It was uncrowded and quiet there at 8:30 am. We have been walking there since 1974. We spent many days and nights exploring on and off the trails. Never got too busy there 40 years ago. There were more birds around and less dogs and people. Still it is worth waiting for a parking spot to get into the woods. The leaves are blanketing the ground nicely.

Beautiful park with clear trails, you will encounter lots of deers. 3 year old plus Kids would enjoy.

Great hike! The trails are greats workout but not too long and totally beginner-friendly. The skyline view is beautiful! The park is super well maintained and the trails are clearly marked. In some of the trails you can see the roads, so it’s not totally secluded, but the trade off is that it’s so easily accessible. The best part about this park is the shade-it makes a great hike even on a super hot day!

This is a beautiful park with a high tree canopy. Most trails are shaded and remain surprisingly cool even on hot sunny days. The trails can also be rocky and uneven and may not be suitable for people with mobility issues. We didnt find the trail maps that others have mentioned, but we thought that it made for great spontaneous and random exploration and discovery. We saw surprisingly few squirrels, but lots of chipmunks. We also stumbled on a small herd of deer. It is also easy to imagine seeing lots of birds if you come at the right time.Many visitors bring their dogs with them and many do not keep theirs on a leash. The dogs were all friendly, though one of our group has a fear of dogs and it was an issue for us. We also saws dogs chase after the aforementioned deer. Fortunately, the deer were too fast and remained uninjured, though they surely felt a bit harassed. Please leash your dogs.Finally, note that the official parking lot is small and holds probably only 20 cards. We dont know if the surrounding neighborhoods allows street parking for park visitors.

Best experience going to an outdoor adventure!! Perfect place for hiking, lots of fresh air, surrounded by nature, and overall amazing place to spend time out of the room. Needs more parking spots, and make sure you dont get lost on the way back (I got lost twice) not enough markers. Be safe and be careful!!

Mills Reservation is small! If you walk at average speed, you can get to the other side and back in less than an hour. There are chipmunks and deer everywhere, but no waterfalls or other natural sights. Its my understanding that this reservation used to be bigger, but there is now a housing complex on the other side of Normal Avenue.

Great place for hiking. Easy to get too from NYC. They have a bunch of small restaurants and cafes close by to have some food after a hike.

PROS: Good spot for an afternoon hike. Small enough you wont get lost. Marked trails are easy enough. Has deers, chipmunks and squirrels.CONS: No river and the creek is dry..it was raining hard a day or so before we went. Too many unmarked trails with no accurate map to tell you where thebgood sports are. Signs says no biking but some people are mountain biking on trails (rule not enforced). Not so nice overlooking view in summer when trees have full leaves.

I used to come here all the time when my dog was much younger and let him run off leash with a bunch of other dog owners. I dont know if that is still a common practice, but today we kept Bongo on his leash. It was a humid and hot day so the shady trails were very pleasant retreats from that element of weather so common to NJ summers. The trails are easy to follow and clearly marked. We didnt go up to the summit, for lack of time. A beautiful piece of nature carved out for all to enjoy - keep it clean, yall!

Great place to take your dogs for an off leash adventure.

My doggy loves this place, just loves meeting other dogs and people on the trails and getting outside here. The terrain is great with some flat easy trails and some singletracks for the cyclists and runners.

Great place to hike! In from out of town and found this on All Trails app. Tons of trails and impossible to get lost. Lots of chipmunks and we even saw a deer! The trails are also bike friendly if you like that kind of thing.

Love this place for a nice short hike.

Mills Reservation is a beautiful, natural wooded park near Montclair State University in Northern New Jersey. The park is a breath of fresh air & renewal just minutes from Jersey city life. When my wife & I visit our daughter and granddaughters in New Jersey, we make sure to include a hike at Mills Reservation!

Great spot, seems like alot to explore

Awesome trail for beginners as well and novices, went for a nice hike with my wife and 2 children and had a great time! Definitely recommend for those just looking for a nice active outing!

Pretty quiet for a nature reservation in town. A map is available at the trailhead. The main trail is the Lenape Trail, and there are 3 different colored blazes all connecting to the Lenape: blue, yellow, orange.To get to the lookout point in the shortest distance for the Manhattan skyline, follow the blue blazes starting on the East-facing side of the trailhead. Once you get to a fork splitting into yellow and blue blazed trails, follow the yellow blazes to the left. Right before arriving at the marked Puffs Cliff location, veer left a bit onto a rockier area. Be careful since this is close to the edge of a cliff. The lookout location is approximately 40.849744 -74.210190 on Maps.

