Abbott Marshlands – Roebling Park & Watson Woods
Highways and treatment plants are never fully obscured from view here – but neither are history, nature conservation, islands, beaver dams and every kind of habitat imaginable. Park either at…
Mapleton Preserve Trail
Deer, wild turkeys, foxes, eagles…. they’ll be startled by you in this tranquil, precious collection of trees and pathways. Several building relics and countless intriguing tree species stand tribute to…
Shipetauken Woods
Shipetauken’s are the perfect woods to get lost in – not only because of their timeless, enchanting setting with thriving wildflowers and a weaving stream under tall, fresh canopies –…
Ireland Brook Conservation Area Trail
Ireland Brook Conservation Area offers small, medium and large adventures over rolling forests, meadows and marshes – and connecting to neighboring preserves. From the Riva Ave. end, the sweet little…
Princeton Highlands / Griggstown Native Grassland Preserve Trail
For someone who is ever in search of the English countryside, these tree-lined rolling meadows come quite close. From the parking lot, there’s a trail leading in every direction and…
Rockingham Loop Trail
A short path loops from Rockingham’s parking lot down through the woods to the D & R Canal path, back up the hill and returning through the Rockingham grounds –…
Shallow Brook Woods
A paved path, ideal for strollers, scooter and bikes, skirts the woods that separate the neighborhood homes from Shallow Brook. A dirt footpath loops through the woods to another world…
Maidenhead Road Trail
Hidden away behind the Maidenhead soccer fields, this under-a-mile footpath loops from just behind the playground, along a meadow ridge, through the woods and along a greenway. The path hides…
Mount Rose Preserve
In the end, Nature always wins. [mic drop] Ok, I’m back. Turning into the driveway leading to the parking lot, you’ll pass unexpected relics of the time when the nation’s…
Oxbridge Footpath
Some of the most enchanting adventures hide among “the in-betweens” – like this pretty, wooded one, in-between Montgomery Park and the Oxbridge neighborhood, cloaking Back Brook. A gravel, paved path…
Reinhardt Forest Preserve Trail
A simple, serene yellow-blazed 1.2-mile loop wraps around these sweet woods, with a red and blue trail through the middle, skirting what appears to be a shallow pond. A stream…
Sourland Mountain Preserve Trail
Of several ways to come at the Sourlands, this is the most direct and popular – and it boasts an irresistible boulder obstacle course! Points of particular interest include those…
Farrington Lake (Lower Trail)
Narrow Farrington Lake and Davidson’s Mill Pond are connected by Lawrence Brook – and you can walk along all three. We’re calling this portion of the trail the lower end…
Canal Link Trail
This is one of our favorite secret passages – leading to wide open prairies, horse stables, age old craggly Osage Orange trees, a charming waterside historic hovel, a windmill, bumpy…
Nature Path at Harrison St.
The D & R Canal towpath has a few secret passages, and this is a lovely one. Just a few steps south of the towpath from Harrison Street, a humble…
Wagner Farm Children’s Garden & Trail
From March through December, Wagner Farm Aboretum welcomes families to explore their bright and adventurous children’s garden – complete with a gazebo, blueberry patch, mini maze, sensory garden, instrument corner,…
Lois Howe Nature Trail
A pretty little loop through Colonial Park’s woods swoops from the parking lot across a boardwalk, along Spooky Brook Pond and back again. There were plenty of fish to occupy…
Freedom Trail
This seemingly simple, out-and-back bike path between Ridge Rd. and Stouts Ln. tucks away a few surprises. First, there are picturesque swamps, lily ponds and streams on both sides of…
Van Nest Wildlife Refuge Trail
Hidden away down an overlookable dirt road, this loop thatches together creekside pathways, historic relics, sweeping lake views and sweet little beaches. The start of the loop is quite easy…
Colonial Park Rose Garden Trails
From the first day of spring to the Sunday after Thanksgiving, the Rudolf W. van der Goot Rose Garden is not only open, but BLOOMING! We visited just before Halloween…
Willowwood Garden & Arboretum Trails
This magical mashup of so many distinct worlds is a natural amusement park. From the parking lot, manicured lawns curve around idyllic barns to a vibrant cottage garden with sculpted…
Bamboo Brook Garden & Trail
