Mount Hope Pond Swimming Area

Rockaway, New Jersey · on Mount Hope Pond · Mount Hope Pond

Verified · 4 independent sources

WATER: pond
ACCESS: See details below
FEE: $30 per person
SEASON: Best in summer

About Mount Hope Pond Swimming Area

Mount Hope Pond is a small dam-impounded pond in the Mount Hope section of Rockaway Township, Morris County, New Jersey, within the historic Mount Hope iron-mining district. Rockaway Township operates it as an official, badge-required public swimming beach on a dedicated municipal webpage: seasonal (Memorial Day weekend through summer, weekends only in June, then daily 10am-6pm), staffed by the Recreation Department, with posted beach rules, permitted shoreline fishing (NJDEP-stocked trout) outside the beach area, and boating allowed under a 2025 township ordinance. This confirms it as a real, currently operating freshwater swimming hole, distinct from the township's separate chlorinated facility, Frog Falls Aquatic Park.

The pond sits in the Mount Hope hamlet of Rockaway Township, part of a former iron-mining region worked from roughly 1710 to 1979 (the nearby Mount Hope Historical County Park, run by the Morris County Park Commission, preserves mine shafts and passages from this era and the 1868 Mount Hope Miners' Church). The pond itself is impounded by a small dam and includes a designated, seasonally staffed swimming beach at 65 Mt. Hope Road, with fishing permitted along the rest of the shoreline.

Swimming at Mount Hope Pond Swimming Area

A township-run, badge-required swimming beach on a small dam-impounded pond, open seasonally from Memorial Day weekend through summer (weekends only in June, then daily 10am-6pm from mid-June through the rest of the season). Access is limited to Rockaway Township residents holding a beach badge.

How to get to this swimming hole

Located at 65 Mt. Hope Road, Rockaway, NJ 07866, in the Mount Hope section of Rockaway Township.

Parking: No specific parking area or capacity documented by the township beyond the beach's Mt. Hope Road address; a small parking spot is also mapped on Burnt House Garden Road adjacent to the pond per OpenStreetMap.

The walk in

No real hike here. The water is a short walk from where you park. This is a drive-up, address-based municipal beach (65 Mt. Hope Road) with no trail or hike involved; visitors park at or near the site and walk directly to the beach.

Plan your visit

Bringing kids

OK with supervision

Lifeguards are on duty during operating hours (10am-6pm) per the township's own beach page, which is a plus for families, but the township does not publish anything about shoreline slope, depth markers, or a designated shallow/kiddie area, so care is still warranted for young or inexperienced swimmers.

Parking

Free

No official parking lot is described by the township beyond the beach's 65 Mt. Hope Road address. OpenStreetMap maps a small pull-off/parking spot on adjacent Burnt House Garden Road, but this is not officially confirmed by the township.

Hours

Seasonal beach: Memorial Day weekend through summer, weekends only in June, then daily 10am-6pm from mid-June through the end of the season (exact daily start date depends on lifeguard staffing).

On the water

The township confirms boating is permitted on Mount Hope Pond under ordinance O-25-14 (2025), but the specific craft types covered (e.g., kayak/canoe/paddleboard vs. motorized) and any horsepower/no-wake restrictions were not accessible in the ordinance text itself, so specific craft are left unlisted rather than guessed.

Backstory

The pond lies within the Mount Hope iron-mining district, active from about 1710 (expanded under John Jacob Faesch's iron plantation from 1772 until his death in 1799) through 1979. The Mount Hope Miners' Church, built in 1868 for the mining community's Cornish population, was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2012.

Mount Hope Pond Swimming Area: FAQ

Does Mount Hope Pond Swimming Area charge a fee?

Beach badge required: $30 per person for the season; children age 5 and under exempt. Badges/registration handled via the township's Community Pass portal (register.communitypass.net/rockaway) or in person at the Recreation Department, municipal building.

Is Mount Hope Pond Swimming Area kid friendly?

Do I need to hike to reach Mount Hope Pond Swimming Area?

No significant hike is required. The swimming area is close to parking and access.

Where do I park for Mount Hope Pond Swimming Area?

When is the best time to visit Mount Hope Pond Swimming Area?

Summer: Memorial Day weekend through the end of summer; weekends only in June, then daily 10am-6pm from mid-June onward.

What are the rules at Mount Hope Pond Swimming Area?

Access restricted to Rockaway Township residents. Swimmers must comply with the posted 'Mount Hope Pond Beach Rules and Regulations.' Shoreline fishing is permitted except within the designated beach area. Boating is permitted under township ordinance O-25-14 (2025 revision).

What water body is Mount Hope Pond Swimming Area on?

Mount Hope Pond Swimming Area is on Mount Hope Pond, a natural pond verified in USGS hydrography data.

Conditions right now

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Live data from the National Weather Service and USGS. Conditions at the water can differ, use your judgment.

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Managed by

Mount Hope Pond

Official site · Rockaway Township Recreation Department

At a glance

Land access: Open to the public
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Highlights: Officially operated, badge-required municipal swimming beach run by Rockaway Township Recreation, distinct from a natural 'informal' swimming hole; Located within the historic Mount Hope iron-mining district; Water body is impounded by a small structure (Mount Hope Pond Dam) rather than a free-flowing pond; Shoreline outside the beach is stocked with trout by NJDEP and open to fishing; boating permitted under a 2025 township ordinance
Nearby towns: Mount Hope (0.2mi); Hilltown (0.9mi); Middletown (1.3mi); White Meadow Lake (1.6mi)
Coordinates: 40.9286, -74.5459