Cheesequake State Park
| Cheesequake State Park | |||||||||||||||||||||||
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Entrance sign leading into Cheesequake Park | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Type | State Park | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Location | Old Bridge, New Jersey | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nearest city | South Amboy, New Jersey | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Coordinates | 40°26′6″N 74°16′13″W / 40.43500°N 74.27028°W | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Area | 1,610 acres (2.52 sq mi) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Elevation | 52 feet (16 m) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Opened | 1940 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Etymology | Lenape: Chiskhakink (Cheseh-oh-ke, Chichequaas), meaning "upland," "upland village," or "at the land that has been cleared" | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Operated by | New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, New Jersey Division of Parks and Forestry | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Visitors | 1,396,737 (in 2013) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Open | Year round | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Status | Open | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Camp sites | 53 sites plus 6 large group sites (available May 1 – October 31) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Hiking trails | 5 trails, lengths range from 1.5 to 3.5 miles | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Designation | Marine and Intertidal | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Website | Cheesequake State Park | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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Cheesequake State Park is a 1,610-acre (2.52 sq mi) state park located in Old Bridge, Middlesex County, New Jersey, in the United States.
The New Jersey Legislature allocated $100,000 in 1937 to purchase property for the park. The state first acquired a 250-acre (100 ha) tract of farmland and a Civil War-era mansion from the Favier brothers in January 1938. Additional lands were acquired over the next two years, and the Civil Conservation Corps, part of the Works Progress Administration, helped develop the property. The park was opened in June 1940. It 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 name Cheesequake has been variously described as deriving from the Lenape words Cheseh-oh-ke ("upland"), Chichequaas ("upland village"), or Chiskhakink ("at the land that has been cleared").