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…
Port Hueneme Lighthouse Promenade
From Hueneme Wharf Plaza, the newly-repaired Lighthouse Promenade threads between the beach and the port to a hidden architectural treasure presiding over the port entrance: the Port Hueneme Lighthouse. Art…
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 –…
Garden of the Gods Trail
The ghosts of Hollywood’s by-gone cowboys play here all day long, I think. You can practically hear shwa-pings hitting the boulders as you shimmy between them and duck into caves.…
Orcutt Ranch Trail
Surprises linger around every corner of this hidden garden. One third of it is formal and manicured, often featuring a bride; another third is a park-scaped barranca with picnic areas…
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…
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…
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…
Shalawa / Hammond Meadow Trail
A secret passage in plain sight whisks you to this venerated seaside meadow. From the small parking lot, a footpath squeezes between the hedgerows, across Montecito Creek, past estate gardens…
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…
Paramount Ranch Trail
Trails explore prairies in all directions from the parking lot – but the centerpiece here is entirely “Western Town,” which 2018’s Woolsey fire reduced to the picturesque white church featured…
Oxnard Historic Farm Park Path
A vibrant oasis of Oxnard’s agricultural heritage, Oxnard Historic Farm park is brimming with community heirlooms, including three buildings that have held their ground as acres and acres of farmland…
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,…
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…
High Tower Elevator & Pathways
For key-carrying residents, the High Tower is a 1920s elevator from a bank of garages to the meta level of meandering pathways leading to quirky stoops and gateways. For the…
Venice Canals Pathways
Venice’s real magic doesn’t happen on the Pacific, if you ask us, but 2 blocks from it at a different waterscape. The Venice Canal Historic District is what remains of an…
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…
Meher Mount
Reverence for nature is inevitable when you take in the view at Meher Mount, which is exactly as Meher Baba intended. Affectionately called “Baba,” he was an important spiritual leader…
Pleasant Valley Charles Honn Botanical Garden Path
This sweet little garden wedge is brimming with curiosities and pollinators. It’s a designated urban bee lab for UC Berkeley and includes a certified wildlife habitat area. On a Saturday…
King Gillette Ranch Trail
Mr. Gillette’s glamorous, elaborate Spanish Colonial Revival style villa in its sea of sprawling lawns floats like a green island in the rolling caramel-colored, oak-dotted Calabasas hills. From the Visitor Center,…
The Cross Path
A cross has stood in the spot on the hill overlooking Ventura since the late 1700s, roughly since Junipero Serro founded the San Buenaventura Mission. Surrounded by a beautifully maintained…
Franceschi Park Pathways
Floating on the Santa Barbara Riviera, this enchanting antique estate and garden provide an unparalleled panorama of Santa Barbara and the Channel Islands. From the parking lot, paths and stone…
Wiman Canyon & Old Pueblo Trail
From the shaded, green belly of a canyon, the Wiman Canyon Trail quickly shoots up to meet the dry, baked pathways of the Old Pueblo Trail that run behind the…
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…
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,…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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,…
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…
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…
Baldpate Mountain Trail
Scramble up a boulderfall and through some enchanting passageways and you’ll see all the way to Philadelphia – telescope provided!
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…
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…
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…
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.…
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…
Herrontown Woods Botanical Art Garden & Trail
Unless you were at Herrontown Woods this morning, there’s something new for you to discover there. Exuberant and deft hands are clearing new trails, laying stepping stones, building yurts (!),…
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…
Rocky Hill Knoll Footpath
This teeny trail on a mini hill is perfect for picnicking, Easter egg hunts, pretending you’re on an island, rolling or sledding down the hill, and hide-and-seek (especially if you…
Historic Overlook Park Trail
This forgotten place is full of wonderful, precious surprises. An allee of trees leads to one of Princeton’s oldest specimens, “The Washington Oak,” alive when the Constitution was signed and…