What to expect when visiting N.J.’s state and federal parks in the spring and summer of 2021
Updated 10:00 AM;
Today 10:00 AM
People walk their dog along a trail at Double Trouble State Park in Berkeley and Lacey Townships in May 2020. Lori M. Nichols | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
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Last year, when the coronavirus pandemic drove an unprecedented number of people to parks across the state, it was exactly what state officials wanted to see even if they weren’t prepared for it.
“No one I think imagined just how intense . the increase in visitation would be,” Shawn LaTourette, the acting commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, told NJ Advance Media. “Not because any agency or apparatus of government wasn’t ready to help its citizens, but because the spaces themselves don’t hold all the people that wanted to partake in them.”
The waterfalls of N.J.: 12 spectacular sights you need to visit
Updated Mar 13, 2021;
Posted Mar 09, 2021
The Great Falls of Paterson at Great Falls National Park. George McNish | For NJ Advance MediaGeorge McNish | For NJ Advance Media
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There’s a line in an old song that says “don’t go chasing waterfalls.” That’s bad advice to take literally, especially in the New Jersey Highlands. What most people don’t realize is that the Garden State actually offers a variety of swift streams, running rapids and crisp cascades as natural treasures to seek out.
As the weather begins to warm, here are 12 Garden State waterfalls that should be on every New Jerseyan’s to-see list. Don’t forget that these waterfalls get a boost after rain, so keep an eye on the sky when planning visits.
Is it? Could it be…
light?
Make no mistake, we are still waist-deep in the COVID fever swamp. Most of the country still has not been vaccinated. More than 2,000 Americans a day are still dying of the virus. For the next half-year at least, we re still going to have to mask or better yet, double-mask keep our distance, avoid gatherings, keep to our own homes as much as possible.
But vaccines are out there. More vaccines are coming. The rate of new U.S. infections is declining: from a peak of 248,321 on Jan. 6 to 54,950 on Feb. 22, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. By the winter holidays if the fates allow we could be very nearly back to what we call normal.