Bamboo Brook’s lovely garden is full of surprises – a trickling waterfall, trellis tunnel, views across expansive meadows, and ribbons of winding flower-lined paths – all of which lead back…
Leonard Buck Garden & Trail
This verdant gorge with a lake at its heart and wooded slopes around its perimeter is bursting with blooms, rock gardens and footbridges in all the spaces between. Leonard Buck,…
Natirar Trail
One of the Garden State’s most majestic rambles, the grounds of Natirar include a hilltop English manor and sweeping meadows with enchanting, hidden away nature trails at opposite ends. Each…
Sayen Garden & Trail
Formal gardens surrounding the Arts and Crafts era Sayen bungalow, dense woods and a beautifully landscaped park share this compact 30-acre corner in Hamilton – connected by a wonderfully convoluted…
Lakeside Village Trail – Mercer County Park
There is something for absolutely everyone here. Rent a boat, play beach volleyball, stroll along a waterfront footpath and into the woods, grab a snack at the concession stand (open…
Duke Farms Trail
How privileged we all are, with our open invitation to step into this timeless, seemingly boundless, no-expense-spared, aristocratic park at our leisure (Tuesday through Saturday, 8:30am to 6pm). From the…
D & R Canal Trail – Mapleton Road & Millstone Aqueduct Trail
This hub of lanky bridges, peaceful lake vistas, fishing nooks, historic landmarks, and paths-less-taken is an especially charismatic section of the D & R Canal Towpath. A cool feature here,…
Crystal Lake Park Trail
Dense woods, open meadows, bike paths, horse riding trails, hawks, herons, lake views, water lilies, fishing nooks, level pathways, steep plummets, rhododendron groves, wistful benches…. few places let you choose…
Skyview Preserve Trail
It’s easy to miss the tiny parking lot adjacent to the wisp of a footpath that introduces this preserve, but oh what a miss…. especially in late summer. What begins…
Baldwin Lake Wildlife Area Trail
A broad trail parallels the railroad tracks before curving into the woods, where small paths veer off to the river beaches and view of the old stone railroad bridge. After…
Battlefield Park Hideaway
Psssst. There’s a secret little park behind the Princeton Battlefield Monument – and it hides the best climbing tree in town. And a scenic little pond. With smitten geese. And…
Watershed Boardwalk & Stony Brook Trails
The beautiful new boardwalk takes you by the feet from the nature center and deposits you at the Stony Brook trail, which loops to the river and back. Along the…
Allaire State Park – Robinwood Dinosaurs Trail
The Allaire Dinosaur trail is tingling with magic. You can’t help but feel it hovering under the dense canopy of wise old evergreens – especially when the first dinosaur comes…
Allaire Village Trail
Pretty wooded and riverside trails are spun around the pristinely restored early 19th century Allaire Village and Howell Iron Works Company. As you stroll past the row houses, blacksmith shop…
Pine Creek Railroad at Allaire State Park
The New Jersey Transit Museum has made its captivating home here since 1952, showcasing turn of the century railcars and locomotives. Its Pine Creek Railroad is one of the oldest…
Rutgers Ecological Preserve Trail and Natural Teaching Area
300 acres of meadows and woods hold this ground, wedged between campus and apartment buildings. Running through the middle, the charismatic Buell Brook presents lots of sweet stepping stone and…
Pryde Point – Alexauken Trail
The scenery changes from moment to moment here. First, the yellow trail sets off through a long meadow, dives through some woods and then follows a sloping gravel road to…
Highland Park Meadow Trail
This hidden away .6-mile nature trail loops through a pocket of land beside the Raritan River. It features a stony river beach looking out at the vintage Raritan River Bridge.…
Ronald Rogers Arboretum Trail
Founding member of Friends of West Windsor Open Space (FOWWOS) and lifelong conservationist, Ronald Rogers was known as West Windsor’s Forester. His dedication to community forestry is honored here in…
Etra Lake Trail
Past the nature center, the playground, the horseshoe pits, the lake, the stage, the wide open recreation lawn and the farm land, the real adventure begins – in the labyrinthian…
Skillman Park Trail
Over 2 miles of paved pathway, ideal for bikes and scooters, loop around the park and school. And a charming mowed trail parallels the brook with pretty vignettes and wetland…
Lord Stirling Park Trail
