Mount Rose is a nearly 400-acre preserve in Hopewell Township that was slated for development. The preserve is on land that was previously a corporate campus, and later a major research and education facility for Western Electric and AT&T. It was preserved in 2015 through the work of FoHVOS and several important partner organizations. The preserve is a landscape of both forest and meadow. Mount Rose is home to our longest trail yet, an over 2-mile hike that stretches through mature forest, streams, and second growth forest.
Mount Rose Preserve is owned and managed by New Jersey Conservation Foundation, Friends of Hopewell Valley Open Space, Hopewell Township, and Mercer County. It was preserved in partnership with the following additional organizations: Hopewell Valley Citizens Group Inc., NJ Green Acres Program, Stony Brook-Millstone Watershed Association, Lawrence Hopewell Trail, Hopewell Borough, Pennington Borough, Friends of Princeton Open Space, D&R Greenway Land Trust, Lawrence Township and Princeton.
The Mount Rose Preserve is the newest FoHVOS preserve. It opened officially in spring 2016 and has a forest and meadow trail, as well as a connection to the Lawrence Hopewell Trail (LHT). The forest trail is a 2-mile loop trail that winds through different stages of forest succession, from an early successional red cedar stand to a mature forest stand of mixed hardwoods and American beech. The forest trail also goes past our forest restoration project, featuring a deer exclosure that allows our native plants to grow and thrive without the threat of deer browse. The meadow trail is a 0.4-mile loop trail that offers ample opportunity for bird-watching.
The Mount Rose Preserve trail connects with the Lawrence Hopewell Trail (LHT), a regional multi-use trail through public and private lands in Lawrence and Hopewell Townships. 0.4 miles of the trail have been completed on the west side of Carter Road, with an additional 1 mile to be completed. The LHT can be accessed from a 0.2 mile trail from the parking lot kiosk.
Click here to read the stewardship plan for more detailed ecological information.
The Mount Rose Preserve is a mosaic of forest, shrubland and meadow habitats. It is home to 11 rare species, including wildlife such as the Bald Eagle and Barred Owl, and plants such as Wild Comfrey. It contains various stages of forest succession, from early successional forest consisting primarily of Eastern Red Cedar to mature forest. Its forest communities are dominated by various tree species: Red Maple, Red Cedar, American Beech, White Oak, Sugar Maple or Ash.
The biggest threats to the Mount Rose Preserve’s forest and subsequent wildlife habitat is overabundant deer and invasive species. 32 invasive species have been found in the preserve, including Japanese Barberry, Japanese Stiltgrass, and Garlic Mustard.
For the complete Mount Rose Stewardship Plan, including plans to address the threats facing the ecosystem and protect rare species, see our Community Stewardship Plan page here.
FoHVOS is currently performing a forest restoration project at the Mount Rose Preserve. Thanks to funding by an anonymous donor, we were able to put up a deer exclosure and plant native trees.
Click The Mount Rose Preserve has a paved parking lot with room for 20 cars. Click here for Google Maps directions. Use the address 350 Carter Road, Princeton, NJ for a GPS or the coordinates 40.362550, -74.737906.
