Highwood Hills was officially designated as a nature preserve by the Borough of Leonia in December of 1974 . The Borough code describes it this way: “That portion of Borough property located in the southeast corner of the Borough abutting the boundary lines of the Borough of Fort Lee and Borough of Palisades Park, which land was acquired to be preserved as a natural area.” The Borough received money from New Jersey’s Green Acres land preservation program to purchase the land and preserve as natural space forever. The controversy and political disputes around the dedication of the land in the late 1960s and early 1970s were so spicy, the New York Times wrote all about it!
Today, Highwood Hills serves our residents as a gathering place, a spooky Halloween experience, community volunteer project, a place for ecology research, and a wooded suburban sanctuary. Don’t miss an opportunity to join us as we work to maintain the beauty of our local forest.
Learn about upcoming and past events
Found a cool plant or animal in Highwood Hills? Feel free to add it to the collection at iNaturalist.org.
Special thanks to Greg Martire, a tireless volunteer carpenter, trail maintainer, bridge builder, sign installer, mulch-spreader, heavy-lifter, and endless supporter for making Highwood Hills the safe and wonderful sanctuary that it is today.
