Thompson Park - Lincroft
Welcome to another installment of my series - Parks of Monmouth County. I started this series in May 2017 with the intention of writing about a different park each month - well, life got in the way and I got involved with other projects so I fell a bit behind. I will try to bring more in a more timely manner. 🤞
For a full list of the series, with links, check out the "Parks of Monmouth County" page.
Thompson Park has been the scene of several other posts in the past (I will list a few at the end) but I have never written about the park, in general, until now. The park is located on Route 520 (Newman Springs Road) in Lincroft, adjacent to Brookdale Community College. I worked about three miles away for a while in 2011/2012 and used to go to the park quite a bit - most lunch hours and often after work. There are a number of wooded trails that I enjoyed hiking thru, as-well-as paved trails. If you are quiet and remain alert, you are almost guaranteed to come across deer and, if you are lucky, a good-sized buck like the one shown here. I came across this guy during one of my lunch hikes, I had no idea he was there until something caught my eye - I turned and was able to grab a couple shots before he turned and ran off.
Trails
The trail here is the Track Loop, an easy 1 mile oval that is a favorite for runners. You can branch off this trail onto the Wanderer Trail which brings you into the field and is a nice little change from the dirt trail. If you are looking for a quick, wooded hike check out the Woodland Trail and consider taking the Marshy Walk along with it. The hawk shown here was taken on the Woodland Trail.
My favorite trail is the longer (4.8 mile) Reservoir Loop which runs from one end of the park to the other, most of the time surrounded by woods. There is the Swimming River Reservoir on one end and Marlu Lake on the other and you are almost certain to come across deer in your travels. The buck shown above was taken on the Reservoir Loop and the geese were on Marlu Lake. If you want an easy, paved trail for a leisurely walk you can try the Inner Loop or the Thompson Loop, 1.2 miles and 4.2 miles respectively. The Thompson Loop runs along the perimeter of the park and along local roads - it is ideal for walking or bike riding. All of the trails are rated as
Easy or
Moderate.
Wildlife
While I am mainly a landscape photographer I am drawn to the wildlife at Thompson Park more than the landscape. The park is quite beautiful but my money is on the hawks, deer and other fauna that I routinely come across. I don't think there was a single hike where I didn't encounter at least one deer and I always see hawks; though the close encounter depicted here is very rare.
There was one hike that afforded me the chance to photograph a garter snake and the lake is always alive with waterfowl - whether the geese shown here or ducks. The lake provides an opportunity to fish, whether from the shore or boat. You may bring your own boat or rent a canoe or kayak, either way, don't forget your freshwater fishing license.
Recreation
Hiking and fishing aren't the only activities available - there are picnic areas, a playground, open fields and even an "off-leash" dog area. If you want a workout, you can play tennis or pickleball on one of four tennis courts or reserve one of the athletic fields for a game - Ultimate, maybe?
The Visitor Center is housed in the mansion not far from the park entrance where you can pick up information abut the park and check out some of the exhibits. Finally, the Creative Arts Center offers many programs for people of all ages and skill levels - I suggest checking out the
website to see what activities are scheduled.
In Closing
It should come as no surprise when I say that Thompson Park should added to your regular rotation. There is something for everyone, any time of year. I would caution you to check the park's website during deer hunting season because it is closed to the public during certain hours of the day.
If you have been to the park, let me know what you love about it. If you have a park that you think I would enjoy or that you would like to see me write about, leave me a comment below - I would love to hear from you.
Links
How to get there
From the North:
- Garden State Parkway to Exit 109, turn left onto Rt. 520 West, 2.2 miles to Park (past M.T. Thompson park and Brookdale College entrance ) on left.
- State Highway 34 to Route 520, turn left. Follow Rt. 520 east to Park entrance.
From the South:
- Garden State Parkway to Exit 109, turn right onto Rt. 520 West (Newman Springs Rd.), 2.2 miles to Park (past M.T. Thompson park and Brookdale College entrance ) on left.
- State Highway 34 to Route 520, turn right east to Park entrance.
All photos are copyright Joseph S. Valencia All Rights Reserved They may not be used in any way without express written permission of the photographer. If you wish to use any of the photos you may contact the photographer at valencia32photo@gmail.com
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