SUMMARY: Parvin Lake was created when an earthen dam was erected at the east end of the present lake. The lake served as a power source for the sawmill that was constructed there, and for subsequent mills that served the area until the 1930s. In the early 30s the State of NJ purchased the lands surrounding the lake after the mill failed and went into bankruptcy and dedicated the park.
The Civilian Conservation Corps were then enlisted to develop the park into a campground and recreation area. The 1940s saw the disbanding of the CCC and the park was used first house displaced Japanese Americans, and then German POWs and finally Russian refugees. The barracks and other structures fell into disuse in the late 50s and very little remains of their presence.
Parvin has a number of trails to hike and bike with levels of difficulty ranging from easy to moderate. The moderate difficulty trails are mostly based on length of trail and not elevation gain or terrain. Parvin like most of the state parks in southern NJ has a gently rolling treed terrain with sandy soil and many low wet areas prone to flooding. Flooding is an issue on many of the trails and care should be taken when planning longer hikes in the park.create
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Parvin State Park
Jan 29, 2012
Usually this time of year my mountain bike is in hibernation and I'm hoofing it, but with my hiking partner's knee in a bad place ever since our last hike on the AT, we decided to see if some trail riding was a good option. We decided to head to Parvin State Park, both because the trails are relatively easy, and because there's a great restaurant on the way back that has Guinness on tap.
The trails were fairly quiet and, until we were almost done riding, we only saw a few people. Too bad for them because today was an excellent day to be outside with the sun shining and mild temperatures. We spent the afternoon ripping down trails jumping puddles, tree roots and windfall logs with leaves trapping themselves in our spokes like the old cards we used to clip on our bikes.
Finally hunger and thirst got the better of us, and we pedaled back to the truck to head off for well earned Guinness and burgers.