Find a Trail

With over 4,500 miles of mapped, public trails New Jersey offers a wide range of trails for a variety of experience levels and trail user types, from neighborhood walking or biking trails to large regional trails such as the Appalachian Trail and East Coast Greenway.  Trails provide fitness opportunities that improve physical and mental health, outdoor classrooms for nature study, greenways for wildlife conservation, links with New Jersey’s historic past and economic boosts to regional tourism.  Many trails can also offer active transportation alternatives, helping New Jersey meet its climate mitigation goals and increasing the climate resilience of the surrounding communities through services such as providing emergency evacuation routes and urban heat island reduction.  They offer all New Jerseyans affordable opportunities for outdoor recreation, as well as safe active transportation options as an alternative to driving, helping our State move towards a healthier future.  They connect us to the places that we want to go, to our communities, and to each other.

To find a trail near you, visit New Jersey’s Statewide Trails dataset.  This inventory is an initiative of the NJDEP Green Acres Program, State Parks, Forests, and Historic Sites, New Jersey Conservation Foundation, and the New Jersey Geospatial Forum Trails Task Force, compiling existing trail data from trail managers and regional trail organizations to create a comprehensive dataset of New Jersey’s public trails.  The dataset was first published in 2022 and is updated annually.  For more information, contact Mackenzie Piggott, State Trails Coordinator, at Trails@njdepwptest.net.

Whether you want to explore a new trail or find out how you can be more involved in your local, regional, or statewide trails, check out the below links to some of our trail partners!

Trail Trip Tips:

• Check the trail manager website and social media accounts before your trip for any trail closures, reroutes, or advisories.
• Download the trail map to your phone or grab a paper copy of the trail map before you go.  You may want to use an app such as All Trails or Trail Forks to help you navigate your route, but it’s always a good idea to have a copy of the trail map.
• Bring enough water and dress for the weather!
• Follow the 7 principles of Leave No Trace– always leave the trail better than you found it!
• Follow trail etiquette and share the trail to allow everyone to have an incredible trail experience.

Finding Your Trail:

• New Jersey’s Statewide Trails dataset
• NJDEP State Park Service Trail Tracker
• New Jersey Conservation Foundation Preserves
• Trail Link – Rails to Trails Conservancy
• New York New Jersey Trails Conference – Find Your Hike in North Jersey
• NJ Trails Association – Central Jersey Trails
• Pinelands Preservation Alliance – Accessible Trails in South Jersey

Long Distance Regional Trails through New Jersey:

• Circuit Trail Network – Greater Philadelphia Region
• East Coast Greenway – Bicycle and Pedestrian Route from Maine to Florida
• September 11^th National Memorial Trail – 1,300-mile route linking 9/11 memorial sites
• The Highlands Trail – 600+ mile pedestrian trail across four-state Highlands Region
• Warren Highlands Trail – 52-mile pedestrian trail through Warren County
• D&R Canal State Park Trail – 70-mile long multi-use linear state park from Frenchtown to Trenton to New Brunswick
• BATONA Trail – 53-mile pedestrian trail through the Pine Barrens
• The Greenway – a recent Green Acres Program acquisition which is being converted to a 9-mile long linear state park through Essex and Hudson counties

Trail Events:

• First Day Hikes – January 1^st each year – To ring in the new year, State Parks, Forests, and Historic Sites and their partners host First Day Hikes, encouraging people to start the year off on the right foot with guided hikes throughout the state.
• Celebrate Trails Day – 4^th Saturday in April – Initiative led by the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy to inspire people to get outside enjoying their local trails together!
• National Trails Day – 1^st Saturday in June – Initiative led by the American Hiking Society since 1991.  While National Trails Day originated as a day of service for trails, over the past several years we have seen a wide variety of National Trails Day events planned throughout the state, ranging from maintenance and cleanup projects to trail ribbon cuttings to fun group hikes to ‘catch a unicorn’ or to learn how not to get lost in the woods.

Give Back:

• New York-New Jersey Trail Conference – organize volunteer crews to help maintain trails in the Northern Region
• New Jersey Trail Association – led by the D&R Greenway Land Trust, organizes volunteer crews in the Central Region
• Outdoor Club of South Jersey – organize volunteer crews to help maintain trails in the Southern Region, particularly the BATONA Trail
• Friends Groups – many parks and trails have official Friends groups that help to maintain their trails – contact your local trail manager to learn more!

Get Involved:

• New Jersey Trails Action Network – Organization of trail planners, managers and enthusiasts throughout the state with the goal of fostering cooperation and collaboration to champion, facilitate, and promote trail initiatives in New Jersey
• Rails-to-Trails Conservancy – Advocates for and supports the conversion of abandoned railway corridors into trails
• American Trails – Advocates for the development of diverse, high quality trails and greenways
• American Hiking Society – Advocates for the funding of trails, preservation of public lands, and protection of the hiking experience
• JORBA – Focuses on building and maintaining sustainable mountain biking trails