Union County's Sensory Friendly Trail is Officially Open!

At the Sensory Friendly Trail, Watchung Reservation. Photo by Jim Lowney, Union County.

This morning, the ribbon-cutting for Union County's Sensory Friendly Trail marked its official opening. Scroll down to see some more photos. As I noted in my earlier post, the trail is ADA accessible (with two additional parking spots for people with disabilities right at the entrance to the trail), and there's a Braille Trail with guide ropes, along with outdoor classrooms, talking kiosks which describe flora and fauna, sensory gardens and play components, and more. The trail loop is .3 miles long, with placards along the way that illustrate what one finds in nature (chipmunks, turtles, trees, leaves, etc.). In addition to the young people who attended, I was joined by my colleagues, Freeholder Chairman Sergio Granados and Freeholder Bruce Bergen, along with Union County Human Services Director Debbie-Ann Anderson, County Manager Ed Oatman, Deputy Manager Amy Wagner, Manny Ramirez and Nicole DeAugustine from the Office for People with Special Needs, Ron Zuber from Parks and Recreation, Trailside Director Patricia Bertsch, and other staff as we traversed the trail. 

Trailside Nature & Science Center, located at 452 New Providence Road in Mountainside, is open 7 days per week from 12:00 noon - 5:00 pm. The trail is open dawn to dusk! For more info on programs and events, click on the link: Trailside Nature & Science Center

Photo by Jim Lowney, Union County.

Best,

Rebecca