Hilltop Reservation
Encyclopedia
The Hilltop Reservation is a nature preserve located in Essex County, New Jersey
, in the host communities of Cedar Grove
, North Caldwell
and Verona
. It has over 200 acre (0.809372 km²), and is the most recent addition to the Essex County Parks System. It is composed of lands formerly occupied by the Essex Mountain Sanatorium, a hospital center originally constructed in the early 1900s to treat tuberculosis patients.
Hilltop Reservation is located on the Second Watchung Mountain, one of three Watchung Mountains
which are long, low ridges of volcanic origin in northern New Jersey.
, permanently dedicating it for conservation and passive recreation purposes, and thereby protecting it from any future development.
In 2003, additional area was dedicated, bringing the Reservation’s total to 284.16 acres (1.1 km²). This addition to the County’s official New Jersey Green Acres Recreation and Open Space Inventory brings the current total area of the Essex County Parks System to 6010.52 acres (24.3 km²).
Portions of the land, particularly some smaller parcels which are not contiguous with the main area, were dedicated to recreational use by the host communities.
Essex County, New Jersey
Essex County is a county located in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the United States 2010 Census, the population was 783,969, ranking it third in the state after Bergen County and Middlesex County; Essex County's population has declined from 786,147 as of the bureau's...
, in the host communities of Cedar Grove
Cedar Grove, New Jersey
-Climate:Cedar Grove has a humid subtropical climate, with warm/hot humid summers and cool/cold winters. The climate is slightly colder overall during the summer than in New York City because there is no urban heat island effect....
, North Caldwell
North Caldwell, New Jersey
-Local government:North Caldwell is governed under the Borough form of New Jersey municipal government. The government consists of a Mayor and a Borough Council comprising six council members, with all positions elected at large. A Mayor is elected directly by the voters to a four-year term of office...
and Verona
Verona, New Jersey
Verona is a township in Essex County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township population was 13,332.In 2008, New Jersey Monthly magazine ranked Verona #1 in Essex County and #3 in New Jersey as "Top Places to Live in New Jersey".-History:Verona and several...
. It has over 200 acre (0.809372 km²), and is the most recent addition to the Essex County Parks System. It is composed of lands formerly occupied by the Essex Mountain Sanatorium, a hospital center originally constructed in the early 1900s to treat tuberculosis patients.
Hilltop Reservation is located on the Second Watchung Mountain, one of three Watchung Mountains
Watchung Mountains
The Watchung Mountains are a group of three long low ridges of volcanic origin, between 400 ft. and 500 ft. high, lying parallel to each other in northern New Jersey in the United States...
which are long, low ridges of volcanic origin in northern New Jersey.
History
The land was designated a Conservation Easement in 2001 by the New Jersey Department of Environmental ProtectionNew Jersey Department of Environmental Protection
The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection is a government agency in the U.S. state of New Jersey that is responsible for managing the state's natural resources and addressing issues related to pollution...
, permanently dedicating it for conservation and passive recreation purposes, and thereby protecting it from any future development.
In 2003, additional area was dedicated, bringing the Reservation’s total to 284.16 acres (1.1 km²). This addition to the County’s official New Jersey Green Acres Recreation and Open Space Inventory brings the current total area of the Essex County Parks System to 6010.52 acres (24.3 km²).
Portions of the land, particularly some smaller parcels which are not contiguous with the main area, were dedicated to recreational use by the host communities.