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Groups sat under tents and trees, while others brought soccer balls, bikes, boats and scooters to the open grounds and paths.
Eunice Lee, of Palisades Park, enjoyed the company of friends Ahrahm Han, Sam Han and Sook Kyung Oh before beginning her first year teaching at Christian Academy in Bergenfield to relax before she manages middle schoolers for the first time.
“I’m nervous. It’s my first year and I don’t know what to expect,” she said.
Construction worker Edgar Salas fished for flounder and striped bass with his 72-year-old father, Lucas Salas Cerpa from Peru. They arrived at 8 a.m. but after a couple of hours still hadn't pulled anything from the cloudy, choppy current.
Bergenfield native Sean Martin took time off from his steamfitting job in New York City to enjoy a barbecue with friends and play with his 3-year-old pitbull, Apollo, who sprinted for a ball in the open grass.
Working that day were a number of state park employees - among them, including Richard Salkind, an accountant who droe around the park while delivering bagged ice to replenish the snack stand.
“The park is a Utopia,” said Salkind, who's worked there the past 16 years.
Erica Tait of Closter work the stand, selling mini-barbecues, coals and iced treats. Families, cyclists and boaters scurried in and out for a quick, cool drink.
Tait, a 23-year-old Rutgers graduate, had a near-death encounter nearly a year ago when she fell from the Palisades while hiking alone.
Although she broke several bones and lay in the woods for six or seven hours, neither that nor a busy schedule have deterred her enjoyment of the park.
“I’ve been a crazy hiker ever since. I make sure I go twice a week," Tait said. "I’m definitely more adventurous."
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