We expected boardwalks to go to great lengths here – but we couldn’t have dreamed of this! Crossing a patchwork of lake, swamps, forest and meadows, boardwalks make up one…
Cheesequake State Park Trail
A diverse and unusual extravaganza of ecosystems awaits you at Cheesequake State Park – including salt and freshwater marshes, a cedar swamp, pine barrens, and a hilly hardwood forest. If…
Eames Preserve Trail
I couldn’t stop smiling along this enchanting sliver of paradise. Nature just feels especially gracious here. The parking spot is the highest point of the trail, and the picturesque bend…
Drexel Woods Trail & Lawrence Nature Center
These woods are stocked with every feature you could wish for – all in a mile-long loop: meandering boardwalks under a grand canopy, Shabakunk Creek with its pretty beaches, a…
Turtleback Park Trail
This short, sweet strip sneaks between Little Shabakunk Creek and neighborhood gardens. From the friendly turtle sculpture marking the beginning of the trail, it’s only a few steps to the…
Barnegat Light Secret “Maritime Forest” Passage Trail
Ok, “secret” might be a bit overstated – but this mini footpath ventures through an unexpected little beach jungle between tangles of old trees, with sand and snowy white shell…
Pinelands Batona Trail at Ongs Hat
We experienced only the very first of the 50 miles in this Pinelands haul. One lovely mile of fragrance, soft pine carpeting, and a fresh quiet that was interrupted a…
Cross Estate Gardens & Trails
A secret garden. Right here in New Jersey – and complete with ivy-covered stone walls, trellised passageways, a romantic estate, rolling meadows and even a Rapunzelesque stone tower. No doubt…
Jockey Hollow Preserve Trail
It was literally, technically and absolutely freezing cold the day we journeyed through Jockey Hollow – all the better to empathize with the soldiers who huddled here long before we…
Van Dyke Farm Trail
Across the street from Van Dyke farm’s barn and grazing horses, a small parking lot marks the beginning of this short, pond-abundant trail. The blue trail ambles toward the pipeline,…
Loveless Preserve Trail
A curtain of evergreens surrounds the trail head, revealing a long, beckoning corridor through the woods – a fitting welcome since the Loveless family formerly ran a Christmas tree farm.…
Rosedale Park Trail to the Historic Hunt House
Yes, it has that – whatever it is you’re hoping for. Lake, picnic benches, covered pavilions, paved trails, unpaved trails, hidden footpaths, playgrounds, bathrooms, dog park, historic house, connecting trails,…
Woolsey Park Trail
What a compact wonderland this is, complete with 4 stepping stone stream crossings, a dense evergreen forest, a broad meadow, an anciently twisted and scraggly osage orange hedgerow, high ridges…
Dallenbach Nature Trail
In sharp contrast to the showy waterpark it’s tucked behind, Dallenbach Lake is the picture of serenity. From his hand-written welcome note at its start to the densely-educational signs along…
Mill Creek Marsh Trail
A former wasteland between Bob’s Furniture Outlet and Interstate 95, this meandering little eden is a beacon of green in the Meadowlands. Narrow pathways snake and intersect across the grassy…
DeKorte Park Trail
Happily ever after its landfill and wasteland past, DeKorte Park is a wide expanse of breathtaking views. A splindling of narrow walkways cuts through a flat tidal marsh and waterscape…
Kingston Mill Footpath
Quite familiar to the herons and human fishers, the charming little footpath that winds along and across stone walls and past the Kingston Mill is otherwise quite discrete. From the…
Titus Farm Footpath
“For 53 years, Thomas Titus and his descendants farmed this plot of land. Once an enslaved person, his remains lie here in an unmarked grave, as if keeping watch over…
Helmetta Pond Trail
The T-shaped pier was what drew us here: a perfect place to read and picnic while watching hawks circling overhead. After a quick stop at the playground, we drove to…
Hartshorne Woods Trail
One of the highest points on the Atlantic Coast, Hartshorne Woods includes 14 miles of trails, including the adventuresome one that led us to a secret beach! The park’s elevation…
Sourland Mountains Kulak Preserve Trail
From its launch pad on Featherbed Lane, the trail crosses the Kulak Preserve and then mingles with other Sourland trails. In Autumn and Winter, a thick layer of leaves thoroughly…
Nayfield Preserve Trail
A broad meadow welcomes you at the very start of the trail, along with ecological art in the form of intriguing flower sculptures that function as bee coves. A lovely…
Buddhist Vihara Meditation Trail
Even as an unabashed construction site while the temple is added, this place is a worthwhile experience. The Samadhi (meditation posture) statue of Buddha is the largest of its kind…
Woodlot Park Trail
Hidden in plain sight, a wonderland of trails and little creek canyons weaves through the Woodlot Park woods. We dove in behind the pond and followed the yellow trail to…
Goat Hill Overlook Trail
Typically, it takes a moderate to intensely treacherous hike to reach a view like this – but at barely a mile on a broad path with a gentle incline, your…
Zega-Lockatong Preserve Trail
Old stone walls, shimmering meadows and the picturesque Lockatong Creek frame this timeless footpath. Over a small hill from the parking lot, the path remains level and easy to follow…
Zaitz Preserve Trail
Channeling through the dense, boundless cloud of Sweetpepperbush underbrush beneath the high canopy of Zaitz woods quickly takes on a meditative ease. While there are intriguingly lovely twists and turns,…
Big Brook Preserve Trail
It’s not every day you find a 60-million-year-old shark’s tooth…. unless you’re spending every day at Big Brook Preserve, where “just one” is underwhelming. Lovely in its own right, the…
Poricy Park Fossil Beds Trail
Oh the fossil rush! It sets in as soon as you find the first shark’s tooth or ossified shell. But even without that amazing treasure hunt, the trail is a…
Bull’s Island Trail
Well it’s an island, so that’s a thousand enchantment points right from the get-go. And it over-delivers once you’re “tide-pooling” on the beach at its tip. There’s ample parking on…
Watershed Blue Trail (Moore’s Mill Mt. Rose Rd. to Crusher Rd.)
Bridging the beginning and end sections of The Watershed Blue Trail, this is a lovely amble through thickets and woodlands with a delightful and unexpected clearing in the middle. LEARN…
Watershed Blue Trail (Broad St. to Crusher Rd.)
Starting at the Broad Street end in Hopewell, this one is wonderfully overlookable – you will almost certainly miss it and have to swing back around. A straight, flat and…
Six Mile Run Trail
I’ve come at this natural wonder so many times and still have countless stones to turn. Known far and wide for its epic mountain biking trails, Six Mile Run is…
Barbara Smoyer Park Trail
This park checks every box for every age and interest. With several entrances, the park evolves from a serene, lake side historic garden to a playground and soccer recreation field…
Sunset Park Trail
Hovering between creepy and enchanted, Sunset Park is a veritable sculpture gallery with installations stationed along a 1/4 mile of adventurous tunnels through the junipers. Though the path is short,…
Broadmead Meadow Trail
This lovely neighborhood meadow and woods in Princeton proper hides in plain sight. The footpath winds from Western Way to Hartley Ave. through a narrow strip of woods that shelter…
Autumn Hill Reservation Trail
Tucked between Herrontown Woods and the Blue Spring Road development, Autumn Hill Reservation has quietly lingered under the radar for a long, long time. Quirky relics point to its history:…
Stonebridge Preserve Trail
Tunnel through the cedar grove, shimmy along the dramatic river ridge, amble around the pastures and drift through the wildflower meadows – four landscapes in one footpath! There are several…
Cherry Brook Preserve Trail
From four major access points, trails amble along open farmland, curve through verdant meadows, tunnel through cedar groves and hop across foot bridges before converging at a pretty pond. But…
Waldorf School Trail
“Idyllic” epitomized. This sweet and varied farmland footpath – with streams, pastures and cows – connects the Cherry Brook Preserve with the Waldorf School. There’s no better place to examine…
Sondek Trail
Simple as this path looks on a map, these tall old trees shelter fire pits and campsites, artwork and even an amphitheater under their gorgeous, diverse canopies. Scout troops have…
Millstone River Park Trail
As always, nature holds a lovely surprise for you in this strip of space between the Penn Medical Center and the Millstone River. The parking lot is usually empty (save…
Millstone River Trail at Grover’s Mill
This wooded trail is packed with well worn as well as spindly trails, high bluffs atop dipping valleys, and dense woods that flank a broad, ambling plain of wetlands –…
Constitution Hill Trail
