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…
Aquetong Spring Park
Aquetong’s cold limestone spring serves up refreshment for all of your senses at once! Cool water gushes from a clear pool over an 8 foot (ish) drop and gushes into…
UCSB Lagoon Island Labyrinth & Trail
Racing scoops of pelicans and tucking into gangly tree hideaways along the grooved paths above the Pacific was already a lovely adventure …. and then we found the labyrinth! Bigger…
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…
Ballona Lagoon Marine Preserve Trail
Tucked away between Venice beach and Marina Del Ray harbor, Ballona Lagoon is one of the last tidal wetlands in southern California, with high and low tides twice daily. A…
Ventura Harbor Ecological Reserve Trail
Don’t let the chain link fence keep you from exploring this wonderland; the gate off of Angler Court is unlocked daily between 9am and 5pm. Sandy pathways loop around the…
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…
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…
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…
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 –…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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.…
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…
Kingston Grotto Berm Path
Two paths hug the canal heading South from the Kingston Locktender’s house. This is definitely the one less traveled by. It follows the canal past Kingston’s historic nursery lands with…
Metro Park / Dinky Line Trail
The skinny little path from the parking lot is a portal to another world that magically fits into this wild wetland space between office parks. We like to pretend we’re…
Negri-Nepote Native Grassland Preserve Trail
There are woods – on the edges – but the substance of this lovely walk is tall, breathy grass. Scope and distance take on a meditative scale. Wooden pedestals along…
Grey Farm Footpath
This inconspicuous little footpath along the bluffs of Carnegie Lake and eventually down to the water’s edge hides beautiful views and wildlife watching opportunities. The path is lovingly cared for…
Audubon’s Plainsboro Preserve Trail
Audoban’s Plainsboro Preserve is as inviting to the rich wildlife it hosts as it is to its visitors with a welcoming nature center and trails that are perfect for little legs and still full of intrigue and adventure as they pass through butterfly gardens, along scenic bluffs, through shaded woods and past bird viewing platforms.