Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge

The Great Swamp is a 7,800-acre National Wildlife Refuge straddling Morris and Somerset counties, about 15 minutes south of Morristown via Mount Kemble Avenue. It was nearly paved over: in 1960 the Port Authority proposed building a fourth NYC-area airport here, and the Great Swamp Committee spent five years buying land parcel-by-parcel to give to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The refuge was designated in 1964 and a third of it was named a federal Wilderness Area in 1968 — one of the first wilderness areas east of the Mississippi.

Two main visitor units:

• The Wildlife Observation Center (32 Pleasant Plains Road, Basking Ridge): boardwalks through marsh, observation blinds, and a small visitor center. The easy and accessible option;
• The Helen C. Fenske Visitor Center (a few minutes away on Pleasant Plains Road): exhibits, maps, restrooms, and trailheads for the upland trails.

About 13 miles of trails wind through the refuge. Lower portions are boardwalk and gravel; upper trails cross hardwood swamp and meadow. The eastern wilderness section has no marked trails by design.

Wildlife to expect: white-tailed deer, beaver, river otter, over 240 bird species recorded (the refuge is on the Atlantic Flyway), wood ducks, herons, owls.

Free admission and parking. Bring binoculars and bug spray in season.