FRANKLIN PARKER PRESERVE

9,400 Acres in Woodland Township, Burlington County

Property Description

This expansive property encompasses almost 14 square miles in the heart of the New Jersey Pine Barrens, and is accessible by a network of sandy roads that wind though pitch pine forest and blueberry fields, and run along the preserve’s cedar swamp, shallow lakes and pristine tributaries of the West Branch of the Wading River.

The preserve was a formerly a cranberry farm, but was purchased by New Jersey Conservation Foundation in December 2003, after the owner decided he wanted the property to be protected forever as a nature preserve. NJCF began an ambitious fund-raising campaign and was able to cover most of the property’s cost.

The property is a rare ecological treasure for the East Coast of the United States, containing some of the most beautiful wetlands in the Pine Barrens and providing critical habitat to more than 50 rare, threatened or endangered species.

The Franklin Parker Preserve is adjacent to approximately 250,000 acres of public conservation land in the form of five State-owned properties: Brendan Byrne State Forest, Wharton State Forest, Bass River State Forest, Greenwood Wildlife Management Area and Penn State Forest. The Franklin Parker Preserve is comprised of approximately 5,000 acres of wetlands habitat and 4,400 acres of contiguous upland pine oak forest, including 14 tributaries that cross the Preserve eventually uniting in the Wading River, one of the most popular sites for canoeing in the Pine Barrens.

The Franklin Parker Preserve is the home of several animals considered endangered species in New Jersey, including the Bobcat and Bald Eagle, which is also on the federal threatened and endangered species list. Several New Jersey threatened species can be found in the Preserve, including the Barred Owl, Northern Pine Snake and Pine Barrens Tree Frog. Twenty-nine rare plant species have also been discovered in the Preserve, including Pine Barrens Gentian, Bog Asphodel, Curly Grass Fern, Yellow-fringed Orchid, Little Ladies’-tresses Orchid and Pencil Flower.

Maps

Trail map coming soon

Directions to the Franklin Parker Preserve

There are two main entrances to the preserve: the Chatsworth Lake entrance off Route 532 and the Speedwell entrance off Route 563. Click the links below for downloadable directions to each.

Directions to Chatsworth Lake entrance

Directions to Speedwell Entrance