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Mountain Lakes Preserve, Tusculum Meadows & Johnson Boardwalk Trails

Mountain Lakes Preserve, Tusculum Meadows & Johnson Boardwalk Trails

In the middle of Princeton, Mountain Lakes Open Space Area encompasses five distinct natural worlds, one more enchanting than the next. Mountain Lakes Preserve sits in the middle, surrounded by (from North to South) Witherspoon Woods, Johnson Boardwalk, Tusculum Meadows, and Community Park North and Pettoranello Gardens.

The area is brimming with history. The man-made lake was Princeton’s source for ice for the 50 years before freezers were invented, harvested and delivered via wagon by Princeton Ice Company. Today the site is designated on the State and National Registers of Historic Places. And Tusculum is the country estate that John Witherspoon, president of Princeton University and signer of the Declaration of Independence, built in 1773. George and Martha Washington often visited the estate. Today, you can stride through its meadows and across its trickling brooks.

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CONNECTING TRAILS:

Community Park North and Petronello Gardens, Witherspoon Woods

TRAIL MAP

DIRECTIONS

MOUNTAIN LAKES PRESERVE:

TUSCULUM MEADOWS:

JOHNSON BOARDWALK: