Eno's Pond County Park
East Lacey Road, Lacey Township, Ocean County, NJ
28 acres

Directions:

Garden State Parkway to Exit 74 (Lacey Twp.); east on Lacey Road about 2 1/2 miles; continue across Route 9 onto E. Lacey Road for about a mile. Park entrance is about 1/4 mile beyond "Captain's Inn" on the left.

History:

The newest addition to Ocean County Parks and Recreation, opened in the autumn of 1998. Eno's Pond and surrounding area have a long and colorful history dating to the Colonial period. The observation decks overlook Eno's Pond, which was used as a source of ice for a hotel once on the site and now is a good vantage point for viewing some of the pond's residents and visitors.

From a publication entitled "Eno's Riverside Hotel and Eno's Pond" by Mahala Landrum, a local historian. In 1889 Byron E. Eno purchased what was then The Riverside House, a hotel from which guests had access to the "best hunting and fishing grounds of Barnegat Bay." The hotel became a vacation spot for the wealthy and famous.

The pond was used as a source of ice for the large resort. The blocks of ice were lifted by crane for storage in nearby icehouses.

Ecology:

Bridge Creeks flows into the pond.

Facilities:

Conservation area, handicap accessible, open playing fields, nature trails, observation decks, picnic area/grills, playground, restrooms, volleyball.

Trails:

Eno's Pond County Park is adjacent to part of the Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge Lacey Extension, and both entities are working to develop a trail system between the two properties.