Passive Recreation for the Mercer County Park Commission

Bike Trails & Paths: Mercer County Park, Mercer Meadows and Baldpate Mountain all provide bike trails for all levels of skill and ability. 

Mercer County Park: Mercer County Park has four dedicated mountain biking trails. The blue and red trails can be started in the East Picnic Area and the Orange and Yellow trails can be started by the West Picnic Area. Mercer County Park has a Paved Trail (3.3 miles) and a Bike Path (2.4 miles each way) that runs along the main road in the park.

Mercer Meadows: Variety of trails and routes through Rosedale Park, Pole Farm District and Mercer Stables. 

Baldpate Mountain: Mountain bikes are permitted on designated trails at Baldpate. The terrain varies from easy to moderate with a few steep inclines.

Fishing: Mercer County Parks contain several excellent fishing areas, including Mercer Lake at Mercer County Park, Spring Lake at Roebling Park, Rosedale and Curlis Lakes and the Stony Brook at Mercer Meadows, and the Docks on the Delaware.  The Park Commission advocates catch-and-release fishing.

Mercer County Park: Mercer Lake is considered one of the best "musky" fisheries in New Jersey, closely followed by the lake's large-mouth bass population. Mercer Lake truly is a "go-to" place for freshwater fishing.  Mercer Lake also has a thriving population of other species that are accessible by boat and from the shore. Licensed anglers can hope to catch any of the following species: black crappie, sunfish, yellow perch, bluegills, pumpkinseed and American eel to name a few.

Mercer Meadows: Fishing is permitted at Rosedale Lake, Willow Pond, Curlis Lake, and the Stony Brook and is stocked with trout.

Docks on the Delaware: The Delaware River is home to many species of fish. Licensed anglers can hope to catch carp, fall fish, herring, largemouth bass, rock bass and shad.

John A. Roebling Park: Spring Lake is a popular fishing destination, accessible from the parking area on Sewell Avenue.

Hiking & Trails: The Mercer County Park Commission maintains many miles of hiking trails in County Parks. These trails provide hikers, bikers, and horseback riders access to many natural areas and points of interest. From short, paved loops to lengthy and strenuous hikes, there are trails appropriate for all levels of fitness and ability.

Mercer County Park: Mercer County Park has six trails throughout the park. Recently added is the bike path that runs along both sides of the Park's main road and is 2.4 miles each way.

Mercer Meadows: Miles of hiking trails connect all the districts of Mercer Meadows, passing over relatively flat terrain through the fields and woodland.  The gravel Lawrence-Hopewell, Maidenhead, and Twin Pines trails offer gentle and scenic hiking options.

Baldpate Mountain: More than 12 miles of trails pass through the fields and forests at Baldpate, varying from steep and rocky to relatively flat terrain.  Trail difficulty varies from easy to strenuous.

John A. Roebling Park: Roebling Park has more than eight miles of trails.  The relatively flat terrain offers easy to moderate hiking.

Jogging: Joggers and trail-runners have miles of trails to enjoy in Mercer County Parks, varying from the flat, paved trails at Mercer County Park to the steep and challenging trails of Baldpate Mountain.

Mercer County Park: Enjoy the 3.3 miles of jogging along Mercer County Park's paved trail.

Mercer Meadows: The gravel Lawrence-Hopewell, Maidenhead, and Twin Pines trails and secondary paths through Mercer Meadows offer easy to moderate running over relatively even terrain.

Baldpate Mountain: The hilly terrain of the driveway and trails at Baldpate provides moderate to difficult options for runners.

John A. Roebling Park: The relatively even terrain of the trails at Roebling Park offer easy to moderate trail running options.

Rowing: The Finn M.W. Caspersen Rowing Center located in Mercer Park is the U.S. Olympic Training Site for Rowing and the only Olympic Training Site in the Mid-Atlantic states. The Olympic, Senior, Under-23 and Junior National Teams all train and/or are selected on Mercer Lake.

Princeton National Rowing Association: Princeton National Rowing Association (PNRA), through the Mercer Junior Rowing Program (MJRC), provides opportunities for students over 30 Mercer County area schools to excel in competitive rowing. PNRA provides opportunities for inner city youth from Trenton to experience the sport of rowing. The Hun School, Lawrenceville School and Peddie School rowing programs all call Mercer Lake home. For information on rowing programs contact PNRA at http://www.rowpnra.org/

Sailing: Mercer Lake is a great place to come and sail. Take advantage of our free boat ramp from sunrise to sunset. For current wind conditions click here.