Apshawa Preserve

The Apshawa Preserve is a 576-acre nature preserve in the highlands of northern New Jersey, United States. Located off Northwood Drive in West Milford, the preserve is managed by the New Jersey Conservation Foundation and by Passaic County.[1] The preserve is mostly wooded with oak and maple.

Apshawa Preserve
Butler Reservoir in the Apshawa Preserve
TypeCounty park
LocationWest Milford, New Jersey, U.S.
Area576 acres (233 ha)
Created1928
Operated byPassaic County and New Jersey Conservation Foundation
OpenYear round. Dawn till dusk
Hiking trails3 loop trails. 5 connector. ~5 miles total
WebsiteOfficial website

The Apshawa is a brook, a tributary of the Pequannock River; it flows through the preserve and is dammed to form the 40-acre Butler Reservoir within the preserve. The reservoir once served to provide water to Butler.[2] Apshawa Preserve includes a network of hiking trails and a 43-acre reservoir.

Since 2010 part of the preserve is protected by a gated deer fence to protect native plants that otherwise would be decimated by a high density deer population.[2]

In September 2014, 22-year-old student Darsh Patel was mauled by a 300-pound (140 kg) black bear in the preserve and died. He was the first known person in New Jersey history to be killed by a black bear.[3]

Location and access

The Apshawa Preserve is open year round from dawn to dusk for recreation, and can be accessed from 4 Macopin Road, West Milford.[4] Onsite parking is provided in a gravel parking lot that is located off Northwood Drive (turn off of Macopin), where hikers will find a kiosk with trail maps as well as trailheads. Apshawa Preserve cannot yet be accessed via public transportation.[5]

Hiking

There are about five miles of marked trails including three loop trails (Red 1.6 miles; Green 1.7 miles; Yellow .5 miles).  There are five other connector trails which create a variety of possibilities.  The red loop trail goes all the way around the Butler Reservoir and is accessible by the 1 mile blue trail from the parking lot.

Apshawa Preserve Trail map

Green Trail Marker

References
  1. "Apshawa Preserve". New Jersey Conservation Foundation. Retrieved July 12, 2014.
  2. "West Milford's Apshawa Preserve!". NJUrbanForest.com. August 11, 2011. Retrieved July 12, 2014.
  3. "Hiker snapped pictures of bear before fatal attack in West Milford". Retrieved November 26, 2014.
  4. "Apshawa Preserve". New Jersey Conservation Foundation. Retrieved 2019-04-23.
  5. McLewin, Phil (2016-10-21). "Apshawa Preserve". New York - New Jersey Trail Conference. Retrieved 2019-04-23.
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