This Summer, Take a Walk on the Wild Side

As July’s celebrations of freedom and fireworks signal the height of summer is here, there are other casual, easygoing options with just as many breathtaking sights to behold, but more nature than the average barbecue. Take a stroll, hike or bike at these sites for a fresh breath of air — and ample opportunities to socialize under the sun.

2022 Full Moon Bike Ride

Lawrence Hopewell Trail, Mercer Meadows - Rosedale Lake, Hopewell. Saturday, July 9, 8 to 10:30 p.m. $15 for single riders ages 12 to 17; $20 for single riders ages 18+; group rates available. Park and meet at the lot by the Mercer Meadows Dog Park and Rosedale Lake area.

Mercer Meadows is expansive, home to 1,600 acres and three county properties — the Pole Farm, Rosedale Lake, and Curlis Lake Woods — with a wealth of wildlife, woods, and gentle winds weaving through the area. The trails are home to history as well, especially in the case of the Pole Farm, a site formerly owned by AT&T.

The Lawrence Hopewell Trail traverses two townships and covers more than 20 miles. While pedestrians and cyclists are free to navigate the area during the day, the latter can show up for an event of the celestial kind on Saturday, July 9, for a nighttime, six-mile route guided by the glow of the full moon.

The 2022 Full Moon Bike Ride takes advantage of this natural illumination, creating what organizers describe on their website as an “out of this world experience” for riders. When the moon rises around 8:30 p.m., those 12 and older will embark on a brightly decorated route that takes about 45 minutes, all while classical musicians provide accompaniment along the route.

Registration is required for all attendees regardless of participation in the ride itself. Onsite registration is available, but LHT recommends signing up in advance online via Eventbrite at eventbrite.com/e/lawrence-hopewell-trail-full-moon-bike-ride-registration-367474635527.

Group rates vary by age and the number of people registered, with prices available on the event page at lhtrail.org/annual-fullmoonride. To register a group, email LHT at info@lhtrail.org. Children under 12 are not permitted to participate in the ride for safety reasons, but are allowed to attend “accompanied and supervised by an adult.”

Non-riders do not have to pay a fee, but donations are requested, as the nonprofit that creates, manages and maintains the trail, the Lawrence Hopewell Trail Corporation, is organizing the event. All guests must still sign a waiver.

LHT requests that all riders wear helmets and have working front lights on their bikes. Decorating the bikes with extras, such as the free glowsticks provided, is highly encouraged. Prizes will be awarded to winners in youth and adult categories for their creativity.

There will be restrooms available, as well as “a few vendors selling snacks and drinks,” but LHT advocates for bringing along snacks and/or having a moonlit picnic dinner beforehand. No alcohol is permitted, there are no current COVID-19 protocols in place, and the rain date is the following day on Sunday, July 10.

Additionally, LHT’s Saturday Morning Walking Club typically hosts a free monthly event exploring the area. However, because of the Full Moon Bike Ride in July, the Saturday Morning Walks will resume on August 13. The location of the August event is, as of press time, to be determined. Visit LHT’s Saturday Morning Walking Club’s page at lhtrail.org/walkingclub.

Just a Hike

Mercer Meadows - Reed Bryan Lot, Hopewell Township. Friday, July 1, 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. Free

As simple as can be, this exploration of another part of Mercer Meadows is a no-frills, no-theme hike that starts at the lot outside the Reed Bryan Farm. A trained naturalist will lead this journey without any set sights or stops, but all spontaneity, as the morning progresses.

According to the Mercer County Park Commission, “brief pauses” may be taken to admire the views, wildlife, and environment. Water bottles and durable footwear are suggested.

Space for this easygoing event is limited, with registration available online at mercercountyparks.org/#!/calendar/just-hike-july2022.

First Saturday Wellness Walk

Watson Woods - Abbott Bluff Trail, John A. Roebling Memorial Park, Hamilton. Saturday, July 2, 10 a.m. to noon. Free. Park and meet at the Tulpehaking Nature Center 157 Westcott Avenue, Hamilton.

The Abbott Marshlands are named after Trenton-born archaeologist and naturalist Charles Conrad Abbott, who documented his experiences living near the marshlands and discovering artifacts. Designated as a National Historic Landmark, the more than 3,000 acres of wetlands and bluffs run “adjacent to the Delaware River between Trenton and Bordentown,” according to their website.

The site is the ancestral homeland of the Lenape, and their presence, as well as Abbott’s similar embrace of nature, are both recognized for their importance. Named “Land of the Turtle” to honor the animal’s symbolic relationship with the native Lenape, the Tulpehaking Nature Center facility offers a host of educational opportunities for visitors. It’s also a fitting place to start walking from to engage in the different activities that the Abbott Marshlands has scheduled for July.

On the first Saturday of every month, the Friends for the Abbott Marshlands, the nonprofit that uplifts the area through programming and protective measures, hosts wellness walks on different trails. This month’s walk, co-sponsored by the RWJ Fitness and Wellness Center, invites attendees able to bask in an “early summer walk” among others.

The group will go on the Abbott Bluff Trail through Watson Woods, a path that requires a climb to the top of the bluff, then a descent to a depression in the ground where Abbott’s home was destroyed in a 1914 fire, according to the Marshlands’ website.

