Bernardsville Between Nature and History

When planning a stay in Bernardsville, nature and history offer practical ways to explore. The Scherman Hoffman Wildlife Sanctuary features several landscape types, wildlife, and trails of varying lengths. Historic sites add another focus: the Olcott Historic District includes contributing buildings and its own walking tour; another hike leads to an encampment site at the New Jersey Brigade Encampment. This makes it easy to organize outings by theme and trail distance.

Nature at the Scherman Hoffman Wildlife Sanctuary

The sanctuary covers 298 acres of woodland, field, and floodplain habitats, and more than 200 wildlife species occur there throughout the year. Marked, well-maintained trails range from 0.3 to 1.3 miles long. They pass through upland deciduous forest, across fields, through wooded areas, and into the floodplain along the headwaters of the Passaic River. This means you can plan a visit to the same sanctuary around a specific trail length or the landscape types. If you would like to focus on a particular habitat, the trail surroundings described here offer a helpful guide.

Within the sanctuary, the Hoffman Center for Conservation and Environmental Education includes an environmental education center, a treetop observation platform, a Nature Store, the Wayrick Art Gallery, and exhibits. If you plan to visit areas of the center, it is a good idea to check the latest visitor information.

Historic Sites and Hikes

The Olcott Historic District was established in 2009 and includes 56 contributing buildings. The Olcott Historic District Walking Tour is about 1.6 miles long. These are two distinct details to keep in mind: the number refers to the district, while the mileage refers to the named tour. This helps distinguish the historic area from the specific trail option.

The hike from the New Jersey Brigade Encampment Area/Cross Estate Gardens area to the New Jersey Brigade encampment site is about 1 mile long. The NPS page lists the trail as not ADA accessible and was last updated on January 18, 2017. If accessibility is important to your plans, check the latest trail information before your visit. The National Park Service lists Hardscrabble Road as the access road to the Cross Estate and New Jersey Brigade parking area; the associated trail map was last updated on November 25, 2022. Check the current route before setting out.

The Old Army Trail connects Bernardsville with Morristown National Historical Park, including the New Jersey Brigade Area, Cross Estate Gardens, and Jockey Hollow, as well as with Morris County’s Patriot’s Path. It is therefore best understood as a connection between several named sites, unlike the individual hikes to the encampment site or through the Olcott Historic District. The two trails with stated lengths can also be compared: at about 1.6 miles, the Olcott Historic District Walking Tour is longer than the approximately 1-mile hike to the Brigade encampment site. This keeps both the broader trail connection and the two specific routes in view.

Discover more destinations: Warren, Franklin Township, Montgomery Township, South Bound Brook, Raritan, Liberty Corner, Manville, Hillsborough.

For the broader travel overview: Somerset.