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…
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…
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…
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…
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,…
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…
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…
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,…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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 –…
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…
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,…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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
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:…
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.…
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…
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…
Carnegie Lake Trail
Even this well-groomed portion of Lake Carnegie tucks away a secret little wilderness, complete with a treehouse. Spanning the stretch of shoreline between Washington and Harrison, this footpath is as…
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…
Cedar Ridge Preserve Trail
There’s an epic aura to this place – Sherwood Forest meets the Serengeti. Trails start from either Van Dyke or Stony Brook Roads; and either way you begin at a…
Zion Crossing Park Trail
The centerpiece of this post-industrial naturescape is the waterfall (especially after a good rain). At 7 acres, the linear adventure is limited, but oh the possibilities for play headquartered at…
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.