Formed 110 years ago, our County Park System is the first county park system created in the United States. Through the years, our residents have used our parks and reservations for relaxation, playing sports and taking a break from the hustle and bustle of our busy streets. That remains true today, and now our parks are better than ever.

Working with a host of volunteers and local conservancies, we invested more than $60 million of grant money to revitalize our parks and modernize our recreation facilities, without wavering from our commitment to preserve the historic designs dreamed by the renowned landscape architect firm of Frederick Law Olmsted. Now our children can enjoy playgrounds that have modern equipment and rubberized safety surfaces, or kick a soccer ball on one of our synthetic grass soccer fields. You can go hiking on the rustic trails in our reservations or stroll leisurely through our parks. Tap your feet and snap your fingers at our popular Summer Concert Series, or go treasure hunting at one of our Fine Arts and Crafts Shows. Are you planning a wedding or a family picnic –Essex County Park System has the perfect scenery in any season. There’s even something for our canine companions at our Off-Leash Dog Facility.

We hope you enjoy our new Parks website and find the information you need about our 17 parks, five reservations and many recreation facilities. Whether you visit our parks regularly or haven’t been back recently, I invite you to visit the Essex County Park System and rediscover what’s right in your own backyard.

Joseph DiVincenzo, Jr.
Essex County Executive