Wayne Area Park
Boulevard Drive, Wayne Station, Wayne Township, Passaic County, New Jersey
Directions:
US 80 to exit 53 for Route 23 north; use the jughandle turn for Newark Pompton Turnpike; turn left onto Haul Road; turn right onto Mack Street; turn left on Boulevard Drive; drive to the circle at the end of the road and park. The trail starts from the top of the circle.
Geology:
The park is located on the east side of the Pompton River.
History:
There is an historical marker about the Morris Canal at Ryerson and Railroad Avenues.
Trails:
5/21/2005. Ceferino Santana, dog Sonar and I parked at the dead end of Boulevard Drive. Started walking the trail heading over four large "speed bumps" on the trail (4 ridges). We decided to follow that trail that most closely hugs the river. We walked over to the river. Where we were, there was a huge sandbar that we could easily walk on.
Getting back on the main trail we kept going straight (ignoring the left turn) and found ourselves on a short peninsula. Turned around and took that left turn that we had ignored previously. I thought the walk would end soon because the Hagstrom map showed the green ending and then starting up again. But the path just kept on going, following the large cove area of the river. We kept going and going. We almost reached the far end of the cove when I decided to turn around and head back (because of the big hike coming up the next day in Bear Mountain State Park).
On our way we found other places to park such as the the intersection of Whitmore Avenue and Kenneth Street or at the intersection of Whitmore Avenue and Ferri Street.
This looks like a pretty good area to hike. There were lots of side trails into the woods that we could not take because of time constraints. We did not really explore the woods sections. Will have to come back and pick up where we left off to see how far we can get before being stopped. Dr. Patrick L. Cooney.
PLANT LIST:
Dr. Patrick L. Cooney
* = plant blooming on date of field trip, 05/21/2005
Trees:
Acer negundo (ash-leaf maple)
Acer rubrum (red maple)
Ailanthus altissima (tree-of-heaven)
Betula nigra (river birch)
Carya ovata (shagbark hickory)
Carya tomentosa (mockernut hickory)
Catalpa sp. (catalpa)
Fraxinus pensylvanica (green ash)
Liquidambar styraciflua (sweetgum)
Platanus occidentalis (American sycamore)
Populus deltoides (cottonwood)
Prunus serotina (black cherry) 5/21/05
Pyrus sp. (apple)
Quercus palustris (pin oak)
Quercus rubra (red oak)
Robinia pseudoacacia (black locust)
Sassafras albidum (sassafras)
Tilia americana (American basswood)
Ulmus americana (American elm)
Shrubs:
Alnus serrulata (smooth alder)
Baccharis halimifolia (groundsel bush)
Cornus racemosa (gray dogwood)
Elaeagnus umbellata (autumn olive)
Ligustrum sp. (privet)
Lindera benzoin (spicebush)
Lonicera morrowii (Morrow's honeysuckle) *
Rhus glabra (smooth sumac)
Rhus typhina (staghorn sumac)
Rosa multiflora (multiflora rose)
Rubus sp. (blackberry) *
Salix discolor (pussy willow)
Sambucus canadensis (common elderberry)
Vines:
Celastrus orbiculatus (Asiatic bittersweet)
Dioscorea villosa (wild yam root)
Hedera helix (English ivy)
Lonicera japonica (Japanese honeysuckle)
Menispermum canadense (Canada moonseed)
Parthenocissus quinquefolia (Virginia creeper)
Smilax sp. (greenbrier)
Toxicodendron radicans (poison ivy)
Vitis sp. (grape)
Herbs:
Achillea millefolium (common yarrow)
Alliaria petiolata (garlic mustard) *
Allium vineale (field garlic)
Ambrosia artemisiifolia (common ragweed)
Ambrosiatrifida (giant ragweed)
Apocynum sp. (dogbane)
Arisaema triphyllum (Jack-in-the-pulpit)
Artemisia vulgaris (common mugwort)
Asclepias syriaca (common milkweed)
Barbarea vulgaris (common wintercress) *
Claytonia virginica (spring beauty) *
Galium aparine (cleavers) *
Geranium maculatum (wild geranium) *
Glechoma hederacea (gill-over-the-ground) *
Hemerocallis fulva (tawny day lily)
Hesperis matronalis (dame's rocket) *
Impatiens sp. (jewelweed)
Lemna sp. (duckweed)
Lespedeza capitata (round-headed bushclover)
Lythrum salicaria (purple loosestrife)
Nuphar advena (southern pond lily) *
Oenothera biennis (common evening primrose)
Oxalis sp. (yellow wood sorrel) *
Peltandra virginica (arrow arum)
Plantago lanceolata (English plantain)
Plantago major (common plantain)
Polygonum cuspidatum (Japanese knotweed)
Polygonum sagittatum (arrow-leaved tearthumb)
Polygonum virginianum (jumpseed)
Potentilla simplex (common cinquefoil) *
Rumex crispus (curled dock)
Rumex obtusifolius (broad dock)
Taraxacum officinale (common dandelion) *
Trifolium repens (red clover)
Urtica dioica var. dioica (stinging nettle)
Viola sp. (violet)
Rushes:
Juncus effusus (soft rush):
Juncus tenuis (path rush)
Sedges:
Carex crinita (fringed sedge)
Carex pensylvanica (Pennsylvania sedge)
Grasses:
Dactylis glomerata (orchard grass)
Panicum clandestinum (deer-tongue grass)
Phragmites australis (giant reed grass)
Poa annua (annual bluegrass)
Ferns:
Equisetum arvense (field horsetail)
Onoclea regalis (royal fern)
Onoclea sensibilis (sensitive fern)