Stony Brook vista in Princeton (Click to expand.)

This post is part of a series where we celebrate the many beautiful and characterful sights of Princeton, NJ. You can find previous entries in this series here and here or by searching our site for ‘beautiful walkable Princeton’.

The Stony Brook is a tributary of the Millstone River, which has its source near Ringoes, NJ and flows through the western part of Princeton. The stream gives the name to local advocacy group, The Stony Brook Millstone Watershed Association, which works to “protect your water and environment through conservation, advocacy, science and education.” The organization maintain a 930-acre preserve just west of Princeton, and are planning a LEED Platinum-rated education center on the site (they welcome donations- follow the link!).

One of the best places to see the Stony Brook in Princeton is from the General Johnson Road, behind Johnson Park Elementary School, which is walkable from many places in Princeton. In addition to the beautiful natural setting, you can see the collapsed bridge from the old Trenton to Princeton trolley line, visible in the photos above and below, a sad reminder of our failure to maintain transit infrastructure in the mid-20th century.

Stony Brook viewing place on General Johnson Road, Princeton, from Bing Maps, with collapsed bridge visible at top, click here for scrollable map, or click the image to expand.