Newton’s Landing Trail – Pennington County Park (sometimes referred to as Pennington Farm) – Delanco, Burlington County, NJ
Distance: 2 miles
Type: Out and back
Difficulty: 1 of 10.
Terrain – marsh, river, forest
Trailheads – Parking lot at 40° 2.326’N, 74° 55.999’W. No trailhead at the other end, it dead ends at private property.
Directions: Located on Creek Road a short way from Bridgeboro Road.
Markings – Yellow markers in the park. Once the trail leaves the park, no markers, but almost impossible to lose.
Map:
Note: Another part of the proposed Rancocas Greenway Trail (along with Rancocas Point Trail and various other trails within the county parks).
Description: “It is late summer in 1963, the peaches are ripe, and the three Russ brothers — Stanley, Howard Jr. and Warren — are sorting and packing the day’s harvest…
Stanley Russ’s 92-acre farm, now home to Newton’s Landing and The Point, represented a much different way of life, one vanishing from southern New Jersey as housing developments sprout where once grew corn, peaches, soybeans and pumpkins. The Russ brothers are gone, along with Stanley’s 20-acre peach orchard and his 55-acre cornfield…. The agricultural history that began here in 1767 when Samuel Newton purchased a large tract of farmland ended with Stanley Russ’s death in 1995 at age 94.” ~ Joseph Busler (advertising the opening of an exhibit on the Russ Farm.)
On a lovely Good Friday, Danny, The Pres, and I set off to hike the historic Newton’s Landing Trail, which starts in Pennington County Park before heading out along the Rancocas outside the park. It was a lovely 1 mile (one way) walk for the little guy to stretch his legs on.
You start in the parking lot at Pennington, then head out on the white trail, then right onto the Yellow Trail (which goes close by the playground).
From the parking lot.
You’ll have a short walk through the park, then cross a small, unpaved road which signifies that you have now left the park.
Road crossing.
Not a bad view down the road.
From there, the trail meanders through some love blooming trees, through a small swamp.
BIG tree.
Nice trail.
Some Spring color.
I love Spring.
Who leads who?
Gets a little wetter.
From the swamp, it curves behind a housing development to the river, which it follows past some old houses (including, I think, the Reed farm house). It finally dead ends, with no access to a road, path, or parking.
Rancocas Creek.
Housing development.
I love Spring.
Forget the housing development, keep your eyes on the river.
Nice tree.
Old farm house.
Finally, the trail dead ends.
Backtrack the way you came, it’s nice in reverse too. The rest of the park is supposed to have some nice viewpoints from the Green Trail. We didn’t make it that far. Why?
This is why. The Pres highly recommends the slides.
Nearby: Willingboro Lakes County Park is REALLY close, just off of Rt 130.
Nice views of Rancocas Creek. Historic houses.
Would be nice if it was a loop.
You should definitely go back and check this trail out again if you haven’t already done so because the county in an afford of trying to connect Pennington Park to Amico Island Park in Delran added on to this trail and you can walk all the way into Delanco, the trail takes you under the train bridge it’s pretty cool
Thanks Victoria! Haven’t done that one in many years, I’ll have to go again!