Preakness Range

The Watchung Mountains are a group of three long low ridges of volcanic origin, between 400 and 500 feet (120 and 150 m) high, lying parallel to each other in northern New Jersey in the United States. The name is derived from the American Native Lenape name for them, Wach Unks (High Hills). In the 18th century, the Euro-American settlers also called them the Blue Mountains or Blue Hills (not to be confused with Blue Mountain in Sussex County). The Watchung Mountains are known for their numerous scenic vistas overlooking the skylines of New York City and Newark, New Jersey, as well as their isolated ecosystems containing rare plants, endangered wildlife, rich minerals, and globally imperiled trap rock glade communities. The ridges traditionally contained the westward spread of urbanization, forming a significant geologic barrier beyond the piedmont west of the Hudson River; the town of Newark, for example, once included lands from the Hudson to the base of the mountains. Later treaties moved the boundary to the top of the mountain, to include the springs. The Watchungs are basalt uplifts, geologically similar to the Palisades along the Hudson River. In many places, however, the mountains have become sinuous islands of natural landscape within the suburban sprawl covering much of contemporary northeastern New Jersey. Parks, preserves, and numerous historical sites dot the valleys and slopes of the mountains, providing recreational and cultural activities to one of the most densely populated regions of the nation.

High Mountain Park Preserve is a protected area of the Preakness Range of the Watchung Mountains in Wayne, New Jersey, United States. Established in 1993, it comprises 1,153 acres (5 km2) of woodlands and wetlands owned and managed by The Nature Conservancy. It is one of the largest tracts of conserved land in northern New Jersey. It serves to protect nine ecological communities harboring 380 plant species, 18 of which are rare. Some of the globally imperiled plants found in the area include Torrey's mountain mint (Pycnanthemum torreyi) and basil-leaved mountain mint (Pycnanthemum clinopodioides), which, along with narrow-leaved vervain (Verbena simplex), are also classified as endangered by the state. Hazel dodder (Cuscuta coryli), declared imperiled by the state, has been recorded as well. The preserve contains geological points of interest, including a traprock basalt glade and rock shelters which have been determined to be sites of prehistoric human habitation. During the American Revolution, high points along the ridge were used as signaling posts. Hiking trails are maintained by the New York-New Jersey Trail Conference. The summit of High Mountain provides views of New York City. High Mountain Park Preserve is open to visitors but prohibits fishing, hunting, trapping, collecting, motor vehicles, aircraft, horses and unleashed pets, camping, fires, firearms, rock climbing, spelunking, and feeding of wild animals. In the summer of 2013, a northern extension of the Red Trail was blazed along the sidewalk of Reservoir Drive to provide access to the Franklin Lakes Nature Preserve. The new northern terminus of the Red Trail is a junction with the Preserve Shoreline Loop (White Trail) just inside the nature preserve.

Franklin Lakes Nature Preserve is a 147 acre public nature reserve located mostly within Franklin Lakes, New Jersey, with a tiny portion extending into North Haledon, New Jersey. Situated between the First and Second ridges of the northern Watchung Mountains, the preserve occupies the site of the former Haledon Reservoir, which previously supplied water to North Haledon, Haledon, and Prospect Park. Passive recreation opportunities include hiking, fishing, and bird watching.

North Haledon (pronounced North HAIL-don) is a borough in Passaic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 8,927, an increase of 510 (+6.1%) from the 2010 census count of 8,417, which in turn reflected an increase of 497 (+6.3%) from the 7,920 counted in the 2000 census.North Haledon was formed as a borough by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 20, 1901, from portions of the now-defunct Manchester Township.

The North Haledon School District is a comprehensive community public school district that serves students in kindergarten through eighth grade from North Haledon, in Passaic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.As of the 2018–19 school year, the district, comprising two schools, had an enrollment of 624 students and 59.3 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 10.5:1.The district is classified by the New Jersey Department of Education as being in District Factor Group "FG", the fourth-highest of eight groupings. District Factor Groups organize districts statewide to allow comparison by common socioeconomic characteristics of the local districts. From lowest socioeconomic status to highest, the categories are A, B, CD, DE, FG, GH, I and J.For ninth through twelfth grades, public school students attend Manchester Regional High School, which serves students from Haledon, North Haledon, and Prospect Park. The school is located in Haledon. The district participates in the Interdistrict Public School Choice Program, which allows non-resident students to attend the district's schools without cost to their parents, with tuition paid by the state. Available slots are announced annually by grade. North Haledon residents had successfully voted in 2003 to leave the district, choosing to send their high school aged students to Midland Park High School in nearby Bergen County, New Jersey. In August 2004, the New Jersey Supreme Court decided against North Haledon, citing that the town's exit from the district would shift the ethnic and racial balance of the high school. As of the 2018–19 school year, the high school had an enrollment of 833 students and 62.3 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 13.4:1.In recent years however, many students have been attending many other schools, with a smaller number attending Manchester Regional High School. These schools include DePaul Catholic High School, Paramus Catholic High School, Don Bosco Preparatory High School, Bergen Catholic High School, and Passaic County Technical Institute.

Van Houten House, was located in Franklin Lakes, Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. The house was added to the National Register of Historic Places on January 9, 1983. It was demolished January 3, 2001.

William Paterson University, officially William Paterson University of New Jersey (WPUNJ), is a public university in Wayne, New Jersey. It is part of New Jersey's public system of higher education. Founded in 1855 and was named after American judge William Paterson, William Paterson is the third-oldest public institution in New Jersey. William Paterson offers undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral degrees through its five academic colleges. During the fall 2021 semester, 5,838 undergraduate students and 3,100 graduate students were enrolled.

Van Houten–Ackerman House, is located in Wyckoff, Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. The house was added to the National Register of Historic Places on January 10, 1983.

Mary Help of Christians Academy is an all-girls, Roman Catholic high school in North Haledon, in Passaic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, serving students in eighth through twelfth grades. Operated by the Salesian Sisters of St. John Bosco, the school is located in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Paterson, though the school is operated independently of the Diocese. Founded as an orphanage in 1921, the school took its current identity as a Catholic high school in 1944, and has been accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Elementary and Secondary Schools since 1978.As of the 2021–22 school year, the school had an enrollment of 154 students and 17.8 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 8.7:1. The school's student body was 61.7% (95) White, 27.9% (43) Hispanic, 5.2% (8) Black, 3.9% (6) Asian and 1.3% (2) two or more races.

Ailsa Farms, also known as Haledon Hall and Hobart Manor, is a historic house located at 300 Pompton Road in the township of Wayne in Passaic County, New Jersey, United States. It was purchased by the state of New Jersey in 1948 from the family of Garret Hobart, 24th vice president of the United States and is now located on the campus of William Paterson University. Ailsa Farms was added to the National Register of Historic Places on April 30, 1976, for its significance in architecture, politics, and social history.

Van Winkle House, is located in Franklin Lakes, Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. The home was added to the National Register of Historic Places on July 24, 1984.

Van Blarcom House, is located in Franklin Lakes, Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. The house was built in 1770 and was added to the National Register of Historic Places on July 24, 1984.