Greenway Meadows Park

A nice, medium sized park. It’s perfect for a quiet stroll while observing the wide variety of plant and birds, walking the dogs or just kicking back on one of the many park benches placed throughout the park and relaxing.
The paths are also widely used by joggers and the occasional bicycle rider, although it seems a little short for that to me.
The main trail is called the poetry trail, and the name is no lie as poems are spaced along the path at various locations. I’ve never been able to appreciate poetry as much as I’d like (I’d do much better on the SciFi trail if it’s ever built), but I do like how the poems invite you to try to appreciate your experience in the park at an intellectual level rather than just sensorial.
Tennis shoes are fine on this hike, although if there’s been a rain, they might get a little sloshy when you head off of the paved path and onto the dirt paths – which you should do.
Don’t forget to walk around the parking lot and head up the trail which leads along the creek. It doesn’t offer a loop, but it’s worth the short extra distance.
The park is also adjacent to the D&R Greenway building. Make certain to take yourself inside if it’s opened. The people there are helpful, and they’ve information on the park and other hikes to be found in the area.

Located off Rosedale Road, the D&R Greenway Land Trust includes Greenway Meadows Park and a 55-​acre tract of public open space land that abuts the Johnson Park School, the Hun School, Jasna Polana, and Princeton International School of Mathematics and Science (i.e. the former campus of the American Boychoir School). There are about 20 miles of paved and dirt trails throughout the tract, including a number through the woods and along the banks of the gurgling Stonybrook stream. The wooded dirt trails, in particular, don’t see a lot of foot traffic. Thus, they may occasionally become overgrown with ground cover in the summer. For the most part though, the Princeton Parks Department does a very nice (and prompt) job of keeping these clear and removing fallen trees and debris after bad storms.
There is a clearing with soccer fields, a playground, and picnic areas in the middle of Greenway Meadows Park. These are conveniently located adjacent to one of the paved parking lots. Up a gentle slope from the soccer fields sits the Johnson Education Center, which is housed in a circa 1900 barn, and near to that, is a 1-​mile looped poetry trail sporting 48 poems. You can also enjoy the Edward T. Cone Grove, the Hartman Garden Path, the Carroll K. and Frederick P. King, Jr. Terrace, the Ellsworth Terrace, and Meredith’s Garden for Inspiration, a garden filled with native plants and nature-​inspired sculptures.
The Education Center offers a number of programs with local experts. Personally, I prefer to explore on my own. The wooded section has proven most interesting so far. This area is great for birdwatching. Along the streams, I’ll also routinely encounter turtles, frogs, toads, and my personal favorite, bullfrogs. It’s also just a great spot for a relaxing walk or quick trail run. I can typically get in an easy 3 – 5 miles here without even thinking.