This is not a sponsored post.
As the weather gets warmer, spring fever sets in. Families find themselves searching for outdoor activities. If you are looking for something to do in Morris County, check out the Great Swamp Outdoor Education Center. The Great Swamp was created around 15,000 years ago by a melting glacier. Even though the name suggests it is completely swampland, it’s not. The Great Swamp is made up of a mixture of marshes, meadows, dry woods, and brush covered swamps. This combination of land means that the Great Swamp can support a wide variety of animal life. It makes it a prime spot for a hike in search of wildlife. While it is not guaranteed that you will see wildlife while you are on a hike, there are plenty of great spots to stop of look for some. Great Swamp even has special areas that are marked as good wildlife watching spots.
The Great Swamp consists of four color coded trails. The trails vary in length and the type of habitats that can be viewed. This means that the Great Swamp has hiking opportunities for all families. There are shorter hikes for families with young children and families looking for an easy outing and longer trails for families looking for a challenge. Our family chose one of the shorter trails since that was as long as my 2 ½ year old could hike. Even the shorter trails are full of nature to explore.
If your family is just looking to explore independently you can drop in any time and start hiking. But if you are looking for a more educational experience there are a variety of programs to check out. There are guided hikes, and programs geared towards children of all ages. They have hikes specifically for toddlers and hikes geared towards bird watchers. My daughter can’t wait to check out their “Awesome Animal Artist” program. In this program young artists learn about an animal native to New Jersey and then are given the opportunity to draw that animal. There are so many great activities to check out at Great Swamp.
3 Reasons Why We Love Great Swamp
1. The awesome educational programs they offer. There are so many great programs to choose from and their prices are very budget friendly. Almost all of their programs are under $5!
2. The various trail options! You can explore a new area each time you go or keep going back to your favorite.
3. The mixture of boardwalks and trails. The boardwalks make it easier to navigate the trails and provide spots to stop and look for wildlife.
We managed to catch a peek at a few animals on our hike, but we will be coming back to explore some more (if I can manage to keep my kids from scaring away any animals)
A map of the trail options
The Great Swamp Outdoor Education Center is located at 247 Southern Blvd in Chatham, New Jersey. You can check out their website for more information or give them a call at 973-635-6629.