Orange Reservoir Perambulation

Orange Reservoir from the north

I'm sure it is well known to regular visitors to South Mountain Reservation (Essex County, NJ), but has snuck up on me that Orange Reservoir, which sits at the north end of the reservation, is now generally open to the public and full of recent and upcoming "improvements".  Built in the late 19th century to supply water for the City of Orange it was abandoned for that purpose in the late 1990s (I venture a reason below).  Till a few years ago, one had to sneak through a fence to have a look.  Its long dormancy between water supply and public access was due to political and financial fights between the City of Orange, the Township of West Orange who own most of the property, and Essex County who has wanted it for its "South Mountain Recreation Complex".  Anyway, around July of last year things were settled at least to the extent that the county could lease the property and start to do things with it. I think the township is still grumbling about taxes, but I am not sure. It seems to have become one of County Executive Joseph DiVicenzo's favorite projects.

I decided to check it out about a week ago.  It is definitely a work in progress and definitely different from the rest of South Mountain Reservation (the reservation is adjacent to the reservoir - although I am not sure if the reservoir is technically part of the reservation, the two are so tightly coupled and both are managed by Essex County so it is probably best to think of them as a single entity).  

"Amenities"

While the reservation proper is dominated by rocky trails and unpaved carriage roads - more of a hiking experience if not an especially difficult one - the reservoir is looking much more "civilized", with paved paths, lighting, etc.  I'm of two minds.  With Turtle Back Zoo and the skating arena and all the other nearby amenities, I can see why Mr. DiVicenzo would want to expand recreational opportunities around the north end of the reservoir. And I won't complain about linking it all in a pedestrian friendly manner suitable to people with limited hiking skills or experience - it might even encourage some of them to walk ... a bit.  I just hope he does not go too far.  In any case, I like to walk just about anywhere and I found walking the new paths around the reservoir an enjoyable experience. And the serious hiking trails of the reservation proper are just a stone's throw away.


Path extending around the west side of the Reservoir.

Pedestrian Bridge over the Rahway River at the north end of Reservoir

Mr. DiVicenzo's new bridge on the way (I think the one on the left is already done)

As I said, it is also work in progress.  A county goal is a paved path circumnavigating the reservoir which means bridges to cross the Rahway River West Branch where it enters north and exits south.  The northerly bridge - at the busy end of the reservoir - is already in place.  The county has grand plans which are prominently displayed on giant posters for the bridge at the south end.   We saw the work taking place.  One of the news articles I found said it would be open April 2014, but this seems ambitious.  We'll see.



Muddy tracks at the end of the paved path on the east side

We started out by heading south on the east side of the reservoir.  The paved path soon turns to a muddy mess - presumably the old service road - the muddiness exacerbated by the recent thaw.  While we saw no restrictions to continuing, it was easier to turn back and head down the west side where we wanted to be anyway. And where the paved path is complete all the way down to the dam. 

Giant Mute Swans spotted by the Orange Reservoir

On the way we spotted waterfowl. The reservoir is good this time of year for waterfowl although this may be diminishing with all the recent development.  We saw a normal assortment of ducks - nothing special.  It was the Mute Swans which caught our attention.  Seems this aggressive Euro-invasive is evolving into a giant subspecies in its new home.  A bigger bird for a bigger country.  Someone suggested it was something in the water.  Perhaps the reason the City of Orange abandoned it for water supply?

Dam at the south end of the reservoir

The paved path on the west side ends at the dam.  It is quieter down there and I hope it will stay that way even with the new bridge.  A lonely old water tank hearkens to the municipal water supply days.  In the distance you see the workers building the new bridge.  Till that is finished you can't walk right the way around without fording the Rahway River - probably possible but the water was high and our plans took us deeper into the reservation.  From the dam a short road walk takes you to the Lenape Trail and the rest of the South Mountain trail network.  It all gets much wilder very quickly.

Given the newness of it all, many hikers familiar with South Mountain will not have walked the reservoir.  Many may not really want to given its relatively civilized character.  But for me it is interesting and pleasant enough and provides the sort of variety I look for in my perambulations. Most likely I will include it as part of our South Mountain traverse with the NY Ramblers in the third of the "Ramble Across New Jersey" series in April. 

Finally a note about public transit access.  The common and obvious way the car-less and car-adverse get to South Mountain is via the Millburn train station.  Which is great but lands one pretty much at the opposite end of the reservation.  Community Bus (Coach USA) route no. 77 provides reasonably frequent service, including weekends, directly from PABT.  Take it to the "West Orange Arena".  The bus stops just a few hundred yards from the north end of the reservoir.  Go into the arena/skating rink if it is open and you want to use the restrooms.  A useful alternative to the Millburn train not only for the reservoir but also for connecting many other interesting dots in the northern reaches of the reservation.  Complaints about this bus service might be noted (click here) but it was fine ... the one time I used it.