This park is best for dog walking. Quiet and peaceful, nice cozy environment. Today is hot and humid, but when you walk in this forest, you feel calm and relax.

Very good walk!!!!! Amazing quiet peaceful trail.

Great place to hike. Amazing view and a good workout

Nice quick trail that has a easy to get to high point lookout. Nice small wildlife and ample parking but could get packed. Trails were almost empty and only 1-3 people on it around 2pm on a weekday. Some trash and graffiti, but overall fairly clean. Not much to look at besides cliff. Didnt see any reservoir on trail.

The official website has very accurate information about the park. Very natural park reservation. The only downside is that there is not a lot of trail signs. It’s not a big deal for those who come here often but new hikers might have trouble following the trail.

Always a wonderful place to take a walk with a dog.

Great small park. Trailhead colors are a bit confusing in comparison to the colors shown on the entrance maps, the lilac purple one is supposed to be the middle blue trail. The outer blue and yellow trails near Mountainside park are the trails to take if you want to see views of Manhattan. The Reservoir trail doesnt really get a good view of the Reservoir, as its gated and theres a road in between. Theres some nice tiny frozen waterfall/streams along the Reservoir trail though. Short trails, but good for a quick hike.

Riding my ebike there was grate the trails very clean it is just a nice place 2 go

So many trails, and really friendly people and dogs. My dogs and I really enjoyed it and will be going back. Just be careful with ledges, could be dangerous to young pooches and no water or poop bags on trails so definitely bring some.

Nice for walk w/ family & pets..

Great place for an afternoon hike through the woods.It was very quiet, clean, and peaceful. We didn’t see a whole lot on our hike, but still had a fun time. Keep your eyes peeled for deer and mountain bikers.

A lesser known hiking spot in the area, it definitely is worth a visit. The trails are not extremely long so it works well for a short hike.

Great hiking and great views! Very family friendly!

Nice place for relaxing end walk

Nice park and hiking trail

It is modest but perfect hiking area. Signs are clear enough and path is easy to follow. Not rocky but also enough stone makes your walk easier with less dirt. I liked it so much

Great place for hiking. Easy to get too from NYC. They have a bunch of small restaurants and cafes close by to have some food after a hike. Good trails but no biking. Great for letting good dogs run but not supposed to be off leash so be responsible, have heard of Sheriff ticketing. Good views from old Nike(?) missile defense platform (no evidence of that use remains except concrete pads)

Cool easy easy trails with some deep woods. Short loop with a good outlook of the city

Nice hiking trails

Close to nature, nice walking trails, and Beautiful views!!

Love to take my dog there. Convenient and safe. Limited parking.

Great location and great views for a nice hike.

Beautiful park

As a lifelong New Jersey New Jersey resident I never walked the trails until last week and thats a mistake I want no one else make. It was beautiful to see the mountain for the first time. The trails are kept clean and nature does the rest. 10/10

Comfortable short nice walk

Well maintained trails. Easy for all. My dog loves as well!

Great place. Good trails, clearly marked.

Perfect place to go on a walk with your dog! Different size, clean trails, you can’t get lost since it’s a circle. There is a cliff with pretty views and tepees out of sticks that people have built.

Nice place for short walk

Beautiful park with very relaxed trails.

Nice way to enjoy nature.

Nice views of the city

One of my favorite places to take my dogs. Be careful of off leash dogs.

Always a great little hike to go on that brings a moderate amount of risk as there are rocky cliffs. The reward is an awhing view of Montclair and NYC. Easy hike.

The loop here is a perfect 1 hour hike with kids. Theres enough streams and sticks and even a lean-to to amuse them

Some parts of the various side trails are rough and it is not the best place to hike if it has rained recently.Those detractors aside, one gets a brilliant view of NYC, some nice trails, and the convenience of free parking and several access points.There are two parking areas located at the North and South sides, as well as street parking lower on the Mountainside Park entrance, just above the Iris Gardens.

Nice hike around the whole park. Great views . Not easy but worked up a good sweat.