Registration is required and available online, along with more information, via Eventbrite at eventbrite.com/e/first-saturday-wellness-walk-watson-woods-abbott-bluff-trail-tickets-322897072837.

There are also the “Wednesday Watson Woods Walks,” which recur each week on the following dates: July 6, July 13, July 20, and July 27. Another free opportunity to walk among friends and nature, these group events run from 10 to 11:30 a.m. Abbott Marshlands invites attendees to “observe the seasons change while exploring the beautiful trails” of the John A. Roebling Memorial Park.

Nature Therapy Walk: A Shinrin-yoku Experience

Bowman’s Hill Wildflower Preserve, 1635 River Road, New Hope, Pennsylvania. Friday, July 8, 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. $35 admission ($28 with member discount).

Stewardship is a core mission of Bowman’s Hill Wildflower Preserve, where habitats like meadows, woods, and ponds have been flourishing since the 1930s. BHWP claims to be “the nation’s one-and-only living museum specifically devoted to native plants,” making for a tranquil trip to see what’s in bloom this July — butterfly weed, false sunflowers and sweet pepperbush, to name a few — surrounded by a 100-acre deer exclosure to keep the species intact.

Since retiring from her position as a psychiatric nurse, Sharon Lohse has continued to develop unique specializations that unify her lifelong passion for nature and the endless desire to help others. With certifications in forest and horticultural therapy, she is a garden trail guide whose background, as well as later pursuits of science at Delaware Valley University, influenced the core elements of this upcoming BHWP event.

According to a 2019 National Geographic article, Shinrin-yoku is a Japanese term that translates to “forest bathing,” a form of ecotherapy focused on atmospheric immersion and its corresponding health benefits. This idea of mediating outdoors has inspired Lohse’s nature therapy walk, as the BHWP page continues, where attendees “will explore the land of the preserve and awaken [their] senses to its sounds, beings, textures and beauty.”

These gentle strides, at a considerably slower rate, are meant to truly absorb the perks of reflection, whether against a sunlit pond or looking inwards. The “emphasis is on unplugging,” BHWP says, to eliminate stress and increase prosperity.

Registration is required before July 6 online at bhwp.org/item/nature-therapy-walk-a-shinrin-yoku-experience-july/#tab-wccpf_fields_tab.

TravelStorys Mobile Tours

Available from the D&R Greenway Land Trust for Cedar Ridge Preserve, Healing Trails, Abbott Marshlands, and St. Michaels Farm Preserve.

Since their inception in 1989, D&R Greenway Land Trust has preserved more than 20,000 acres of land in New Jersey. This has allowed nature, conservation efforts, and green open spaces to flourish — despite time and time again being named the most densely populated state in the entire country. While D&R has no events planned at the moment, anyone can go alone or with company on their TravelStorys mobile tours, which use a free application and GPS to access audio guides.

There are four D&R sites currently adopting the TravelStorys platform as a location-based podcast to share local stories and history lessons.

Listeners can appreciate the paths at their own pace, enjoying time on protected properties by following along to the pre-recorded voices. After downloading the guide, the application functions “more like a compass” and works offline, meaning that the insight travels with the user as it recognizes each location in the tour.

Cedar Ridge Preserve’s “Women in Conservation” tour is an acknowledgement of 16 women whose contributions in areas such as science and environmental protection have shaped the world. The idea to feature these females came from a young girl herself, Princeton resident Madeleine ​​Freundlich, as part of a Girl Scout project.

International figures like climate change activist Greta Thunburg are included, as well as local leaders including Beverly Mills and Elaine Buck, the founders of the Stoutsburg Sourland African American Museum who worked to preserve not only the physical area, but the personal accounts and cultural significance of Black history in the Sourlands.

The Healing Trails are a tour through Princeton’s Greenway Meadows, divided by three colors of varying accessibilities and difficulties, that are meant to help with personal health. Being surrounded by nature physically and emotionally benefits people of all ages, soothing ailments, issues, as well as a myriad of conditions that were dealt with right on that same trail.

D&R’s website says that the tour, inspired by the Healing Trails art exhibition in their Johnson Education Center venue, revolves around the “stories of people healing from surgery, illness or trauma by walking on [their] preserved lands.”

Trails marked as green are handicap accessible and paved, yellow are “relatively flat” and unpaved, while red trails are “more challenging” and uphill. D&R hopes that those soaking up the restorative quality of lush greens and a warm sun will “find peace and perspective” as they progress. The Healing Trails were created in memory of Edie Howard.

St. Michaels Farm Preserve’s mobile tour is through an abundance of open space at the edge of Hopewell Borough, where an old orphanage and farm stood before the land was purchased for preservation in 2010.

The trail invites young audiences to learn about nature, the website continues, through exploration and expression. By giving them the tools to find a “home in nature,” the audio informs children about how outdoor experiences can create special connections to the world.

The trail is a tribute to this, and now encompasses a memorial area called “Jackson’s Place,” established on Earth Day last year to remember Jackson McGrath Place, a young man whose ve for the environment will positively inspire visitors for years to come.

More information about all the tours is online at drgreenway.org/travelstorys.

This July, let nature help pack on the psychological and physiological sunscreen in between layers of actual skin protection, because while beautiful beaches have an impact on wellbeing, trails and parks provide wonderful, oft-forgotten boosts of their own.