Is there a more blissful winter image than skaters on a frozen pond? It’s a storybook scene of rosy-cheeked folks decked out in woolly hats, mittens and scarves, gliding along frozen waters amid glistening trees and lightly falling snow. Add a few game lads with hockey sticks and the picture is complete.
Although that seems pure fantasy, such scenes occur in towns and parks all over New Jersey—if you know where to find them. Rules and regulations vary among municipalities, county systems and state parks. Some communities monitor ice safety and hang flags to indicate when skating is permissible. Other locations adopt a skate-at-your-own-risk policy, meaning surface conditions are unmonitored. Other jurisdictions prohibit skating altogether. Here are a few favorite local spots:
❄ Brundage Park Preserve Carrell Road, Randolph
❄ Edgemont Park
Valley Road, Montclair
❄ Heistein Park
South Road and Doby Road, Randolph
❄ Holmdel Park
44 Longstreet Road, Holmdel
❄ Manasquan Reservoir
311 Windeler Road, Howell
❄ Parks Lake
Lombardo Park, Rockaway Township
❄ Shark River Park
1101 Schoolhouse Road, Wall Township
❄ Summit Ave Park
150 High Street, Newton
❄ Turkey Swamp Park
200 Georgia Road, Freehold
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NOTHING in Somerset County? A shame, I thought the draw was “country living near the big city.”