Ewing Parks and Trails

From Ewing’s Environmental Resource Inventory, completed in 2005, we learn that there are approximately 631 acres of parkland in Ewing Township. Of those, about 355 acres are municipal open space lands that include parkland, active recreation fields, natural resource protection and farmland scattered around the township. In addition, 80 acres of land located along the banks of the Delaware and Raritan Canal is state parkland, and there is one county park, the Mountain View Golf Club, which has 196 acres in Ewing located to the northwest of the Trenton-Mercer County Airport. There are also approximately 261 acres of farmland known as Knight Farm, which is owned and operated by the New Jersey Department of Corrections.

Ewing’s protected parkland is divided into a total of 13 parks in the township’s park system. Six of those parks serve as focal points for recreational programming. The parks are maintained by the Township of Ewing Park Maintenance Division. All of the parks have plenty of free parking. Contact the Recreation Department for more information about the parks and check out their 2015 Program Brochure.

Contact: Ewing Township Recreation Department
Phone: 609-883-1776

Armstrong Park

Armstrong Park, named after former 7 term Ewing Mayor C. Wesley Armstrong, is located at the corner of Ewingville Road and Green Lane and offers 3 youth softball fields, 2 adult softball fields, a t-ball field, and outdoor batting cage. There is also a concession stand for use by the teams. Amenities include: Bullpen, Dugouts, Restrooms, Press Box Equipment: Field Screens, Soft Toss Net, Mound/Plate Tarps, Infield Tarp, Drags, Tractor, Rakes/Brooms, Chalk Liner Teams/Clubs: Youth Teams/League, Independent League

Banchoff Park

Banchoff Park is situated on 70 acres off of Mountain View Road. It was named for Incarnation School kindergarten teacher, Ann Banchoff who was also a member of the Township Committee and lived 5 houses south of Slocum’s Bowling Center on Pennington Road. Banchoff Park is the former Reeder Farm where George Washington stopped for breakfast on his way to Trenton. The facility has 4 tennis courts, walking, biking and hiking trails, a pond, a dog park, picnic area and a tot lot. This park has picnic areas that can be rented for a fee. Permits are required. Contact 609-883-1776 for more details.

Higgs Park (a.k.a. Ewing Park)

Florence S. Higgs Park is a three acre neighborhood park and is located on Somerset Street. It was named for beloved educator and principal of the former Ewing Park Elementary School that was located on the site. The park has a playground area, gazebo, basketball court, and picnic area. In the rear of the park is a wooded area with walking paths. This park has picnic areas that can be rented for a fee. Permits are required. Contact 609-883-1776 for more details.

John S. Watson Park

John S. Watson Park is situated on 66 acres off of Upper Ferry Road or Scotch Rd and is traversed by the West Branch of Shabakunk Creek. The park is named for John S. Watson, former Ewing resident, first African-American elected to the Board of Chosen Freeholders in Mercer County, and six term legislator in the New Jersey General Assembly from the 15th Legislative District. He was the father of our current Representative Bonnie Watson Coleman.

The facilities include 2 BBQ areas, a pavilion, picnic tables, and playground equipment. The Carlton section of this park has an adult softball field and an outdoor ice skating rink. This park has picnic areas that can be rented for a fee. Permits are required. Contact 609-883-1776 for more details.

Moody Park

Moody Park, also named a former Ewing Mayor, Frank Moody, is situated on 32 acres between Parkside Ave and Buttonwood Ave. The facilities here include 1 hardball field, 4 basketball courts, an indoor batting cage, 2 Little League fields, 1 t-ball field, 1 softball field, 1 football field, playground equipment, picnic benches and a clubhouse with a kitchen.

Municipal Complex Park

The Municipal Complex Park is situated on 40 acres off of Upper Ferry Road next to the municipal building. the facility has 3 soccer fields, a hiking, biking and walking trail and a 1/2 mile track.

Smaller assets in the Ewing Park System include:

Benjamin Temple House and Drake Farm Park
The Benjamin Temple House is the home of the Ewing Township Historic Preservation Society and is located at Drake Farm Park, 27 Federal City Road in Ewing. (609-883-2455). The home was built in 1750 by Benjamin Temple, a prosperous farmer and one of the settlers of the Ewing-Hopewell area. The house was originally built on Route 31 but was threatened with demolition during the construction of I-95 and moved in 1973 to its present location on Federal City Road in Ewing Township.
The Society protects and preserves the house and the many historic documents, photographs and artifacts from Ewing Township’s history in this beautiful setting. The building also serves as a great location for the Society’s historic lectures, events, and other programs. The Benjamin Temple House is open to the public and researchers by appointment. You will occasionally see outdoor gathering run by the Society on the grounds of the park.
Fasolino Field
Fasolino Field is a small baseball park on Saratoga Ave.
Hollowbrook Park
Hollowbrook Park is located at the Hollowbrook Community Center on Hollowbrook Drive and has one of the township’s two community pools with registration open to Ewing residents.
Parkway Tennis
Roosevelt Park
Shabakunk Creek Park
Small passive park along Olden Avenue
Sherbrook Parke
Sherbrook Park is a small neighborhood park in the Sherbrook Manor area. It has a playground and basketball court. It also is home to the Ewing Community Gardens (off of Whitehead Road Extension), a large municipal community garden, fully enclosed with 8’deer fence. Plots are available by application each spring.
Stout Avenue Playground
A small neighborhood playground on Stout Avenue in Ewing.
Village on the Green
A small neighborhood playground on Sabrina Drive in Ewing.

Trails in Ewing

Delaware and Raritan Canal Path

The Delaware and Raritan Canal Path is a crushed stone and gravel path that runs 46 miles along the Delaware River and which we are lucky to enjoy for 10 miles or so in Ewing. It follows the towpath of the canal, which was built in the early 1830s as a transportation corridor between Philadelphia and New York. There are multiple locations for parking along the way. Use for Biking, Fishing, Walking, and more.

Johnson Trolley Trail

The Johnson Trolley Trail is the bed of an old trolley, known as the “Fast Line,” run by the Trenton-Princeton Traction Company from appr. 1901/1940. Fares were only 10¢. Today, you can walk or bike the right-of-way abandoned by the former trolley company for free on a restored trail. The trail is split up into two sections, north and south, which are split by Interstate 95. The Ewing section is the terminus of the southern section. The final piece under Ewing control is in the process of restoration with an anticipated completion of Fall 2015.