The Monmouth County Park System is an agency that maintains over 40 parks and recreational areas, in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. Established in 1960, the Park System takes up 5.9% of Monmouth County's total acreage. The largest park in the county is Turkey Swamp Park in Freehold with 2,388 acres. The most visited park in the county in 2021 was the Manasquan Reservoir in Howell with 1,412,586 visits. The entire Park System had a total of 8,668,914 visitors in 2021 compared to 645,354 residents of Monmouth County.

List of parks

List of MCPS operated parks with 2021 visitation numbers
ParkMunicipalityVisitationAcreage
Baysholm Tract*Freehold TownshipN/A71*
Bayshore Waterfront ParkPort Monmouth276,246229
Big Brook ParkMarlboroN/A432
Clayton ParkUpper Freehold32,400450
Crosswicks Creek ParkUpper FreeholdN/A2,351
DeBois Creek Recreation Area*Freehold TownshipN/A165*
Deep Cut GardensMiddletown195,79554
Dorbrook Recreation AreaColts Neck735,251540
Durand Tract (Freehold Township Park)Freehold TownshipN/A94
East Freehold ShowgroundsFreehold Township221,61181
Fisherman's Cove Conservation AreaManasquan139,75955
Fort Monmouth Recreation AreaTinton FallsN/A9
Freneau Woods ParkAberdeenN/A313
Hartshorne Woods ParkMiddletown495,552797
Henry Hudson TrailN: Highlands to Aberdeen S: Aberdeen to Freehold272,347234
Holmdel ParkHolmdel1,096,379664
Huber Woods ParkMiddletown114,781390
Longstreet Farm**Holmdel102,5229
Historic WalnfordUpper Freehold12,58136
Manasquan ReservoirHowell1,412,5861,348
Manasquan River GreenwayFarmingdaleN/A522
Metedeconk River Greenway*Freehold to HowellN/A542*
Monmouth Cove MarinaPort Monmouth31,48710
Mount Mitchill Scenic OverlookAtlantic Highlands187,28312
Perrineville Lake ParkMillstone Township18,9111,266
Seven Presidents Oceanfront ParkLong Branch827,31538
Shark River ParkWall Township331,494991
Sunnyside Equestrian AreaMiddletownN/A135
Swimming River ParkRed BankN/A18
Tatum ParkMiddletown190,963366
Thompson ParkLincroft840,171667
Turkey Swamp ParkFreehold Township289,6732,388
Union Transportation TrailUpper Freehold34,643115
Weltz ParkOcean TownshipN/A169
Wickatunk Recreation AreaMarlboroN/A115
Wolf Hill Recreation AreaOceanport496,22892
Yellow Brook Tract*HowellN/A430*
TOTAL8,355,97816,199

*Indicates the site is undeveloped

**Historic Longstreet Farm is part of Holmdel Park

Golf courses

List of MCPS operated golf courses with 2021 visitation numbers
Golf CourseMunicipalityVisitationAcreage
Bel-Aire Golf CourseWall Township57,411132
Charleston Springs Golf CourseMillstone Township79,984820
Hominy Hill Golf CourseColts Neck45,054262
Howell Park Golf CourseHowell45,465350
Pine Brook Golf CourseManalapan32,41661
Shark River Golf CourseNeptune52,607176

Statistics

In 2021, the Monmouth County Park System acquired 529 new acres of land, adding up to a grand total of 18,003 acres; 57% of this is forest, 25% is field, 6% is water, 3% is wetland, 9% is developed (impervious), and 3% is other. They have a total of 43 parks and golf courses. There are 148 miles of trails, 32 miles are paved, 30 miles are easy, 76 miles are moderate, and 10 miles are challenging. There are a total of 113 recreational facilities. In 2021, the Park System offered 5,178 recreational programs, with a program attendance of 93,983. The park system had six major events, with a total attendance of 119,024. The Park System had 347 full-time staff, 492 seasonal part-time staff, and 62 program staff/instructors.

Finances

The Monmouth County Park System began 2021 with a balance of $112,704,820, with $12,550,185 coming from their trust, and $154,635 coming from donations. They had a total income of $45,511,756 and a total expenditure of $42,291,297, leaving them with a ending fund balance of $15,925,279.

2021 Income
LocationIncomePercentage
County Appropriation$22,319,97249%
Golf Courses$15,941,15735%
Visitor Services$3,061,1347%
Parks$2,779,9756%
Monmouth Cove Marina$1,400,4223%
Donations$9,096<1%
TOTAL$45,511,756100%
2021 Expenditures
TypeExpenditurePercentage
Personnel$21,954,92551.91%
Operations$9,108,03221.54%
New Jersey State Sales Tax$276,725<1%
General Revenue Returned to Treasurer$10,951,61525.90%

External links