Mine Brook Park
Capner Street, Flemington, Raritan Township, Hunterdon County, New Jersey

directly across from Bernadette Morales Nature Preserve and Uplands Park.

Directions

To Liberty Village from Manhattan/George Washington Bridge/Newark:
Take NJ Turnpike South to Exit 14. Take 78 west to Exit 29 to Route 202 south to Flemington.  Once in Flemington, make right at Church Street traffic light (Flemington Business District) and follow to end.

Facilities:

playground, pavilion, ball field, and walking trails

Trail:

Flemington Greenbelt (Liberty Village to Mine Brook Park; to Morales Nature Preserve to Uplands Reserve to Tuccamirgan Park to Liberty Village):

Liberty Village
north on Central Street
turn left onto Mine Street (pass St. Magdalene Church)
turn right on Shields Avenue (pass the Flemington water tower)
turn left onto a footpath that leads to Mine Brook Park. 
(See the Morales Nature Preserve for the next directions.)

5/24/2005.  While my wife, son and brother-in-law shopped at Liberty Village, I decided to check out Mine Brook Park, Bernadette Morales Park, and Uplands Nature Preserve. I was interested in finding how these three parks connected to each other and then to Tuccamirgan Park.  I parked at the parking lot on Capner Street across from a parking area for Bernadette Morales Park. 

There is a gravel/dirt foot path in a figure 8.  The lower circle of the figure 8 goes around the children's playground area and picnic pavilion, while the top circle of the figure eight went around the ball field area.   The Mine Brook itself  is on the east side of the park.  I crossed over Mine Brook via a wooden bridge.  There is a path on the other side of the bridge that crosses the northern edge of the huge field (probably owned by the Dvoor Farm) and takes the walker over to Shields Avenue.  (From here one could walk south, then turn left onto Bonnell Street and soon afterwards take a left into Tuccamirgan Park.)

I walked over to Shields Avenue and back.  Recrossed the wooden bridge over Mine Brook and went back to where my car was parked.  Crossed over Capner Street and walked into the Bernadette Morales Park.  I took the main trail  and crossed Mine brook and walked up the wooden step to a left turn onto Eagle Trail.   Walked uphill and along the brook on my left.  By the Brook are a lot of houses on the other side of the road.   Passed  the intersection with Dogwood Trail  The trail is very wet and muddy and good footing is hard to come by.  Walked uphill and then bore right onto the Meditation Trail and then steeply uphill.  Turn left onto the Uplands Reserve Trail.  Started to walk the circular loop heading counter clockwise.  As I noticed time was running short, I took a short-cut cutting across the loop trail area and back close to where I started on the circular loop. Turned right and then retraced my steps all the way back to Mine Brook Park and my car. 

I drove around the area and found Tuccamirgan Park across the street from the rear of St. Magdalene Roman Catholic Church (established 1847).  Then I drove back to Liberty Village.  Dr. Patrick L. Cooney. 

PLANT LIST:
Dr. Patrick L. Cooney

Trees:
Fraxinus americana (white ash)
Platanus occidentalis (American sycamore)
Prunus serotina (black cherry)
Quercus spp. (oak)
Robinia pseudoacacia (black locust)
Salix sp. (willow)

Shrubs:
Euonymus alatus (winged euonymus)
Ligustrum sp. (privet)
Rosa multiflora (multiflora rose)
Rubus occidentalis (black raspberry)
Rubus phoenicolasius (wineberry)

Vines:
Lonicera japonica (Japanese honeysuckle)
Toxicodendron radicans (poison ivy)
Vitis spp. (grape)

Herbs:
Alliaria petiolata (garlic mustard)
Barbarea vulgaris (common wintercress)
Daucus carota (Queen Anne's lace)
Glechoma hederacea (gill-over-the-ground)
Phytolacca americana (pokeweed)
Prunella vulgaris (self-heal)
Solanum carolinense (horse nettle)
Xanthium (clotbur)

Rushes:
Juncus effusus (soft rush)

Grasses:
Schizachyrium scoparium (little bluestem grass)
Setaria faberi (nodding foxtail grass)