Ceres Park Nature Preserve

Ceres Park Nature Preserve At A Glance...

• Emerald and Cedar Lakes are flooded marl pits, dug out for fertilizer through the 1800s. The bigger one still runs jade green.
• The old pit walls left steep drops and short cliffs, which is not what this corner of South Jersey usually looks like.
• Mountain bikers rate it highly. One rider quoted by South Jersey Trails called it the best place below I-195.
• Nothing is blazed. One main path, a maze of side trails off it, and numbered posts as the only markers.
• Todays Sunrise: ,   Sunset:  
• New Jersey Delaware River Region Gloucester County

• Activities:

  • Hiking
  • Jogging / Running
  • Mountain Bike
  • Walking

  Amenities:

  • Parking - Street Parking Available
  • Parking Lot(s)

  Trails:

  • Some are challenging
  • Natural Surface (Dirt/Roots/Rocks)
  • Walking Paths

  Park Type:

  • Municipal / City Park
  • Park (General)
  • Preserve

  Rules/Regulations:

  • Alcohol Not Permitted
  • Must be Leashed

Contact / Location

Company Details

Ceres Park is owned and maintained by Mantua Township. Park questions go through the township clerk's office on 856-468-1500, extension 113.

A Brief History

The land was a marl works. Marl is a nutrient-rich marine deposit, and South Jersey farmers dug it through the 1800s to bring worn-out fields back into production.

The West Jersey Marl and Transportation Company was chartered on March 6, 1863, with an office at 17 Cooper Street in Woodbury. David Potter was president, T. Jones Yorke was secretary and treasurer, and John Voorhees ran the operation on the ground. The company leased 250 acres here from David Marshall in 1863, including the pit that is now Emerald Lake, and took on an adjoining pit from Richard and Joseph Ware in 1867. A contemporary account puts it plainly: "The pits, as they are now opened, present an enormous chasm. The locomotive takes down a long train of cars and places them in the pit, where an active gang of pitmen quickly fill up the train."

The company built its own rail line, running a mile and a quarter out of the south end of Marshall's pit to the West Jersey Railroad main line near Lambs Road. An 1890 company map labels it "R.R. to the old marl pits", and traces of the bed still show on topographic maps heading out of what is now Emerald Lake. The works were abandoned during the Long Depression of the 1870s and 1880s. The pits filled with water and the woods came back over the rest.

Trail & Path Info

One main path, about a mile long, runs from the parking lot into the woods. Everything else branches off it, and there are a lot of branches. The side trails are narrower, less defined and easy to lose track of.

There are no blazes and no trail names posted. Numbered posts are the only markers, so check them as you go and carry the township's trail map. The surface is natural throughout, dirt and roots with some rocky stretches, and it narrows to single track in places.

Terrain is varied rather than uniformly easy. Most of it is gentle going, but the old pit walls give short, steep pitches that are unusual for this part of the county. One stretch runs along a strip with cedar swamp on one side and Emerald Lake on the other.

Things to See & Do

Mountain biking

The main draw for a lot of the people here. Tight single track, sharp turns and the elevation left by the marl pits give it more variety than most South Jersey trails. One rider quoted by South Jersey Trails called it the best place below I-195.

Wildlife watching

Mammals, reptiles, amphibians and birds all use the park. Turtles and frogs are easy to find along the lake edges and the cedar swamp, and the mix of dry woods, wetland and open water keeps the bird list long.

The lakes

Emerald Lake is the larger of the two and the one that shows the jade color left by the marl. The path that runs between it and the cedar swamp is the most scenic stretch in the park.

Trip Ideas

Ceres pairs well with a day around Mullica Hill. The historic downtown is a short drive, and the Gloucester County 4H Fairgrounds is in the same town if your timing lines up with a show.

For more walking, the park connects to adjoining county-owned open space and out to the Chestnut Branch of Mantua Creek, and Chestnut Branch Park is a few minutes away in the same township. Scotland Run Park is over in the eastern half of the county if you want a lake you can put a boat on.

Tips and Tricks

Print the township's trail map before you go. The trails are not blazed and the side paths multiply quickly, so the numbered posts are what keep you oriented.

Storms leave blowdowns across the entrance trail and clearing them can take a while. If the first stretch looks like an obstacle course, the rest of the park is usually easier than that.

Hours / Season of Operation

Open sunrise to sunset, year round. There is no seasonal closure and no gate, but the canopy over the side trails goes dark a good while before the open ground does, so give yourself more daylight than the clock suggests.

Parking

The lot is off Main Street, Route 553, north of where it crosses Route 55 and a little north of Lambs Road. It is unpaved, and when it fills, cars are often left along the roadside.

Mantua Township's other parks are Chestnut Branch Park, which started allowing leashed dogs in March 2024, and Tall Pines State Preserve. Neither has its own page here yet.

Here are 10 places near Ceres Park Nature Preserve