Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge

Fish and Wildlife Service, New Jersey.

The Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) is one of more than 560 refuges in the National Wildlife Refuge System that is administered by the Department of the Interior's U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Great Swamp is here to conserve its natural resources for the America public while protecting threatened and endangered species for future generations. The National Wildlife Refuge System is a network of lands and waters managed specifically for the protection of wildlife and its habitat. It represents the most comprehensive wildlife management program in the world.

The Great Swamp NWR is located in Morris County, New Jersey, about 26 miles west of Manhattan's Times Square. The refuge was established by an act of Congress on November 3, 1960. Today the refuge consists of 7,768 acres of varied habitats, and the refuge has become an important resting and feeding area for more than 244 species of birds. Fox, deer, muskrat, turtles, fish, frogs and a wide variety of wildflowers and plants can be found on the refuge.

The Wilderness Act of 1964 created the National Wilderness Preservation System in order to ensure that an  increasing population, accompanied by expanding settlement and growing mechanization, does not occupy and modify all areas in the United States, and its possession, leaving no lands designated for preservation and protection in their natural condition. The Great Swamp Wilderness Act of 1968 established the first wilderness area designated within the Department of the Interior.

Nearby Activities

• Auto Touring
• Birding
• Environmental Education
• Hiking
• Hunting
• Interpretive Programs
• Photography
• Wildlife Viewing

Directions

From Interstate 78 (westbound): 

• Take exit 40 and turn right on Hillcrest road (County Road 531).
• Go to stop sign (1 mile), cross Mountain Avenue, staying on Hillcrest Road (531).
• [Hillcrest Road becomes Mountain Avenue after passing over the Passaic River Bridge] 
• Go straight through the traffic light at the intersection with County Road 512, and continue on Mountain Avenue. 
• [Mountain Avenue is now also County Road 638] 
• Go 1.3 miles to the top of the hill and cross over Long Hill Road onto Meyersville Road. 
• Go down Meyersville Road 0.8 miles to circle, turn left onto New Vernon Road and follow Refuge directional signs. 

From Interstate 78 (eastbound):

• Turn left on Hillcrest Road and follow westbound directions.

From interstate 287 (southbound and northbound):

VISITOR ALERT FOR THOSE COMING FROM I-287: please be aware that a construction project will be closing down a sectino of Madisonville Road from August 8th, 2022 through November 2022. A 10-mile detour route will be posted along North Maple Avenue, US Route 202, Glen Alpin Road, and Lees Hill Road.

• Take Exit 30A (Basking Ridge/ North Maple Avenue) and bear right onto North Maple Avenue. 

FOR THE HELEN C. FENSKE VISITOR CENTER (open Tuesday and Saturday from 11am to 3pm and on Thursday, Friday, and Sunday from 10am to 4pm; see Hours of Operation for details.)

• Turn left onto Madisonville Road
• Take second right onto the Refuge entrance road; the Visitor Center will be on your right.

Additional Information

• Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge