, litter collection (depends on turn-out).

Stuff to bring:
Signed Waivers (Mercer & JORBA once a year) work gloves, Bug spray, snacks/lunch, water. We will supply tools.

Trail Maintenance Volunteers:
TM volunteers are people who have performed trail maintenance at Mercer County Park (after having signed the waivers of liability). JORBA membership is strongly recommended if you wish to do TM at Mercer.

Mercer County Disc Golf Club

The Disc GOlf Course in the park has a dedicated group of folks working directly with the park system to develop, maintain, and promote the recently expanded Disc Golf Course in the park. They organize weekly events and days to help give back to the course. You can see these events on their Facebook Group

Groups Associated to Mercer County Park

• Jersey Off Road Biking Association (JORBA.org)
• Save Mercer And Ride Trails (S.M.A.R.T.)
• Mercer County Park Commission