Beautiful and dog friendly. Soak in nature at Mills

Good trails but no biking. Great for letting good dogs run but not supposed to be off leash so be responsible, have heard of Sheriff ticketing. Good views from old Nike(?) missile defense platform (no evidence of that use remains except concrete pads)

It was a nice park with a pretty forest

Great walk in the woods where you can see to Manhattan!

Very nice hike thats close to home..

Nice views

Great quaint little nature walk, decent views. Gets very muddy after snow/rain so bring decent waterproof hiking boots.

Lovely oasis.

Love this park. There are multiple trails in this park. As trails are unpaved, it can get messy at times after a rainy/snowy day. Beautiful Manhattan skyline view from eastern cliff side. Parking available at Normal ave entrance.

Nice place to hike. Only reason I gave it 3 stars is that theres dog poop on the trails and lots of dogs are not on leashes.

A quiet wooded walk not too far from the city.

Cool spot to hang out with your squad but watch out illicit activities and the high cliffs

A wonderful peaceful place to walk your dog whats up

Easy walk with lots of trail options. Also, can find great views of the city at a very easy incline.

Great for walking and Birdwatching a very nice overlook of the area and good for photography

Clean and safe

Nice place for a walk. Ive only been here once. The one problem I have is the dog owners that dont have their dogs on a leash.

Great for easy walks.

Wide open trails. Not very well marked but hard to get lost given how small this place this. Good for a quick 1hr walk/hike

Wildlife and foliage just off the beaten path.

A great place to take a nice walk or bike ride in the woods. Its large enough so that you can get a little peace and quiet, but not large enough to completely avoid people and the sound of cars, unfortunately. Mostly flat with sleight inclines. Weekends and nice days do get busier and parking spaces on Normal Ave and Edgecliff Rd. can be harder to find. Nice views of Manhattan by the cliffs, but mind your step, as a fall can be deadly. Not too tic infested and not many animals. The biggest concerns after the occasional tic, rare fox and super-rare black bear are dogs off leashes. You may also stumble into kids smoking weed, like any other woods.

Great place for easy to moderate hiking, with a great payoff at the top.

Great place for hiking with kids and pets!

Great views of the New York skyline

Great place with lots of easy trails. You park your car and immediately you are in a different zone. People come here to walk their dogs or just enjoy themselves in a nice green area.

Nice park, some nice simple trails and great views of the city (if it isnt cloudy).

Nice trails for walking with your dog.

Nice

Beautiful 1.5 mile gravel trail and lots of other little foolproof paths. We really enjoy Mills!

A LOCAL TREASURE!! Clean, beautiful, well maintained, GORGEOUS views and many, diverse paths & trails!!

Was looking for a short hike near home and was glad to find this park. Well marked short trails made for a fun 2 hours hiking in the snow. With 3 inches of snow, I didnt notice any dog waste like other reviewers pointed out.

Rugged walk, but beautiful.

Great place to take the family!

No bikes in mills

This is such a cute little walk. It takes about 35 minutes to get to the top of the Overlook. They recently put in a bench which I love to sit down on after a long walk and get some sun.

Nice clean park been going to for years

This is by far the most popular place for dog lovers to take their loved ones. Its also a popular place for the local sheriff to slap a hefty fine on you if your do not have your dog on a leash. That said, in the center of the reserve, folks do let their dogs off leash, and make sure their mutts are back on them a few hundred feet before exiting the trials (where sheriffs deputies typical sit in their cruisers). There are very good views of New York City from certain vantage points. In the spring theres one area where bird spotters set up with their powerful binoculars for their avian count. Mountain bike riders also take to the trials (another no-no) and its a popular place for local teens to hang out and smoke weed.

Nice place to hike. Just hate some of the vandalism and trash people leave behind

Excellent little park and dog friendly!

Great place to get some nature escape. Try the different outer loop trails, some great views of NYC

Great place to take your dog, lots for them to see and smell.

Great place to walk, relax and enjoy views

Several short hiking trails here. You can get a quick hit of nature without a committing to a long hike! Some scenic overlooks here and there. Trails have lots of rocks and roots, not suitable without proper shoes. Lots of dogs here, mostly on leash.

Nice, but unclaimed dog mines everywhere on the trail. I hope its better in the spring and summer.

Would be nicer with less people throwing their trash everywhere.

Great place for a walk in the woods with unique views of New York