Watchable Wildlife Walk – Cherry Hill, NJ

Watchable Wildlife Walk – Maria Greenwald Memorial County Park – Cherry Hill, Camden County, NJ
Distance: 1.8 mikes
Type: Out and back with a lollipop on each end.
Difficulty – 2 of 10.

Map –

Terrain – Lowlands along the Cooper River.

Trailheads – I always start at the park building at  39°54’50.10″N,  75° 1’41.93″W, but you can start anywhere there is parking along the trail.  The park is on on Park Blvd between King’s Highway and Haddonfield Road.

Markings – None, but just follow the path.  You can’t get lost unless you really try hard.

Description: While this isn’t South Jersey’s premier hike, I love this hike because a) I can walk out my front door and walk to it b) it’s nicer than nearby Cooper River Park, and c) its usually less crowded than some other nearby walks.  Despite the continual sound of cars from the road above/next to you, the Cooper River here (just above the landing that supplied Haddonfield with access to the Delaware River via the Cooper) is fun to explore.  You’ll even occasionally spot wildlife, which is good since this is the “Wildlife Walk”.

The one thing to watch out for it mud on the far side of the river (the side not bordered by a road.  It’s only in small patches usually, but the Cooper can and will flood once or twice a year up to the trail, leaving it soggy for a while.

Check out nearby: With half of this park in Haddonfield, this area is packed with historic interest.  Pennypacker Park is a quick two minute drive away on Maple Ave in Haddonfield, where the Hadrosaurus Foulki dinosaur was discovered, one of the first dinosaur skeletons discovered in the United States.  The Indian King Tavern on King’s Highway in Haddonfield, a state historic site, is a pre-Revolutionary War tavern where the New Jersey Legislature met and adopted the state seal of New Jersey.  Tours are available several times a month.  The British also marched very, very close to this spot during the Revolutionary War.