Round Valley Winter Land

Round Valley is a delightful man-made reservoir in Clinton Township, New Jersey, which was built in 1960 by the New Jersey Water Authority. It is a valley surrounded by Cushetunk Mountain and spans 2,000 acres. It offers hiking, swimming, motor boating (up to 10 horsepower only), kayaking, canoeing, fishing, picnicking, camping, mountain biking, cross country skiing, sledding, and snowshoeing.

Round Valley Reservoir

It is one of many little gems that are close to our home. We have it all here in New Jersey: cliffs and mountains, farmland, beautiful ocean beaches, lakes, rivers, and more. Most visitors only see the worst part of New Jersey, which is by Newark airport and close to New York City. Go west or south and you understand why it is called the Garden State.

The water at the reservoir is quite deep (180 feet) and you have to be careful. We have a little, pimped-out boat I bought for the Fat Man and always wear our life preservers. It is New Jersey’s version of the Bermuda Triangle because more than two dozen people have drowned there (one boater just perished last week, in fact). Several bodies have never been found. Morbidity aside, going there is like taking a mini-vacation.

The "beach"

It was early February and we were hit with a snowstorm that left several inches of soft powder on the ground. Since Round Valley is just minutes away, we thought it would be nice to get outside for a bit. I wanted to bring my snowshoes, but the Fat Man talked me out of it. I regretted it — and will listen to my intuition next time — because the snow was much deeper on the trail than at home.

In the woods

There are three marked trails to choose from at Round Valley: the nine-mile Cushetunk Trail (which leads to the campsites), the one-mile looped Pine Tree Trail, and the Family Hiking and Biking Trail. We chose the Pine Tree Trail, but went off-piste, which is when those snowshoes would have come in handy.

Little slice of heaven

After an hour of walking in the woods, we headed over to one of the steep sledding hills (the best one is on the right hand side near the entry gate to the park).  It was packed with people of all ages and it was a real hoot to watch some of the train wrecks.

Admission to Round Valley is free during the off season. Entrance fees are charged from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day (see their website for details).  

Heidi’s rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ for pristine winter beauty.

The Fat Man’s rating: 4 Flexible Flyers and a sticker bush.