Situated adjacent to the Hackensack Riverfront Walkway and the expansive Stephen R. Gregg Park (both of which I also recommend), Richard Rutkowski Park is perfectly suited for leisurely strolls, biking, scooter riding, picnics, and bird watching. There are (2) quarter mile paths to explore – a paved and largely shaded biking path and a mostly sun exposed boardwalk along the water. The park isn’t heavily trafficked, so we’ve found it to be relaxing and quiet and such a wonderful breath of fresh air.
Teeming with wildlife, we’ve spotted wood ducks, sea gulls, red-winged blackbirds, robins, sparrows, and even egrets and herons here. We’ve also admired dozens of butterflies of all different varieties thanks to the lovely butterfly garden. There are different types of flowers in bloom every few months – at the time of posting this, there were hibiscus, sunflowers, and marigolds. Just gorgeous.
The Park Mama Tips:
- Bring binoculars. While you can easily spot many birds without them, there’s a cool factor for kiddos when they can use binoculars to spot things further out.
- The park does a terrific job with signage to help you identify which birds you’re viewing, but if you want to learn even more, I recommend Cornell University’s All About Birds site. Here you can explore photos, sounds, diet, and other fun facts about birds. Here’s the link for egrets as an example: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Great_Egret/id
- Pack bug spray. We’ve occasionally seen mosquitos here.
The Park Mama 
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