Watchung Lake

Easy parking and a relatively flat walk around scenery that is somehow peaceful enough to drift your mind away from the fact that there are cars passing by you on the opposite side of the sidewalk. Most of the loop is around the lake itself and just a short stretch is through the residential neighborhood connecting the entire loop.

Am I alone here? I’m annoyed that my trip to this park involves walking next to a busy street, mostly away from the lake.

Fantastic area located just off the Watchung Circle. I often see wedding photos being taken here, as it is such a pretty spot.
At night, the 3 fountains are lit, creating a beautiful place to sit on the benches and relax.
There is a trail that runs completely around the lake, I estimate it to be 1 mile. There are often joggers going for a run around the lake.
Fishing is allowed, I’ve caught a few bass here, but its not a hot-​spot for fishing as its pretty shallow.
There is a great restaurant on the lake called Water and Wine, and in the back dining room you can get tables with a beautiful view of the lake.
There are benches and gazebos where you can relax or read on a nice day.
Boating is not allowed here, not even canoes.
Each spring the town has a fishing derby for the kids.
At the far end of the lake is a park, which has tennis courts and a softball field. During a softball game parking can be a challenge.
During the winter, children use the small hill for sledding. It brings back memories of being a kid in New England.
Years back, there was a swim club here, and it used to be a summer destination for people to escape the city heat.
As far as town parks go, this is one of the prettiest in the state.

Growing up in Watchung, this lake is that special place where people flock to come. It is great for exercising, running, or just walking. (FYI ONE TIME AROUND THE LAKE IS APPROX. 1 MILE.)There are plenty of park benches strategically placed around the lake for sitting and taking in the sights. U can see people bird watching, fishing, or kids playing, people talking, dog walking, or just reading a book.
This place 20 years ago was a swim club. There was a small manmade beach located on the Stirling Road side. The lake had a manmade swim up wooden dock in the center of the lake. On the circle there used to be a very large parking lot. At the present time the parking lot is filled in and now completely covered with grass and landscaped. The beach is also gone along with the manmade dock. There are walking paths that cut thru to the other side if u don’t want to completely walk around. There are also 2 large gazebos, 1 at the far end and the other in the middle and a large waterfall. (FYI THIS IS A GREAT PLACE TO TAKE WEDDING PICTURES, SWEET SIXTEEN, PROM, OR FAMILY PICTURES.)
In the middle of the lake now sits 3 water fountains, at night they are all lit up. Over at the Mobus Field side there is another parking lot, large gazebo which people can reserve to have birthday parties, family reunions etc. There is also a baseball field and newly resurfaced tennis courts.
Anyway u choose to spend ur time with friends, family or take a stroll, The Watchung Lake is a great place to be.

Beautiful lake since they cleaned it out a few years back. It has a waterfall and a gazebo that are fun to chill out and walk around. Great for people watching as well as attached to mobis field if you have people for a game of ball or tennis. In the winter the kids use the hill by the waterfall to sled and looks pretty enjoyable.

i love watchung lake for a few reasons:
–people watching
–running
–reading in the gazebo/​on the benches
–picnicking
it is owned by Borough Of Watchung and has a surface area of 16 acres. Watchung Lake Dam is of earthen construction, a gravity dam. Its height is 19.2 feet with a length of 420 feet.