Bortons Mill Road, Cherry Hill, NJ
Phone: (856) 216-2117 856-488-7868
www.camdencounty.com/parks
Camden County Parks & Cherry Hill Township
Exit Barclay Farmstead and turn Right onto Barclay Lane. After 0.3 miles, turn Right onto West Gate Drive, then Left onto Route 70/Marlton Pike. After 0.4 miles, bear Right, following signs for Brace Road/Route 154 South. Turn Left at the traffic light onto Brace Road/Route 154 South. After 1.3 miles turn Right at the traffic light onto Bortons Mill Road and proceed to the parking area at Challenge Grove Park. DIRECTIONS FROM NEAREST HIGHWAY: From I-295, take exit 32 and head North on Haddonfield-Berlin Road. After 0.7 miles, turn Right onto Brace Road/ Route 154. Turn Left at the 2nd traffic light onto Bortons Mill Road and proceed to the parking area at Challenge Grove Park. Map
New Jersey Transit Bus Lines No. 451 Camden/Voorhees Town Center/Lindenwold Patco stops at Berlin Road & Moore Avenue. Walk 1 block on Bortons Mill Road. Turn Left on Brace Road. Walk 2 blocks on Brace Road. Turn Right on Kresson Road. Walk 1 block on Kresson Road. Turn Left on Moore Avenue and walk 2 blocks. New Jersey Transit Bus Lines No. 457 Moorestown Mall/Camden and New Jersey Transit Bus Lines No. 455 Cherry Hill/Woodbury/Paulsboro both stop at Kings Highway & Bel-Aire Avenue. Walk 1 block on Bortons Mill Road. Turn Right on Caldwell Road. Walk 5 blocks on Caldwell Road. Turn Left on Bel-Aire Avenue and walk 1 block. New Jersey Transit Bus Lines No. 455 Cherry Hill/Woodbury/Paulsboro also stops at Kings Highway & Caldwell Road. Walk 1 block on Bortons Mill Road. Turn Right on Caldwell Road and walk 6 blocks.
All walking distances are less than 1 mile.
Early owners of Croft Farm were known to house fugitive slaves along the underground railroad. Records show that Josiah Evans arranged the freedom of two fugitive slaves and allowed them to work on Croft Farm. One of these gentlemen, Joshua Saddler, would later go on to establish a colony near Haddonfield, where Saddler’s Woods now stand.
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| Fishing at Wallworth Park | Tony Geiger |
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Surrounding Evans Pond and Wallworth Lake in Cherry Hill are three tracts of land that combine to form 153 acres of beautiful open space in one of the most densely populated areas of New Jersey. Two Camden County Parks, Challenge Grove and Wallworth Park, meet on the north side of Bortons Mill Road. Challenge Grove offers a pavilion, paved trails, landscaped gardens and various amenities. Wallworth Park is a bit more rustic, with mowed areas, woodland edge and lakeside habitat. Croft Farm, on the South side of Bortons Mill Road, is owned by Cherry Hill Township and houses a regional performing and visual arts center. Trails behind the center explore mowed fields and streamside woods.
Visit in summer when fish, frogs, and turtles are abundant in Wallworth Lake. Dragonflies and damselflies dance over the water’s surface and butterflies hover in the gardens around Croft Farm and Challenge Grove.
The parks are fairly quiet but for over-wintering songbirds such as Junco, White-throated Sparrow, Chickadee, Tufted Titmouse, Carolina Wren and Downy Woodpecker. Scan areas of open water for Mallard, Canada Goose, and the occasional Great Blue Heron. Check snags over the water for Belted Kingfisher.
Walk the trails at Croft Farm early in the morning to spot migrants such as Red-eyed Vireo, Louisiana Waterthrush, Blue-Gray Gnatcatcher, Wood Thrush and Eastern Phoebe. Cottontail rabbits and woodchucks feed near field edges. Green frogs and red-bellied turtles become active again in the lake.
Sunfish are quite easy to catch in Wallworth Lake and Evans Pond. Carp and catfish are abundant as well. Dragonflies and damselflies cling to reeds along the water’s edge. Sneak up to the water’s edge to spot dragonflies and damselflies on the reeds, and tadpoles retreating to deeper water. Look in the gardens at Challenge Grove and Croft Farm for butterflies such as cabbage white, yellow sulfur, Eastern tailed-blue and painted lady.
The foliage turns beautiful colors beginning in October. Scan the lakes for Ruddy Duck, Hooded Merganser, Pied-billed Grebe, Ring-necked Duck and Double-crested Cormorant. The woods and fields at Croft Farm are alive with songbirds such as Black-and-White and Yellow-rumped Warblers, American Robin and Northern Flicker. Watch overhead for Turkey Vultures, Red-tailed and Cooper’s Hawks.
Challenge Grove features playgrounds, picnic areas, various athletic fields and courts, a running track, bike path, fitness quad and more! Croft Farm offers various programs and classes.
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