Visitors to the Watchung Reservation should start their visit at the Gateway by visiting the Trailside Nature Center, pickup a trail map and enjoy their adventure.
This cache is located along the red trail near the Trailside Nature & Science Center.
Trailside Nature & Science Center is Union County’s Environmental Education Center, located in the Watchung Reservation, a 2,065-acre preserve containing woodlands, fields, lakes, streams and more than 13 miles of hiking trails.
In 1941, a small nature display was set up on a table in the corner of a plant nursery maintenance garage. It was so popular that the whole building was quickly given over to exhibits and became the Trailside Museum, a name that came from the National Park Service’s model for museums located next to trails. The building was expanded in 1952. In 1961, the facility was renamed the Trailside Nature & Science Center, and a Planetarium was constructed alongside the Museum in 1969. A modern Visitor Center, designed by nationally renowned architect Michael Graves, was erected uphill from the older buildings in 1975, and that building was expanded in 2006.
Today, this environmental education facility is perhaps the oldest surviving trailside museum in the United States. It is open daily from noon to 5:00 p.m.
Watchung Reservation, operated by the Union County Department of Parks and Recreation, offers 2065 acres with more than 13 miles of marked trails. It provides hikers with plenty of opportunities to explore and see diverse habitats and a variety of wildlife.
The Nature Center facility features a visitor center and natural history museum. Its purpose is to interpret the natural and human history of the Watchung Reservation. To foster an awareness and appreciation of the beautiful surrounding environment.
The featured exhibits include the Mammals and Birds of the Watchung Reservation. There is a room on the Art of Taxidermy, and Fluorescent Minerals display. A Discovery Room for young children, features hands-on exhibits and live reptiles.
The Natural History Museum is open daily 12-5pm http://www.unioncountynj.org/trailside/index.html
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