Registration Day for Trailside Summer Programs

Due to the popularity of Trailside’s summer programs, a lottery system was instituted.  In-county registrants drew lottery tickets for their families in February. The number drawn indicates the registrant’s position on line and the time of arrival for registration day on March 5. 

Summer registration for County residents who have drawn a lottery ticket will begin at 8:00 a.m.

• Registrants must bring their ticket to register and must be present when their number is called or their position in line will be forfeited. Ticket holders may only register their own family.
• If a registrant arrives after their number is called, but within their designated registration hour indicated on their lottery ticket, they may register at the end of the one-hour time block. If the registrant misses their one hour time block entirely, they may return at 4:30 p.m. No exceptions will be made.

Children, ages 4-5 can investigate popular topics like dinosaurs, Native Americans, turtles, birds, and kitchen chemistry in several half-day camp programs.

Half-day and full-day camps are offered to children entering the first through ninth grade. Children entering first and second grades will delight to travel “Around the World in Five Days” to learn about wildlife inhabiting five different continents, or they can find out about “Mythical Creatures of Fields and Forests.”  The “Junior Naturalist” program allows children entering the third and fourth grades an opportunity to learn about wetlands; while “Trailside Treks” will teach them to navigate hiking trails in the Watchung Reservation with a map and compass.

Visiting Sandy Hook to collect and identify ocean creatures is a highlight of the “Ocean Wonders” camp for children entering fifth and sixth grades.  Children entering seventh through ninth grades will have fun learning about various natural habitats in the Watchung Reservation in “Nature Treks.”