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Places We Protect

Johnsonburg Swamp Preserve

New Jersey

View of Mud Pond through dense forest.
Mud Pond Overlook View of the glacier-formed Mud Pond, a scenic limestone wetland that supports rare plants at our Johnsonburg Swamp Preserve. © Jeff Burian

Johnsonburg Swamp Preserve is one of the most species-rich natural areas in New Jersey.

Overview

Description

Johnsonburg Swamp Preserve celebrates true New Jersey wilderness and is considered one of the most important and species-rich natural areas in the state. Established in 1990, the 700+ acre site is home to a spectacular limestone forest and the glacier-formed Mud Pond, a scenic limestone wetland that supports rare plants (including the carnivorous lesser bladderwort) and waterfowl.

The preserve is a habitat stronghold within Bobcat Alley, a vital corridor of protected land that TNC and partners are working to create in northwestern New Jersey. Iconic mammals like black bears, red foxes and state-endangered bobcats can thrive in this greenway, which connects critical migratory habitat between and along ridges of the Kittatinny and Highlands mountains, subranges of North America's Appalachian Mountains.

Bobcat Alley—Johnsonburg Swamp Preserve included—is of outsized importance on a continental level as a funnel region for species moving along the Appalachians, which are a vital and resilient refuge for nature in a changing world.

Access

OPEN TO THE PUBLIC

*Parking area is at the end of Old Stage Road off of Rte. 661 in Frelinghuysen.

Hours

Open year-round during daylight hours.

Highlights

Hiking, bird-watching, wildlife viewing, lime kilns, picnic area, views of Mud Pond

Size

714 acres

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Photos from Johnsonburg Swamp Preserve

Tag your preserve visits on Instagram with #JohnsonburgSwampPreserve to have your photos featured here!

A great blue heron standing in a still pond.
Lime kiln remains in a lush green forest.
Thick, green forest.
A long-tailed salamander sitting on a mossy rock.
A red-bellied woodpecker perched in a tree.
Two benches on a paved platform overlook a pond.
A pond full of lily pads surrounded by tall trees.
A beaver swimming with leaf on its head.
A male wood duck standing on a large branch.
Snow covered overlook area with benches.
A great blue heron standing in a still pond.

Great Blue Heron: Great blue herons are the largest herons in North America. © Shutterstock / Joseph Scott Photography

Lime kiln remains in a lush green forest.

Lime Kiln: Lime kilns were built in Warren and Sussex counties due to the predominance of limestone in the ground. Few kilns remain intact throughout the state. © Lily Mullock / TNC

Thick, green forest.

Johnsonburg Swamp Preserve: Located in Warren and Sussex Counties, New Jersey. © Dwight Hiscano

A long-tailed salamander sitting on a mossy rock.

Long-tailed Salamander: Long-tailed salamanders are known to inhabit clean springs and seeps like those found throughout the preserve. © Shutterstock

A red-bellied woodpecker perched in a tree.

Red-bellied Woodpecker: Red-bellied woodpeckers use cracks in trees to store food for later in the year. © Chris Helzer / TNC

Two benches on a paved platform overlook a pond.

Mud Pond Seating Area: Just off the parking lot, a paved sidewalk leads visitors to an accessible seating area that overlooks Mud Pond. © Lily Mullock / TNC

A pond full of lily pads surrounded by tall trees.

Mud Pond: Mud pond is a limestone wetland providing excellent habitat for rare plant species, along with waterfowl and other wildlife. © TNC

A beaver swimming with leaf on its head.

Beaver: Beavers can be seen gathering dam materials. © Dale Coulombe/TNC Photo Contest 2019

A male wood duck standing on a large branch.

Wood Duck: Wood Ducks thrive in forests, swamps, freshwater ponds. © Jill Bauer/TNC Photo Contest 2019

Snow covered overlook area with benches.

Snow Day: Johnsonburg Swamp Preserve is a beautiful preserve to visit, especially after a fresh snowfall! © TNC

Visit

  • Don’t Miss: Incredible overlook of Mud Pond from “High Rocks.”

    Historic lime kiln remains can be found on the Lime Kiln Spur trail.

    Plants: Lesser bladderwort, which is found at only three other sites in New Jersey. This carnivorous plant produces yellow flowers and floats in the water, where it periodically extends the equivalent of a small trap door that sucks in insects that brush against it.

