Essex County Park System, New Jersey, County park system in New Jersey, United States.
The Essex County Park System encompasses over 6,000 acres across thirty parks and scenic reservations featuring waterways, overlooks, trail networks, golf courses, and recreational facilities designed by the renowned Olmsted Brothers landscape architecture firm.
Frederick Law Olmsted Sr. and Calvert Vaux first examined potential parklands for Newark in 1867, leading to the establishment of Branch Brook Park and the subsequent development of a comprehensive park system plan by Olmsted Brothers that spanned six decades of landscape design.
The park system reflects 19th-century landscape architecture principles that emphasized creating naturalistic environments for diverse populations, demonstrating a commitment to public recreation and urban greenery that transformed industrial zones into verdant community spaces.
Visitors can access the parks year-round with amenities including walking trails, picnic areas, playgrounds, scenic overlooks, ice skating venues, and golf courses, with park administrative offices located at 155 Prospect Avenue in West Orange operating permits from 9 am to 4 pm.
The system features the Presby Memorial Iris Garden with its extensive iris collection and hosts annual events including figure skating camps at Codey Arena, butterfly gardening workshops, and cherry blossom festivals at Branch Brook Park.
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