Name
Image
Date
Location
County
Ownership
Description
Great Falls of Paterson-Garret Mountain
January 1967 ; expanded April 1967
Paterson 40°54′58″N 74°10′54″W / 40.916189°N 74.181597°W / 40.916189; -74.181597 (Great Falls of Paterson - Garret Mountain )
Passaic
federal
The Great Falls of the Passaic River and a later expansion including Garret Mountain help demonstrate how jointed basaltic lava flow shaped the geology of the area during the Early Mesozoic era through both extrusion and intrusion
Great Swamp
May 1966
Green Village 40°42′30″N 74°28′00″W / 40.708333°N 74.466667°W / 40.708333; -74.466667 (Great Swamp )
Morris and Somerset
federal
The remnant of the bottom of Glacial Lake Passaic which was formed by the melting waters of the retreating Wisconsin Glacier at the end of the last ice age . Established in 1960 as a National Wildlife Refuge now covering 7,600 acres (31 km2 ), it gained landmark status in 1966, and in 1968 became the first formally designated wilderness refuge in the United States.
Manahawkin Bottomland Hardwood Forest
January 1976
Manahawkin 39°41′08″N 74°13′18″W / 39.685591°N 74.221745°W / 39.685591; -74.221745 (Manahawkin Bottomland Hardwood Forest )
Ocean
state
A 965 acres (391 ha)[1] wildlife management area known for its mature bottomland hardwood forest which contains examples of American sweetgum , red maple and black gum trees.
Moggy Hollow Natural Area
January 1970
Far Hills 40°40′25″N 74°36′51″W / 40.67351°N 74.614055°W / 40.67351; -74.614055 (Moggy Hollow Natural Area )
Somerset
private
This narrow ravine is where Glacial Lake Passaic , pushed by the Wisconsin Glacier found an outlet, draining to the Raritan river . It remains today a nature preserve and an example of glacial geography.
Palisades of the Hudson
June 1983
Fort Lee to Rockleigh 40°57′52″N 73°54′31″W / 40.964507°N 73.908591°W / 40.964507; -73.908591 (Palisades of the Hudson )
Bergen
state
Listed in New York, this dramatic geologic ridge runs along the Hudson River
Pigeon Swamp
December 1976
South Brunswick 40°23′13″N 74°28′26″W / 40.386893°N 74.473829°W / 40.386893; -74.473829 (Pigeon Swamp State Park )
Middlesex
mixed- state, private
An undeveloped state park, it holds a mix of upland and lowland hardwood forests. It was a major nesting site for passenger pigeons before they became extinct.
Riker Hill Fossil Site
June 1971
Roseland 40°48′57″N 74°19′36″W / 40.815705°N 74.326678°W / 40.815705; -74.326678 (Riker Hill Fossil Site )
Essex
county
Over 1,000 Dinosaur , animal and insect tracks from the Late Triassic and Early Jurassic periods were discovered here in 1968 in a former stone quarry.
Stone Harbor Bird Sanctuary
October 1965
Stone Harbor 39°02′30″N 74°46′08″W / 39.04164°N 74.76879°W / 39.04164; -74.76879 (Stone Harbor Bird Sanctuary )
Cape May
municipal
A 21.5-acre (8.7 ha) bird sanctuary and nature preserve which used to host annually returning herons and egrets for nesting season until they started disappearing in the late 1990s.
Sunfish Pond
January 1970
Columbia 41°00′11″N 75°04′23″W / 41.003043°N 75.073099°W / 41.003043; -75.073099 (Sunfish Pond )
Warren
state
This glacial pond is a favorite hiking destination in Worthington State Forest , adjacent to the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area . Supreme Court Justice William O. Douglas mentioned the pond in his dissenting opinion in the Sierra Club v. Morton case.
Troy Meadows
1967
Parsippany-Troy Hills 40°50′46″N 74°22′45″W / 40.846026°N 74.37928°W / 40.846026; -74.37928 (Troy Meadows )
Morris
mixed- state, private
The last unpolluted freshwater marsh of large size in the region.
William L. Hutcheson Memorial Forest
December 1976
Somerset 40°30′01″N 74°34′02″W / 40.500405°N 74.567245°W / 40.500405; -74.567245 (Hutcheson Memorial Forest )
Somerset
state
A 500 acres (200 ha) nature preserve which includes a 65 acres (26 ha) virgin old growth forest . It's jointly managed by Rutgers University and the Nature Conservancy .