Secret passages really do come true! …. usually in that one area that hardly seems worth checking. In this case, an unassuming corner of Greenway Meadows (as if it didn’t…
D & R Canal Tow Path – Princeton Country Club
Two pretty bridges bracket this sweet, shaded little section of the canal, with sweeping views over the golf course and a secluded wooded trail to explore. CONNECTING FOOTPATHS: D &…
Jacob’s Creek Trail, Franz Preserve
The out and back along Jacob’s Creek past awesome bathing beaches has become a family favorite. The lovely path climbs through the woods and skittles across stepping stones – with…
Roger’s Preserve Trail
So much personality is wedged into this former Christmas tree farm in a mini Bear Brook valley. From the parking lot, with its lovely view of Grovers Mill Pond, the…
Swan Preserve Trail
From its picturesque beginning at the foot of the old stone Opossum Road Bridge to the verdant, moss covered trees bending over the river banks at its end, this hidden…
D & R Canal Trail – Kingston
Kingston is an ideal portal into the wonderful D & R Canal towpath world, with ample parking and so much to see. Scenically and/or historically, it offers the Locktender’s House,…
Milford Bluffs Trail
You’ll feel like a Condor, perched atop the Milford Bluffs gazing over the Delaware River. Uphill from the wooded parking lot and through dense vegetation, the trail suddenly deposits you…
Cook Preserve & Heathcote Meadow Trails
The age old stone bridge at its heart is a good representation of the whole preserve: timeless, intriguing and undiscovered by most. There are woods, grassy meadows, farmland, creeks, a…
Woosamonsa Ridge Preserve Trail
Everything here happens under a vast, towering canopy – an excellent place to lose your mind and save your soul. Steep as the white trail trek up to the ridge…
Silver Maple Trail
From the humble wooden sign marking its beginning for about 50 feet, you’ll feel like you’ve rediscovered a lost tail. After that, it will be lost to you, too –…
Witherspoon Woods Trail
“Nah, I don’t need to see the cave,” …. are words no child will ever speak! And the Witherspoon Woods’ Devil’s Cave has a supporting cast of a whole panorama…
Pond House Trail at The Watershed
Ah, The Watershed. A perfect destination no matter your mood or endurance. With its pretty centerpiece red barn, this short trail around the pond travels through wetlands, shaded woods and…
Clover Hill Park Trail
This expanse of rolling farmland and forgotten pastures, plastered over here and there with crusted bands of weed-breached pavement seems not to be top of anybody’s mind. Combine that with…
Hamilton Veteran’s Park Trail
You’ll see a fighter jet, 911 memorial, veterans’ memorial, formal gardens, Seward Johnson sculpture and sprawling playground before you even reach the main parking lot. Explore the 333 acres a…
Rocky Brook Trail
Stepping stones kick things off across the Stony Brook at a perfectly picturesque spot where you could happily spend the day stream stopping. But then you’d be missing the magnificence…
Millstone Park Trail
Sneaking off behind Rocky Hill’s municipal building and magical co-op preschool is a charming path through wildflowers and grassland down a considerable slope to the Millstone River. From stream stomping…
Stony Brook Trail at Johnson Park School
It’s just a nudge downstream of Greenway Meadows, and yet the Stony Brook trail transforms again here – rising along higher bluffs, up a dramatic staircase and through a long…
Bunker Hill Environmental Center Trail
A picturesque stream curves through a rustic frisbee golf course draped with Tibetan prayer flags. An observation deck hovers over a forgotten marsh. Stepping stones and wooden planks lead into…
Scott’s Corner Conservation Area Trail
This sweet little gem hides behind cricket fields opposite the mammoth Rowland Park grounds. Your child will love decoding the trail markers to find the lake with its gentle, mossy…
Stony Brook at Greenway Meadows Trail
Perfectly idyllic and picturesque with pebble beaches, an easy meandering pathway and the adjoining Greenway Meadows’ playground, meadows and toilets. CONNECTING FOOTPATHS: Stony Brook at Johnson Park School, Greenway Meadows,…
Ettl Farm Trail
Just a hop down the Stony Brook from the Chauncey trail and yet it feels quite different. The beaches are shallower, the river more approachable, the woods denser and everything…
Baldpate Mountain Trail
Scramble up a boulderfall and through some enchanting passageways and you’ll see all the way to Philadelphia – telescope provided!
