Gnome Hollow Preserve is a small preserve located in Frelinghuysen Township. What makes this preserve unique and worth visiting is the hundreds of gnomes hidden along the hiking trails. This family-friendly destination is perfect for young kids getting into hiking and is enjoyable for adults as well.

Basic Information

Pro’s and Con’s

Points of Interest

• Gnomes
  • The highlight and main focus of the preserve; numerous gnomes are hidden along the trail.

Trails

Gnome Hollow Preserve features one marked trail. This trail crisscrosses itself numerous times, but is easy enough to follow. One weird quirk is that each fork in the trail is marked with an upside-down triple blaze, which is typically used at the end of a trail. To make matters more confusing, there are numerous marked forks which are not on the map. Fortunately, especially considering the preserve is geared more towards younger kids, the trail is still easy to follow.

Parking

Gnome Hollow features just one parking area located across the street from 2039 Stillwater Rd, Newton, NJ 07860. The parking area is noted with an official park sign, but otherwise looks like a field. The field can likely hold about 10-15 cars, but seeing as the grass shows no signs of vehicle damage anywhere, the preserve never sees enough visitors to make parking a concern.

Crowds

As mentioned above, crowds in Gnome Hollow are minimal.

Maintenance

Gnome Hollow is generally maintained by hikers. A sign at the entrance requests that hikers clean up any old or damaged gnomes to keep up the appearance. This call to action seems to be working, as all the gnomes are in great shape. For larger, non-gnome-related issues, the Ridge and Valley Conservancy, which owns the property, seems to be doing a good job keeping the trails clean.

As mentioned above, the only complaint about maintenance is the weird trail markings in spots.

Who is this park for?

This park is best for hikers with young children. The hidden gnomes are a great scavenger hunt for kids (and children at heart), and the preserve is a great place to get children out in nature. Note that the trail is hilly in places and is not stroller accessible.

Final Thoughts

Gnome Hollow Preserve is a very cute park. While it may not attract dedicated hikers, it is a perfect place for children to explore, especially with the low crowds.

Posts from Gnome Hollow Preserve