Turnpike Tikes

I might be little, but I'm still driving the train

We discovered Tourne County Park in Boonton and Denville on a rainy, miserable late summer day, but it was awesome even anyway. The 545-acre park has a wonderful network of wooded, gentle, serene trails that are great for biking or hiking even with an opinionated child in tow. On a clear day, you can hike all the way to the top of the “Tourne” (a Dutch word for “lookout”) and get a stellar view of New York.

This weekend promises to be one of those rare and perfect weekends with clear skies and temperatures in the 70s. If the kids are older, bring your bikes because there are some great spots to bike.

Wonderful Wildflowers

The wildflower trail is great for littler kids, even without spring flowers in bloom. It’s a small, manageable network of unpaved trails that wind their way around carefully labeled plants. Our little one totally exhausted himself running up and down the trails. You can access it across from the parking lot near the Boonton town entrance. For kids with longer legs, there are several other gentle trails that start at the same parking lot and are great for off-road biking or hiking.

Immediately adjacent to the parking lot is a very cute wooden train for kids to climb. It doesn’t go anywhere, but it’s the perfect size for little people with a wooden caboose and engine and cars to sit inside.

Just past the picnic area and train is a large and lovely meadow, which would be great for throwing a Frisbee or for an open air picnic. If no one’s using it, the picnic shelter is also great for eating and gives you a reprieve from the weather. Beware of the port-a-potties, though, they are not for the faint of heart. There are some lovely bathrooms nearby, but they were locked.

If you do pack a picnic and happen to forget anything, there’s a King’s Supermarket about 5 minutes away at 115 Hawkins Place in Boonton.

Touring the Tourne

If you enter through the Denville entrance, there’s a really great playground for the kids to climb all over with modern equipment and a covered gazebo for a weary parent to rest.

A network of trails lead off from the Denville parking lot, including one that heads up to the top of the Tourne. The view of New York from the top is remarkable and would definitely impress any kid who made it that far. It’s doable with older kids or little ones who don’t mind a long time in a Kelty-type carrier.