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Loantaka Brook Reservation

The place of the cold winter, which refers to the Loantaka Brook, originally became part of the Morris County Park System in December, 1957. Seaton Hackney Stables, a focal point of the "horsey set" during the 1900's, was donated by Mr. and Mrs. Paul Moore of Convent Station. With the addition of Helen Hartley Jenkins Wood, a gift of Mr. and Mrs. M. Hartley Dodge, the pieces of Loantaka Brook Reservation were coming together.

Today there are four distinct areas along the Loantaka Brook. The Reservation includes Seaton Hackney Stables, South Street Recreation Area, Loantaka Brook Park at Kitchell Road and the Loantaka Way trail access area. It encompasses more than 570 acres and is adjacent to one of the more populated urbanized areas of the county. There are nearly five miles of trails in the park which provide biking, jogging, hiking, horseback riding and cross-country skiing opportunities.

Three ballfields provide area softball teams with facilities for friendly competition. The South Street Recreation Area has a group shelter, large parking lot, and a Joint-Use Exercise Cluster which is universally accessible.

Although the most common uses of the park are for trail-oriented activities, the picnic facilities are available for rental.

Currently efforts to preserve the Loantaka Moraine, wetlands and other sensitive areas adjacent to the Reservation are under way. Applications to the Green Acres Program and the Morris County Open Space and Farmland Preservation Trust Fund are being submitted to fund this project. These parcels will form a greenway to protect Loantaka Brook and to connect the Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge with the Reservation.