Lenape Trail
Driving past this place and not stopping shows phenomenal restraint. From the road at Mill Pond Park, between lily pads and onto a long and skinny peninsula, the sandy path…
Gulick Preserve Trail
A sweet little frogtopia, ever-changing clusters of wigwams and lean-tos, natural balance beam, intersections of tiny streams, seasonal wineberry hors d’oeuvres and a Christmas tree garden – all in a…
Greenway Meadows Trail
If the great meadow were the entirety of this preserve, it would be a phenomenal destination. But instead, that marvelous sloping pollinator extravaganza/ sledding paradise presides over: an allee of…
Mountain Lakes Preserve, Tusculum Meadows & Johnson Boardwalk Trails
In the middle of Princeton, Mountain Lakes Open Space Area encompasses five distinct natural worlds, one more enchanting than the next. Mountain Lakes Preserve sits in the middle, surrounded by…
D & R Canal Trail – Canal Pointe
There’s a wilder path paralleling the towpath across the canal at Canal Pointe. It’s easy to lose the path in the tall grass, but the views are worth it. There’s…
Montgomery Veterans Park Trail & Arboretum
First things first: there’s a zipline! In fact, absolutely nothing’s missing from this gargantuan recreation area made up of an amazing new playground, expansive park, arboretum and adjoining soccer complex.…
Lake Carnegie Footpath at Rt. 27 Boat Launch
This sweet little tryst captures beautiful views of Lake Carnegie, through vignettes edged with wineberry brambles, hedge roses and water flowers. A perfect place for fishing – or just taking…
Thompson Preserve Trail
This farm preserve’s native Black-eyed Susans and Wild Bergamot will tower over you in July, as though saluting you on your way to the stream beaches or dramatic old stone…
Iron Mike’s Trail
From the artisanal carved archway marking it’s beginning (on either end), this trail takes you by the hand and leads you on a sweet tour, curving through airy woods surrounding…
Community Park North & Pettoranello Gardens Trails
A paved pathway ambles around Pettoranello Garden’s pond, passing scattered picnic benches and a charming amphitheater on its way. As you head North, asphalt gives way to a footpath that…
Butler Road Natural Area Trail
Though this preserve feels sweet and discrete, it’s actually quite large. The tight, snaking purple trail is jam packed with lovely vignettes, mini pastures, creeks and cedar passageways and it’s…
Bessie Grover Park Trail
New playground, picnic tables, BBQ pits, flat rock beaches, shallow river, winding footpaths, mini cliffs, a port-a-potty – all waiting for you if you don’t blink as you’re driving past.…
Fieldcrest Avenue Trail
This little wisp brings you from the curb, through some woods (hold right), and to a shallow section of Back Brook, full of broad flat rocks you can lily-pad across…
Butler Tract (Princeton’s Unofficial Bike Training Ground)
What better place to learn to ride a bike, scooter, rollerblades, etc. than a relic of a neighborhood with all the roads and none of the traffic? A big oval…
Rock Mill Preserve Trail
Such care has gone into sharing this magical place, buried in the woods. Beginning at the trail head, signs appoint the pathway like footmen guiding your passage, describing the historic…
Cider Mill Preserve Trail
What a gargantuan sky. You know you’re in a wildlife haven when every other human you encounter has a super zoom lens dangling around her or his neck. It’s too…
Beech Woods Park Trail
Orderly, spacious and groomed as a country club, this park tucks its adventure all into one corner – and when you tuck into there too, the park’s name makes perfect…
Mercer Meadows Trail
Boardwalks add lots of pizazz, in my book, and this place is among the boardwalkiest of them all! And it’s a perfect place for biking with its endless sprawling acres…
Institute Woods Trail
Timeless pathways for Sunday promenades connect vast prairies, historic landmarks, a wild life refuge and the D & R canal – not to mention the Institute for Advanced Studies. Technically,…
Brearley Great Meadow Trail
At the end of a country lane, settled in meadow, sits the home of John Brearley, one of the signers of the U.S. Constitution (now home to the Lawrence Historical…
Carson Road Woods Trail
These are the things footpathing dreams are made of – all in one demure and lovely place. You’ll find a clear, level bike path, endless meadow, towering forest, subway-like tunnels…
