Malaga Lake Park: Franklin Houses Perfect Retreat For Nature Lovers
Posted on July 23, 2011
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FRANKLIN — Living at the head of the Maurice River means there is no lack of natural lakes and waterways for outdoor recreation seekers.
That’s not to say nature can’t benefit now and then from a helping hand.
Whose thought it was to divert a skein of small streams to form Malaga Lake is a detail lost to history, but the good times still flow for visitors more than a century after a dam put almost 105 acres of farmland under water.
Malaga Lake and the park that now wraps around it is a popular stop for fishing, swimming and nature watching. The site is dedicated to Sgt. Ippolito Gonzalez, a township police officer killed while on duty in 1995.
“We happen to be blessed in this town with lakes,” township Administrator Mike DiGiorgio said.
malaga lake park
photo: Charles J. Olsen
Malaga Lake Park also may be more popular with outsiders, who often travel from other counties to use it, than it is with Franklin residents.
Last year, the township banned swimming because of budget problems. Swimsuits still show up along the lake and especially at its beach, though.
Landisville residents Hector and Amanda Gomez discovered Malaga Lake Park several months ago. The couple and their four children, ages 2 to 6, now come as often as they can.
“I heard about it from a friend,” said Hector Gomez, who originally is from Paterson. “We liked it so much I took the kids out the first time and they started fishing. And right away, they hooked some fish. And they loved it. They just fell in love — the park, the fishing.
“I actually purchased a boat this weekend off my friend because we like it so much,” Gomez said. “We plan on coming here virtually throughout the summer. It’s close to home. It’s a beautiful park.”
Part of the attraction is the seclusion the park offers, despite its location inside a triangle formed by heavily traveled routes 55, 40 and 47.
“I don’t have to worry about my kids,” Gomez said. “I let them run around the park. I don’t have to worry about somebody snatching them up or something like that.”
Malaga Park Drive, running off Route 40, is the entrance to the 272-acre park’s eastern side. A marked nature trail winds through pine, holly and cypress trees with benches spaced over the trail for walkers to catch their breath.
Article source: http://www.thedailyjournal.com/article/20110723/NEWS01/107230314
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