Stephen R. Gregg-Bayonne County Park
Avenue A, 37th Street north to 48th Street, Bayonne, Hudson County, NJ
97.9 acres

Directions:

New Jersey Turnpike south to 14A; pick up Route 440; pick up 440 sough on the right; left turn for 440 South; get off at the exit for 32nd Street; drive west to Avenue A; turn right onto Avenue A; at 37 Street turn left diagonally into the park.  There are other park entrances.

It is sixteen blocks long, north to south, extending from 48th Street down to 36th Street. East to West, it extends a few blocks in width from Kennedy Boulevard to Newark Bay. (Liberty State Park is somewhat nearby.)

Take the New Jersey Turnpike to Exit 14A. Proceed straight out of the toll plaza down Avenue E, make a right at 48th Street, and go four blocks to the north entrance of the park.

Alternate route:
Route 46 East to Grand Ave. Exit. Make a right at the light. Follow Grand Ave. and it will turn into 1 & 9 which turns into Tunnelly to North Bergen. At the 79th street light make a left. Go to the top of the hill and make a left onto Kennedy Blvd. Make a quick right still on 79th Street. Continue to Bergenline Ave. At the traffic light you will see James Braddock Park. Pull in the park and stay to your right to the stop sign. Circle halfway around then straight. Tennis Courts will be on you right and Baseball field will be on you left.

History:

Charles N. Lowrie was the landscape architect for the Hudson County Park Commission for thirty years and designed several parks for the county's park system, including Lincoln Park and the Stephen R. Gregg Hudson County Park. The architect was active in the "City Beautiful" movement.

Stephen R. Gregg was born in New York City.  He entered military service at Bayonne, N.J. During World War II, he served as Second Lieutenant, U.S. Army, 143d Infantry, 36th Infantry Division. He earned the Medal of Honor for conspicuous bravery above and beyond the call of duty near Montelimar, France, 27 August 1944.  
(Source: Texas Military Forces Museum; 36th Infantry Division; Medal of Honor Citations; http://www.kwanah.com/txmilmus/36division/archives/moh/mohgreg.htm)

1997 --  In 1912 The Hiker, sculpted by Allen George Newman, was dedicated to commemorate the American infantry men who fought during the Spanish-American War in 1898 at the traffic triangle at 30th Street and the Boulevard; it is now in Heroes' Square at the Stephen R. Gregg Bayonne Park, rededicated in 1997.  In the same year the 1914 Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument designed by Eleanor "Nellie" Eadie  was transferred to the Park between 39th and 40th Street towards Avenue B; the stone monument with a bronze plaque was cleaned and rededicated.

Habitats:

The park is divided into halves east and west.  Midway down the western half is a small pond. The eastern half consists of widely spaced mature hardwood plantings.

Facilities:

Ballfields, tennis courts, football field, track/exercise course, spray pool, playground, picnic area, community center, waterfront walkway

The park is divided lengthwise into two distinct areas separated by a shrubby slope extending the length of the park. The western half, at sea level, consists of playing fields with a running track at the south end. The eastern half is 20 feet higher and has more plant species.

Trails:

A bike path will be created in the so-called North 40 park that is being developed north of Gregg-Bayonne County Park, along Newark Bay. The bikeway will continue south by Stephen R. Gregg-Bayonne County Park, then down Kennedy Boulevard, and Avenue A, passing Bayonne High School and 16th Street Park to Bergen Point at the southern end of the city.

12/18/04.  Rosemary and her brother Cefe, dog Sonar and I approached the park via the 37th Street entrance.  We drove through the park seeing a lot of picnic area under the oak.  We then headed downhill to a flat plain on which there are many recreational fields.  We did not see any natural areas. We drove around and uphill to where we started.  We exited out the 37th Street entrance. Dr. Patrick L. Cooney. 

PLANTS:
Acer platanoides (Norway maple)   
Liquidambar styraciflua (sweet gum)
Liriodendron tulipifera (tulip tree)  
Picea spp. (spruce)
Platanus x hybrida (London plane) lots planted
Quercus spp. (oak)

Toxicodendron radicans (poison ivy)

Phragmites australis (giant reed grass)

Source:

Doria Secures $450,000 in Third State Bikeway Grant; Nov. 20, 2003; http://www.bayonnenj.org/cgi-bin/news/news.cgi?news=360

John A. Holinka; Site Guide - Hudson County Park; New Jersey Audubon Society; http://www.njaudubon.org/Sites/hudsonpk.html