Allaire State Park

Allaire State Park is known for its 19th century ironworks, Allaire Village, on the park premises. The park is located in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States, near the town of Farmingdale. The park is operated and maintained by the New Jersey Division of Parks and Forestry and is part of the New Jersey Coastal Heritage Trail Route.

The park, which is located in the coastal plain geographic region of New Jersey, is an example of podzolic soils. These soils are high in iron particle content and are fairly acidic.

Historical Sights

At the center of the historical attractions, and near the western end of the park, lies Allaire Village, originally named Howell Works in the early 19th century. At that time, it was a prosperous industrial town producing pig iron and cast iron. The buildings which remain today include a general store, blacksmith shop, carpenter’s shop, manager’s house, foreman’s house and a church. One of the workers' row house buildings is now the Visitor Center and Museum.

Pine Creek Railroad

The Pine Creek Railroad was established in 1953. The railroad is a prime example of rail travel at the height of the steam era in the United States. The diesel and steam trains are operated by the New Jersey Museum of Transportation [http://www.njmt.org/] .

Trails

*The Yellow Trail An easy hiking trail which spans ½ a mile.
*The Red Trail An easy hiking trail which spans 1.5 miles.
*The Green Trail An easy hiking trail which spans 4.5 miles.
*The Orange Trail A moderate 16.5 mile trail which is a multi-use trail.
*All trail classifications and distances are made by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, which oversees the State Parks.
*Note: Bicycles are not permitted on trails within the developed part of the park. Allaire's mountain biking trails may be accessed by riding the Edgar Felix Bikeway to Hospital road on the eastern edge of the park.
* Edgar Felix Bikeway While not an official park trail, the bikeway terminates within the developed section at the Pine Creek Railroad parking lot. The trail spans 5.4 miles to Manasquan. The Edgar Felix is a rail-trail, and would be considered as easy if rated by the NJ DEP.

External links

* [http://www.state.nj.us/dep/parksandforests/parks/allaire.html Allaire State Park]