During the pandemic, state and county parks were flooded with people looking to be outside and get some exercise safely.

It was almost comical to see so many people in the woods looking to avoid close contact. I remember seeing people, sometimes whole families walking outdoors, in the forest with masks on. Lots of people discovered their local county and state parks that way.

State and county parks are great. New Jersey has some best of the state parks in just about every corner of this great state. Your county has some great parks, too. Growing up in suburban New Jersey, many of us didn't need a state or county park to explore nature. We would just hang out in the woods and make our own adventures.

Although they seem to be less abundant than in generations past, there are still patches of woods in pockets all over suburban New Jersey.

You just have to be a little adventurous and curious to explore them. Make sure there aren't any "no trespassing" signs and give it a shot.

There is a vast forest just behind where I live and it turns out I'm not the only one who likes to take a quiet walk in the woods in our Garden State.

It's nice to be in a place where you can barely hear any sound.

Dennis Malloy / Townsquare Media
Dennis Malloy / Townsquare Media
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Apparently, a bunch of kids like to hang out there too, just like we did.

Dennis Malloy / Townsquare Media
Dennis Malloy / Townsquare Media
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You need some shelter if in starts to rain when you're hanging out in the woods.

Dennis Malloy / Townsquare Media
Dennis Malloy / Townsquare Media
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Every little stream out there had at least some crude bridge.

Dennis Malloy / Townsquare Media
Dennis Malloy / Townsquare Media
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Even though it's not a "park" someone took the time to make a bench.

Dennis Mallpy / Townsquare Media
Dennis Mallpy / Townsquare Media
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I came across an old abandoned cranberry bog.

Dennis Malloy / Townsquare Media
Dennis Malloy / Townsquare Media
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The water was regulated when it was active by a lock system.

Dennis Malloy / Townsquare Media
Dennis Malloy / Townsquare Media
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If a tree falls in the woods and no one is there to hear it......

Dennis Malloy / Townsquare Media
Dennis Malloy / Townsquare Media
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Obviously, some of these kids have access to a chain saw.

Dennis Malloy / Townsquare Media
Dennis Malloy / Townsquare Media
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It looks like whoever is hanging out in these woods has figured out to be pretty handy.

Dennis Malloy / Townsquare Media
Dennis Malloy / Townsquare Media
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Opinions expressed in the post above are those of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Dennis Malloy only.

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