Three Calendars Decide Whether Your Basking Ridge Trail Is Open This Fall
October 8, 2026
October 8, 2026
"The northern section of trails at the Environmental Education Center are closed until further notice. Storm damage has been assessed and repairs are underway."
The Somerset County Park Commission posted that notice on August 27, 2026. Five weeks later, the county's September 28 alert page still lists the same closure. Today is Sunday, October 4, and English Family Woods is closed too. The township has it on a hunting calendar released in September.
Three bodies decide where you can walk in Basking Ridge this fall. The county runs Lord Stirling Park. A township notice lists the English Family Woods dates. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service manages the Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge. Their calendars don't line up, and the closures don't fall where you might expect. The refuge, which has the longest list of hunting seasons, stays open to walkers. The county park allows bow hunting six days a week and keeps its open trails open through it. English Family Woods closes completely on its listed dates, some Sundays included.
The Environmental Education Center at 190 Lord Stirling Road has about nine miles of trails across roughly 500 acres of the western Great Swamp. Trails are open sunrise to sunset, and pets aren't allowed on them. This fall, the northern part of that network is off limits.
The county's closure map marks one block "CLOSED" and "Storm Damage," around the Great Loop and East Marsh. Nearby labels on that part of the map include La Plus Grande, Boondocks Boardwalk, Deer Trail, and Wood Duck. The map doesn't give a trail-by-trail key, so check it before planning a loop that starts in the north. The southern routes are outside the closure. They include Lenape Meadow Tower, Caddisfly Bridge, Whitetail Way, Beech Trail, Hidden Marsh, and the Racetrack area.
The storm notice replaced an earlier, broader one. In March 2026, TAPinto reported that all EEC trails were closed because of avian influenza while the building stayed open. The county's current page cites only the northern section and only storm damage. No reopening date has been announced.
Bow hunting is the second calendar at Lord Stirling. Under Bernards Township Ordinance #2394 and a county permit, it may take place Monday through Saturday from September 12, 2026, to February 20, 2027. The county is clear that trails stay open throughout bow season. Walkers must stay on the trails and are encouraged to wear blaze orange. The trails close entirely only for two short firearms periods: Monday through Saturday, December 7 to 12, 2026, and Monday through Saturday, January 4 to 9, 2027.
Sundays are different. Minutes from the township's July 9, 2026, wildlife management committee meeting record that Sunday hunting would not take place on Bernards Township or county property. At Lord Stirling, then, Sunday is the one day of the week with no bow season at all.
Lord Stirling Stable follows its own rules within the park. Pedestrians may use the multi-use trails, the equestrian-only trails are for riders, and the stable warns that its trails may close for deer management.
English Family Woods works differently. The township's September 1, 2026, notice says the property "will be closed to the public" on listed dates for the 2026/2027 season. Only hunters approved by English Farm Associates may hunt on those days. The notice lists 22 dates, and on each one the whole property is closed.
The Sunday pattern from Lord Stirling doesn't carry over. Today's closure falls on a Sunday, and so do October 18, November 8, and November 15. If you treat Sunday as the safe day for a walk, it works at the county park and not here.
These are the closure dates still ahead:
The first full week of November is the longest stretch, seven days in a row. In its September 22 report, TAPinto noted that these closures apply only to English Family Woods. They are "separate from access to other parks, trails and open-space properties throughout Bernards Township."
The Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge has the busiest hunting calendar of the three. Fall bow season runs September 12 to October 30. Permit bow season runs October 31 to December 24 and December 26 to 31. Youth firearm day is November 21, the six-day firearm season is December 7 to 12, and winter bow season runs January 1 to February 20, 2027.
Even so, the Fish and Wildlife Service lists the Wildlife Observation Center at 220 Long Hill Road among the areas open to hunters and non-hunters alike. The center has about a mile and a half of boardwalks and trails. In areas open to hunting, the refuge asks hikers to stay on designated trails and wear at least 200 square inches of fluorescent orange visible from all angles, or a fluorescent orange hat. Posted hours are sunrise to sunset year-round. The refuge notes it may close occasionally for hazardous weather or special events.
Side by side, the three schedules leave some weekends wide open and tighten on others. The table below covers dates where at least one of them changes something.
| Date | Lord Stirling Park | English Family Woods | Great Swamp refuge |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sat., Oct. 10 | Southern trails open; bow season | Closed | Open to walkers; fall bow season |
| Sun., Oct. 11 | Southern trails open; no hunting on county land | Open | Open to walkers |
| Sun., Oct. 18 | Southern trails open; no hunting on county land | Closed | Open to walkers |
| Nov. 2 to 8 | Southern trails open; bow season Mon. to Sat. | Closed all seven days | Open to walkers; permit bow season |
| Sat., Nov. 21 | Southern trails open; bow season | Closed | Youth firearm day |
| Dec. 7 to 11 | Trails closed for firearms | Open | Six-day firearm season |
| Sat., Dec. 12 | Trails closed for firearms | Closed | Six-day firearm season |
Saturday, December 12, is the one date this fall when all three calendars apply at once. Lord Stirling's trails close for the last day of the county's first firearms week. English Family Woods is on its closure list. The refuge's six-day firearm season ends that day. For questions about the Lord Stirling schedule, the county's notice gives the Bernards Township Police Department at 908-766-1122.
The weekend of October 10 and 11 shows how much the day matters. On Saturday, English Family Woods is closed. That same day, the township's second-chance townwide yard sale runs from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., rain or shine. Somerset County's free Journey Through the Past also opens, running 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and noon to 4 p.m. Sunday. Ross Farm and the Brick Academy are among the participating Basking Ridge sites. Ross Farm's schedule for the weekend includes house-and-garden tours, an Elias Boudinot play, Old Oak Tree presentations, scavenger hunts, and kite flying.
On Sunday, the Environmental Education Center holds a free Family Nature Walk from 10 to 11 a.m. That morning has no hunting on county land and no closure at English Family Woods. It's one of the few times this month when every trail outside the storm-damaged section is open with no hunting nearby.
The center's other fall programs follow the same calendar. A Bat Walk runs Tuesday, October 6, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Field & Forest meets Saturday, October 17, from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. In November, the free Family Nature Walk returns Sunday, November 8, from 10 to 11 a.m. Field & Forest meets Saturday, November 14, at 10:30 a.m., and Turkey Talk for young children is Tuesday, November 17, at 10:30 a.m. The Saturday sessions fall on bow season days, when the trails stay open and blaze orange is encouraged. The northern closure may also change any walk that would normally head toward East Marsh.
Before any walk this fall, three checks cover nearly everything. Look at the county's EEC page for the northern trail status. Look at the township's English Family Woods list for the date. If December 7 through 12 is coming up, change plans for Lord Stirling entirely.
If you're thinking about a future move and want to stay near the trails you walk most, Karen Tyrell can talk through how close different parts of Basking Ridge sit to Lord Stirling Park, English Family Woods, and the Great Swamp. She's happy to start with a free home valuation whenever the timing feels right.
This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional about your situation.
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