Herrontown Woods Arboretum facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Herrontown Woods Arboretum |
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The entrance to the arboretum from Snowden Lane
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| Location | 624 Snowden Lane, Princeton, New Jersey |
| Area | 142 acres (57 ha) |
| Created | 1957 |
| Operated by | Mercer County, New Jersey |
| Status | Open all year |
Herrontown Woods Arboretum is a large nature area in Princeton, New Jersey. It covers 142 acres, which is about 100 football fields! You can visit it for free any day of the year. It has many walking trails, but bikes are not allowed on the trails.
Contents
Discover Nature: What You Can Find Here
This special place is kept in its natural state. This means it looks much like it did long ago. A pipeline path does cross through the woods. But most of the area is wild and untouched.
Here are some cool things you can find:
- A quiet pine forest.
- Wetlands, which are like marshy areas.
- Lots of frogs and salamanders.
- Over 30 different kinds of trees, bushes, and flowers.
- Some rare birds that are hard to spot elsewhere.
- Rocks that contain a magnetic mineral called magnetite.
- Several miles of fun walking trails for you to explore.
A Look Back: How Herrontown Woods Began
Herrontown Woods: The Original Gift
The first part of Herrontown Woods was given to the public in 1957. It was 81 acres big. A famous mathematician named Professor Oswald Veblen donated this land. He worked at the Institute for Advanced Study. His gift was worth a lot of money back then. It was the very first nature preserve in Princeton.
In 1966, the park grew bigger. Another 47 acres were added to the Woods. When Elizabeth Veblen, Professor Veblen's wife, passed away in 1974, their last 14 acres were added. This included their house and a small cottage. This made the park the size it is today.
Autumn Hill Reservation: An Extra Area
In 1967, the towns of Princeton Township and Princeton Borough bought more land together. This land was 72 acres and became the Autumn Hill Reservation. It's located across the street from Herrontown Woods. This area used to be old farms that had turned back into woods.
Sometimes, people call this land the Herrontown Woods extension. It has a simple trail loop. This trail was created as an Eagle Scout project by a local Boy Scout troop. You can get to this area from a small parking lot on Herrontown Road.
Exploring the Trails: How to Access the Park
You can enter Herrontown Woods from a parking lot on Snowden Lane. This is on the east side of the park. In 2010, more land was added nearby. This was a 35-acre piece of land from All Saints Episcopal Church. It was bought to protect the land by the D&R Greenway Land Trust. This addition allowed new trails to be made. These trails now reach south to the church and a former office building on Bunn Drive.
In October 2014, another way to get to the trails was opened. This access point is from Stone Hill Church of Princeton on the west side of the woods. It was a team effort between the Friends of Herrontown Woods and the church's youth group. Visitors can park at the church to use the trails. Just remember not to park there on Sunday mornings.
Gallery
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A small brook flows through the peaceful Herrontown Woods.
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A sunny meadow offers open space within the arboretum.
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A winding path invites visitors to explore deeper into the woods.