Omick Woods Trail
A lovely loop through the woods with 3 distinct features: stone stairways crossing a picturesque creek, a pretty overlook, and a fairyland path across a dam that empties to a…
Lawrence Brook Trail
Your choice of paved or unpaved path ambles through this unexpected corridor of wilderness, complete with colonies of beavers, a tranquil river, wetlands and a railroad. ACTIVITIES: Train Gazing DIRECTIONS…
Sourland Ecosystem Preserve Trail
Ambling through woods and along boardwalks and leap-frogging boulders along streams, your path will be fairly level with the exception of one knoll in the Northeast section. LEARN / HELP…
Fieldston Road Dinky Line Footpath
Small but magical, especially if you’re a train gazer. This is no place for roving toddlers as the path runs between waterways and railroads. ACTIVITIES: Train Gazing DIRECTIONS
Chauncey Trail
If there are Hobbits in New Jersey, they live here. There isn’t a more enchanting little wooden bridge, mossy river ledge or pebble beach upon which to enjoy your second…
Kendall Woods Trail
Branching off from a tucked away little park and playground is this broad walkway through tall trees flanking the Kendall Woods. It’s an excellent place to practice biking – with…
Curlis Lake & Woods Trail
A natural amusement park, this wonderful trail starts at a horse stable, glides along a swan lake, moguls over a parade of little mossy knolls past a storied abandoned Rambler…
Reichler Park
Though technically you could footpath along the pipeline, paralleling the train tracks – you don’t even have to leave the parking area to take in the full wonder of this…
Cypress Court Trail
If the performance we enjoyed by the deer is any indication, not too many humans take this little corridor connecting Cypress Court with Dey Road. Not a destination, in and…
Mershon Lane & Krebs Road Footpath
A sly little lake with a mini picnic meadow beside the railroad, this spot is absolutely ideal for train gazing – as long as little feet are well supervised. ACTIVITIES:…
Schenck Covenhoven Graveyard Trail
Hidden in plain sight, this unimposing burial ground has been here for over two centuries. Today it anchors pathways symmetrically mowed into a broad, flat meadow. Though the cemetery wall…
Four Paws Trail at Stephen Way
If your posse includes advanced as well as beginning bikers, this place is perfect for you. A flat, paved trail runs between neighborhoods – alongside glorious little woods with a…
Kunkel Park & Pennington Loop Nature Trail
Two charming wooden archways act as portals between the wonderworld that is Kunkel Park – with its large sandbox, play structure, covered picnic benches and rolling meadows – and the…
Schoolhouse Trail at Schuss Woods
Squeezed between Orchard Hill and Montgomery Middle Schools and along Back Brook, the trail gets its name from the sweet one-room schoolhouse still perched at the edge of Schuss Woods.…
Van Horne Park Trail
Hidden in plain sight, this spacious park is an excellent place for strollers or taking off the training wheels. A paved path encircles a large deer wilderness as well as…
Davidson’s Mill Pond Park Trail
A lake, lily-padded ponds, vibrant wetlands, creeks, wide open meadows, grand old forests, boardwalks, sweet meandering footpaths with loads of natural stone steps and broad, shaded bikeable trails …. not…
Charles Rogers Wildlife Refuge Trail (a.k.a. “The Swinging Bridge Path”)
Even without the swinging bridge, this would be a worthy adventure. In fact, technically, the Charles Rogers Wildlife Refuge doesn’t encompass the swinging bridge – but it’s our favorite gateway.…
St. Michael’s Farm Preserve Trail (West)
If you’re a fan of the English countryside like me, your heart will swell at the views in this lovely shire, complete with a village steeple and farm silos. On…
Pond View Trail
This sweet wisp of a trail clings to the edge of the pond in the margins of Woodfield Reservation, sheltering some lovely views and vignettes. Passaging north, you’ll feel like…
Woodfield Reservation Trail
Trails scamper throughout this broad ridge, often across long planks and artisanal bridges with landmark destinations (like Counsel Rock or Pond View) that do not disappoint. You can spend a…
Hobler Park Trail
The expansive recreation lawn, brand new playground and large gazebo with plush BBQs come into view when you pull into the large parking lot. The wonderfully intricate and naturally ornamental…