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 Starting on JULY 8TH and continuing through mid- August, major renovations to the Rahway Fairy Trail in South Mountain Reservation will take place as part of a $1.2 million project funded by a NJ Green Acres grant and Essex County's Open Space Trust Fund. During this time, the Locust Grove parking lot will be closed and the Fairy Trail will be inaccessible. Renovations to the River Trail which started June 15th are expected to be complete by mid-July, so parts of the River Trail will be off limits.
Planned by the County Parks Department in consultation with the South Mountain Conservancy, this project will enhance the experience of Fairy Trail visitors. It will improve the Locust Grove parking area with a delineated turnaround area and a sidewalk to allow safe passage from Glen Avenue. On the trail itself, there will be improved paths and drainage, rustic benches, and a six-sided shelter at the high point of the trail to be fully installed in September.
The work on the River Trail encompasses around three-quarters of the entire length from Locust Grove to South Orange Avenue and allow better access for medical and fire emergency vehicles. It is part of a long-term safety plan involving multiple woods roads throughout the reservation developed by the Conservancy.
During the construction period, access to the Lenape and Swampy trailheads from Locust Grove (but not the southern portion of the Rahway) is possible using a detour created by the Conservancy starting at Glen Ave. Look for the signs and yellow ribbon.
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The project will be overseen by the Essex County Parks and Public Works Departments along with the Conservancy. Design work was developed by Suburban Consulting Engineers of Flanders, NJ, and construction will be done by Picerno-Giordano Construction of Kenilworth, NJ.
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