Aquetong’s cold limestone spring serves up refreshment for all of your senses at once! Cool water gushes from a clear pool over an 8 foot (ish) drop and gushes into a stream lined with wild mint; stand within arm’s reach of the waterfall and she will give you cool, misty, fresh-mint-scented kisses. Add a mint leaf (just one will do!) to your thermos to bottle that refreshment and enjoy it as you criss-cross this truly varied landscape.
This park has only been open since September 2021 – and has only been treadable since 2015, when a 150-year-old dam was removed, draining what was Aquetong lake. Now, nine trails explore this 48-acre space – and each presents its own distinct landscape.
From the parking lot, you’ll see the waterfall behind the stone house. After investigating, cross the flagstone footpath on top of the waterfall from which you can peer into the vibrant, exquisite underworld of the spring. The shaded path rises along the edge of the woods, giving you a lovely view of the stream valley below. Consult the map to determine how you’d like to take in the interwoven mill ruins trail, bird loop, spur paths to the overlooks, and the sweet footbridges that cross the stream.
The Lenni Lenape were the original inhabitants of the area and named their village “Achewetonk,” meaning “the spring among the bushes.” Europeans settled here in the 1700s and built mills in the 1800s. Petite as it looks, the spring still flows at a volume that was capable of powering two grist mills, a paper mill, a fulling mill, two merchant mills, four saw mills, and an oil mill all at the same time.
