Hartshorne Woods Park

Welcome to Hartshorne Woods Park located in Locust, New Jersey on the banks of the Navesink River.

Park History: This forested and hilly oasis was once a coastal defense site and is one of the highest elevation points on the Atlantic coast. This park itself was named after an English settler of the 17th Century named Richard Hartshorne, who at the time owned over 2,300 acres of land.

By the late 19th century much of the land was sold to private individuals and to the Federal Government, but large tracts still remained in the hands of the Hartshorne Family. It's high elevation made it an ideal location for a defense site. Over the years various land and air based military installations were hosted here in order to protect New York Harbor and the surrounding region. During World War II batteries for heavy artillery were built on this site as were several bunkers in order to protect equipment and personnel. The bunkers can still be seen today. The development of nuclear weapons and strategic air power made artillery guns obsolete for coastal defense.

From the 1950s-1970s (Cold War Era) this land served as a command center and missile defense site with radar and computers. These buildings have since been removed. In 1974 Monmouth County purchased the first 680 acres and purchased additional tracts in 1984 and 2005. For the lover of the outdoors this park boast nearly 20 miles of multipurpose trails and so much more. Come on out and have a blast!

To contact the office please cal 732-872-0336. This was RecPlanet place of the day on January 1, 2016. The first place of the day for 2016.