    Visit Johnsonburg Swamp in the October for peak foliage views.

    Animals: Threatened wildlife that make their homes around Mud Pond include great blue herons, red-headed woodpeckers, barred owls, red-shouldered hawks, wood turtles and longtail salamanders. Mud Pond is also home to American beavers.

    Red-spotted newts, though not threatened, are commonly found in the moist forested areas of the preserve.

    • 4 miles of trails
    • Parking lot with reserved ADA-parking space
    • Welcome kiosk with trail map and preserve history
    • Shaded accessible picnic area with two tables off the main parking lot

    • Accessible porta potty available at the Old Stage Road trailhead, in service from March-November

    • Benches along trails
    • Shade structure with picnic tables along the High Rocks Trail
    • Lime kiln structure remains
    • High Rocks overlook
    • Limestone bedrock formations
    • Accessible seating area with views of Mud Pond

     

    • Visitors should remain on marked trails
    • All dogs must be on a leash and must be picked up after
    • Horseback riding and seasonal hunting by permit only
    • Do not enter caves
    • No boating, swimming and fishing at any times
    • Please carry out all garbage with you
    • No mountain biking, rock climbing, or repelling
    • Motor vehicles, camping, alcohol, fires, and use of sound-producing devices is strictly prohibited

     

Explore Johnsonburg Swamp Preserve

Hike to High Rocks The whole family will enjoy the incredible views from High Rocks. © Juan Melli / Take A Hike
Picnic Pavilion Enjoy a picnic at Johnsonburg Swamp Preserve under the shaded picnic pavilion. © Lily Mullock / TNC
Limestone Forest The preserve’s limestone rock formations and outcrops were formed millions of years ago, when this area was under the ocean. © Lily Mullock / TNC
River Otter River otter enjoying the frozen Mud Pond at Johnsonburg Swamp Preserve. © TNC
× Hike to High Rocks The whole family will enjoy the incredible views from High Rocks. © Juan Melli / Take A Hike
× Picnic Pavilion Enjoy a picnic at Johnsonburg Swamp Preserve under the shaded picnic pavilion. © Lily Mullock / TNC
× Limestone Forest The preserve’s limestone rock formations and outcrops were formed millions of years ago, when this area was under the ocean. © Lily Mullock / TNC
× River Otter River otter enjoying the frozen Mud Pond at Johnsonburg Swamp Preserve. © TNC

Preserve Accessibility

The Nature Conservancy is excited to bring several accessibility features to our Johnsonburg Swamp preserve.

Aerial view of Mud Pond.
Johnsonburg Swamp Preserve Mud Pond, at the heart of the Johnsonburg preserve, is a limestone wetland providing excellent habitat for rare plant species, along with waterfowl and other wildlife.  © Dwight Hiscano

Background

Four miles of trails wind through the pristine habitats, with constantly changing angles and views. The rock outcrops that overlook Mud Pond to the west and north are the largest formations of their kind in the New Jersey, with “High Rocks” providing an elevated vantage point for viewing wildlife, seasonal landscape vistas, and acres of fields and forest fading off toward the Kittatinny Ridge.

Johnsonburg’s water resources attracted Native Americans twelve thousand years ago and the Lenape tribe up to the late 1600s. Samuel Green, a surveyor, was one of the first Europeans to settle near Johnsonburg, which quickly became a busy town center and stagecoach stop. For the next 200 years, the region was known for its dairy farming operations. The area is now a bedroom-community suburb, but remnants of lime kilns, spring houses, dwellings and other structures from previous eras are evident when hiking the trails today.

Mud Pond Flyover (0:53) Enjoy this virtual tour of Johnsonburg Swamp Preserve's Mud Pond, the glacier-formed pond found at the heart of the preserve. Mud Pond provides critical habitat and resources for a wide variety of local and migrating wildlife.

Nearby Preserves

Need more nature? Visit The Nature Conservancy's other preserves.

Find More Places We Protect

The Nature Conservancy owns nearly 1,500 preserves covering more than 2.5 million acres across all 50 states. These lands protect wildlife and natural systems, serve as living laboratories for innovative science and connect people to the natural world.

See the Complete Map

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