Alonzo F Bonsal Wildlife Preserve

The quiet wooded edges of Montclair include one spot where the only traffic is animal tracks. Named for a local conservationist, Alonzo F Bonsal Wildlife Preserve turns Riverview Drive West into a corridor of ferns and fieldstone before the Morris County line arrives. A pocket map of trails starts near the parking turnout, but most visitors simply follow the call of barred owls and flickers instead of side streets. Bordering brooks and yellow birch clusters, this is the kind of place that makes neighborhood walks feel like mini-expeditions.

This preserve delivers a few clear extras without ever feeling like a tourist loop. Alonzo F Bonsal welcomes families on easy, marked routes suited to small legs. The same paths are stroller-friendly enough that parents can finish before nap-time. Bring a dog on leash and stay on the lower network of loop trails; the upper loop rolls through pine stands where leashed canines can catch a whiff of squirrel without straying too far from their humans. Keep an eye on the light—what starts as a golden hour ramble can darken quickly among the cedars.

Montclair’s municipal patchwork of conservation lands ends here, and the boulder at the trailhead reads BLUE-THROATED WARBLER WATCH just in case you needed a hint about the soundtrack. The address—Riverview Dr W, Montclair, NJ 07043—is easy to reach from Upper Montclair but feels miles removed from the downtown bustle once you turn onto the unpaved shoulder.

Need to plot the route there? Grab the map and directions before you leave—especially if you plan to let the kids lead; (973) 509-4915 can confirm hours when you call. Locals tend to say the red trail under the power line towers is the quickest sampler route on weekday afternoons.