Apshawa Preserve, County park in West Milford, US.

Apshawa Preserve is a county park in West Milford containing mixed hardwood forests, wetlands, and the Butler Reservoir spread across 576 acres. More than five miles of marked trails connect these different habitats and allow exploration throughout the property.

The Apshawa Preserve is a 576-acre preserve in West Milford managed by the New Jersey Conservation Foundation and Passaic County. Its Apshawa brook, a tributary of the Pequannock River, was dammed to form the 40-acre Butler Reservoir, which once supplied water to Butler. Since 2010 a gated deer fence protects native plants from a dense deer population.

The name Apshawa comes from the brook that runs through the preserve, a tributary of the Pequannock River dammed to form the Butler Reservoir. The reservoir once supplied drinking water to the borough of Butler. Visitors today walk the red loop around the water and cross the brook on the marked trail network.

The preserve is open from dawn to dusk and can be accessed from the main entrance on Northwood Drive, where a gravel parking lot and trail map are available. Wearing appropriate footwear and bringing water is recommended since conditions can vary across different trail sections.

Since 2010 a gated deer fence encloses part of the preserve, protecting native plants from a high-density deer herd. The fence is a management tool rather than a display: it keeps browsers out so the understory can regrow. Visitors walking the marked loops can see where the fenced section begins.