Eight Trail Projects Recommended for Morris County Funding

Published on October 23, 2025

Grant Program Concludes Tenth Year with Strong Submissions

The Morris County Board of County Commissioners received a recommendation during last night’s public work session to award more than $1.2 million in grants for the design of six municipal trails and the completion of two trail construction projects as part of the county’s ten-year-old Trail Construction Grant Program.

Betty Cass-Schmidt, chair of the Trail Construction Grant Advisory Committee, presented the 2025 recommendations, which include significant projects in Jefferson, Long Hill, Dover, Florham Park, Hanover, Madison, Netcong, and Rockaway Township.

“Tonight’s presentation provides an opportunity for questions and discussion. The board will not be taking any formal action until our next meeting, when we’ll consider the committee’s recommendations and vote accordingly. This presentation is for informational purposes,” Deputy Director Stephen Shaw, liaison to the Morris County Office of Planning and Preservation. “The work done by this committee, along with our dedicated volunteers and staff, is truly outstanding. Morris County residents can be confident that their Preservation Trust Fund tax dollars are being invested wisely.”

The County Commissioners anticipate voting on whether to accept grant recommendations at their November 5, 2025 meeting.

If the recommended projects are approved by the Commissioners next month, Morris County will have dedicated nearly $7.8 million towards establishing more than 35 miles of trails in just ten years since the inception of the Trail Construction Grant program in 2016. Funding for trail projects is derived from Morris County’s voter-approved Open Space & Farmland Preservation Trust Fund, which was established in 1992 and subsequently modified with voter approval in 2002 to establish a Historic Preservation Fund.

“A referendum for the program was passed in 2014 by a 3-to-1 margin. The first time the trail committee provided funding recommendations was in 2016,” said Cass-Schmidt. “To date, 36 of 39 municipalities have received grants. This year, there are two new applicants: Dover and Rockaway Township.”

Beginning in 2021, a Design & Permitting Category was included with the trail grant program to allow municipalities to adequately assess the needs of a proposed trail project and get a realistic understanding of construction costs. The full list of recommended 2025 projects are outlined below.

Design Project Recommendations:

• Dover Mountain Trail (Dover): A $60,000 grant will fund the design of a 0.85-mile stone dust and wood chip trail on the Dover Watershed Property, providing access to scenic vistas on a mountain overlooking most of Morris County. The trail will also connect neighborhoods to the business district.
• Spring Garden Lake Nature Trail (Florham Park): A $78,000 grant will fund the design of a 0.56-mile stone dust and boardwalk trail around a pristine nature area and Spring Garden Lake, connecting multiple neighborhoods to this popular site.
• Forrest Way Greenway Trail (Hanover Township): A $120,000 grant will fund the design of a 1.59-mile gravel, stone dust and boardwalk trail through the old Route 24 right-of-way, winding through open space and unique water features. The trail will connect with existing trails to the west in Morris Plains and the east with Patriots Path and the Whippany River.
• Summerhill Park Trail Additions (Madison): A $44,800 grant will fund the design of an additional 0.87-miles of stone dust and porous pavement trails within the park, continuing trail improvements first supported by the 2017 grant cycle. The plan incorporates the last greenhouse ruins from Madison’s Rose City heritage and provides connections to future trail networks in Memorial Park and Central Green Park.
• Netcong Greenway Trail (Netcong): A $109,320 grant will fund the design the Morris Canal Greenway Trail from the Mount Olive side of Netcong to the Roxbury border, including 0.87-miles of sidewalk wayfinding, a stone dust wooded trail, and boardwalk along Lake Musconetcong.
• Egbert Lake Greenway (Rockaway Township): A $62,880 grant will fund the design of a 0.80-mile gravel and stone dust trail along a portion of the old Wharton & Northern Railroad line from Valley Road to Egberts Lake. The trail will offer runners, walkers and bikers an alternative to Green Pond Road, and establishes another portion of the West Morris Greenway trail.

Construction Project Recommendations:

• Compton Gobel Trail Extension (Jefferson): A $259,160 grant will fund the completion of the second phase of construction on a 1.25-mile gravel and stone dust trail, providing access to thousands of acres of preserved state, local and county lands.
• Central Park Loop Trail (Long Hill Township): A $478,860 grant will fund the completion of 1.18 miles of stone dust and boardwalk trail through previously inaccessible wooded wetland habitats, connecting local businesses and municipal recreation facilities.

Review the Project Recommendations in Detail

Since the program's inception in 2016, the Commissioners have approved 61 trail grants, resulting in nearly 23 miles of new trails being constructed and another 13 miles designed. Learn more about the Morris County Trail Construction Grant program on the Official Website of Morris County, N.J.

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Photo 1: Construction grant completed in 2023 at Kleitman Woods, Morristown. Kleitman Woods is a pocket park located in a residential neighborhood and consists of a surface change of natural surface to porous pavement.

Photo 2: Construction grant completed in 2023 at Bee Meadow Park in Hanover Township.