# Monmouth County Park System

The Monmouth County Park System is an agency that maintains over 40 parks and recreational areas, in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. Established in 1960, the Park System takes up 5.9% of Monmouth County's total acreage. The largest park in the county is Turkey Swamp Park in Freehold with 2,388 acres. The most visited park in the county in 2021 was the Manasquan Reservoir in Howell with 1,412,586 visits. The entire Park System had a total of 8,668,914 visitors in 2021 compared to 645,354 residents of Monmouth County.

## List of parks

List of MCPS operated parks with 2021 visitation numbers :
| Park | Municipality | Visitation | Acreage |
| Baysholm Tract* | Freehold Township | N/A | 71* |
| Bayshore Waterfront Park | Port Monmouth | 276,246 | 229 |
| Big Brook Park | Marlboro Township | N/A | 432 |
| Clayton Park | Upper Freehold Township | 32,400 | 450 |
| Crosswicks Creek Park | Upper Freehold Township | N/A | 2,351 |
| DeBois Creek Recreation Area* | Freehold Township | N/A | 165* |
| Deep Cut Gardens | Middletown Township | 195,795 | 54 |
| Dorbrook Recreation Area | Colts Neck Township | 735,251 | 540 |
| Durand Tract (Freehold Township Park) | Freehold Township | N/A | 94 |
| East Freehold Showgrounds | Freehold Township | 221,611 | 81 |
| Fisherman's Cove Conservation Area | Manasquan | 139,759 | 55 |
| Fort Monmouth Recreation Area | Tinton Falls | N/A | 9 |
| Freneau Woods Park | Aberdeen Township | N/A | 313 |
| Hartshorne Woods Park | Middletown Township | 495,552 | 797 |
| Henry Hudson Trail | N: Highlands to Aberdeen S: Aberdeen to Freehold | 272,347 | 234 |
| Holmdel Park | Holmdel Township | 1,096,379 | 664 |
| Huber Woods Park | Middletown Township | 114,781 | 390 |
| Longstreet Farm** | Holmdel Township | 102,522 | 9 |
| Historic Walnford | Upper Freehold Township | 12,581 | 36 |
| Manasquan Reservoir | Howell Township | 1,412,586 | 1,348 |
| Manasquan River Greenway | Farmingdale | N/A | 522 |
| Metedeconk River Greenway* | Freehold to Howell | N/A | 542* |
| Monmouth Cove Marina | Port Monmouth | 31,487 | 10 |
| Mount Mitchill Scenic Overlook | Atlantic Highlands | 187,283 | 12 |
| Perrineville Lake Park | Millstone Township | 18,911 | 1,266 |
| Seven Presidents Oceanfront Park | Long Branch | 827,315 | 38 |
| Shark River Park | Wall Township | 331,494 | 991 |
| Sunnyside Equestrian Area | Middletown Township | N/A | 135 |
| Swimming River Park | Red Bank | N/A | 18 |
| Tatum Park | Middletown Township | 190,963 | 366 |
| Thompson Park | Lincroft | 840,171 | 667 |
| Turkey Swamp Park | Freehold Township | 289,673 | 2,388 |
| Union Transportation Trail | Upper Freehold Township | 34,643 | 115 |
| Weltz Park | Ocean Township | N/A | 169 |
| Wickatunk Recreation Area | Marlboro Township | N/A | 115 |
| Wolf Hill Recreation Area | Oceanport | 496,228 | 92 |
| Yellow Brook Tract* | Howell Township | N/A | 430* |
| TOTAL | | 8,355,978 | 16,199 |
*Indicates the site is undeveloped
**Historic Longstreet Farm is part of Holmdel Park

### Golf courses

List of MCPS operated golf courses with 2021 visitation numbers :
| Golf Course | Municipality | Visitation | Acreage |
| Bel-Aire Golf Course | Wall Township | 57,411 | 132 |
| Charleston Springs Golf Course | Millstone Township | 79,984 | 820 |
| Hominy Hill Golf Course | Colts Neck Township | 45,054 | 262 |
| Howell Park Golf Course | Howell Township | 45,465 | 350 |
| Pine Brook Golf Course | Manalapan Township | 32,416 | 61 |
| Shark River Golf Course | Neptune Township | 52,606 | 176 |

## Statistics

In 2021, the Monmouth County Park System acquired 529 new acres of land, adding up to a grand total of 18,003 acres; 57% of this is forest, 25% is field, 6% is water, 3% is wetland, 9% is developed (impervious), and 3% is other. They have a total of 43 parks and golf courses. There are 148 miles of trails, 32 miles are paved, 30 miles are easy, 76 miles are moderate, and 10 miles are challenging. There are a total of 113 recreational facilities. In 2021, the Park System offered 5,178 recreational programs, with a program attendance of 93,983. The park system had six major events, with a total attendance of 119,024. The Park System had 347 full-time staff, 492 seasonal part-time staff, and 62 program staff/instructors.

## Finances

The Monmouth County Park System began 2021 with a balance of $112,704,820, with $12,550,185 coming from their trust, and $154,635 coming from donations. They had a total income of $45,511,756 and a total expenditure of $42,291,297, leaving them with a ending fund balance of $15,925,279.
2021 Income :
| Location | Income | Percentage |
| County Appropriation | $22,319,972 | 49% |
| Golf Courses | $15,941,157 | 35% |
| Visitor Services | $3,061,134 | 7% |
| Parks | $2,779,975 | 6% |
| Monmouth Cove Marina | $1,400,422 | 3% |
| Donations | $9,096 | <1% |
| TOTAL | $45,511,756 | 100% |
2021 Expenditures :
| Type | Expenditure | Percentage |
| Personnel | $21,954,925 | 51.91% |
| Operations | $9,108,032 | 21.54% |
| New Jersey State Sales Tax | $276,725 | <1% |
| General Revenue Returned to Treasurer | $10,951,615 | 25.90% |