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.^[1]

Monmouth County Park System
Type	Public
Location	Monmouth County, New Jersey
Established	1960
Status	Open year round
Website	monmouthcountyparks.com

List of parks

List of MCPS operated parks with 2021 visitation numbers^[2]

Park	Municipality	Visitation	Acreage
Baysholm Tract*	Freehold Township	N/A	71*
Bayshore Waterfront Park	Port Monmouth	276,246	229
Big Brook Park	Marlboro	N/A	432
Clayton Park	Upper Freehold	32,400	450
Crosswicks Creek Park	Upper Freehold	N/A	2,351
DeBois Creek Recreation Area*	Freehold Township	N/A	165*
Deep Cut Gardens	Middletown	195,795	54
Dorbrook Recreation Area	Colts Neck	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	N/A	313
Hartshorne Woods Park	Middletown	495,552	797
Henry Hudson Trail	N: Highlands to Aberdeen S: Aberdeen to Freehold	272,347	234
Holmdel Park	Holmdel	1,096,379	664
Huber Woods Park	Middletown	114,781	390
Longstreet Farm**	Holmdel	102,522	9
Historic Walnford	Upper Freehold	12,581	36
Manasquan Reservoir	Howell	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	N/A	135
Swimming River Park	Red Bank	N/A	18
Tatum Park	Middletown	190,963	366
Thompson Park	Lincroft	840,171	667
Turkey Swamp Park	Freehold Township	289,673	2,388
Union Transportation Trail	Upper Freehold	34,643	115
Weltz Park	Ocean Township	N/A	169
Wickatunk Recreation Area	Marlboro	N/A	115
Wolf Hill Recreation Area	Oceanport	496,228	92
Yellow Brook Tract*	Howell	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^[2]

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	45,054	262
Howell Park Golf Course	Howell	45,465	350
Pine Brook Golf Course	Manalapan	32,416	61
Shark River Golf Course	Neptune	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.^[2]

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.^[2]

2021 Income^[2]

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^[2]

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%