4.0Wharton State Forest(68 reviews) - South Jersey hiking destination Thursday: 8:00 AM - 8:00 PM Forests
This outdoor recreational area has rivers for canoeing and fishing, 500 miles of unpaved roads for mountain biking and horseback riding, and scenic trails for hiking and viewing wildlife.See more..
4.5Stokes State Forest(64 reviews) - Sunrise mountain overlook, been here for 50 plus years, my perspective place Thursday: 8:00 AM - 8:00 PM Forests
Been up to the 1653 foot overlook since I was a kid in the ‘60s. Never disappoints. My daughter and I were visiting my 91 mom and we drove to the lookout. Been over 30 yrs since my daughter was here. Road in about 4-5 miles one way has been improved. Out to 206 about same. Remember the Kuser mansion at high point and that view is super. Foliage was nice 10/20/21See more..
4.5Ramapo Mountain State Forest(39 reviews) - A variety of hikes at your disposal Thursday: 8:00 AM - 8:00 PM Mountains • Forests
Get to the parking lot very early or very late as it can become traffic jam. We went at likely the most ideal time of year when the whether was still hot, but the leaves were starting to change. The colors were just changing and vibrant and there was plenty of lush green. We took many different trails, hiking up Lookout, enjoying the forest, then circling the lake and finally heading up to the Stone Tower. The stone tower was the biggest disappointment, only because the areas been trashed by those who visit the park casually. Will go back, maybe in the snows.See more..
Beautiful way to start our camping season 2022, 2nd weekend in April. We love the easy access to the AT and all the other nearby trails. Morning coffee or evening sunset by the flowing Delaware, and falling asleep to the sound of a nearby waterfall in the mountains. I'm sure we'll be back in the Fall!See more..
Beautiful trails, picnic tables, and on summer weekends you can rent kayaks, canoes and standup paddle boards. Tranquil place for our beautiful town.See more..
Jenny Jump state forest is a place to meander. As we've been able to do many hikes in New Jersey, we took this one up in mid-July when we had a free weekend. The park is named after a girl who either fell or jumped to her death, we don't really know why. You can stop at rest rooms and a park ranger station before heading in. You can hike a loop to Ghost Lake and back out in several hours. Lots of families and groups use the park for a camping ground, so expect to walk around, through, and near other groups throughout the hike. While it's certainly not busy, it is also not isolated. There are features throughout the park that you may want to explore, especially the glacier erratic and at least one tree growing from a rock. The lake is peaceful though now deep with lily pads. At some of the high points, you can see other favorite like Mt. Tammany.See more..
FIrst hike during the pandemic! My fiance and I have been avoiding any hiking spots during the weekend because we want to avoid the crowds. So we decided to take a Monday off (had to be during the heatwave, of course) to go check out this park. We got there a little bit after 9. There's a small parking area (fits maybe 6-7 cars) which was almost full already. Although I'm sure there are different trail entrances and areas to park. As we were entering the trail, we saw one lady leaving but other than that, we didn't see a single soul on the trail the entire time. A little eerie but it was nice to have the entire trail to ourselves. I think it was probably because it was a Monday couples with the fact that it would also be 95 degrees (real feel 100 something) later in the afternoon. But we went early enough so it wasn't crazy hot yet, and 90% of the hike was in the shade. We did the blue diamond trail leading into the yellow trail, which I believe is 2.6 miles. The hike itself is definitely a little harder than a beginner trail. There are some rocky areas you have to climb. Once you get to the top, that's where it's blazing. There is no shade at all up there so don't expect any. But it's pretty up there! I can't say how it would be on a weekend but I'd recommend just taking a day to go during the week. It's not like we're saving those vacation days for anything else this year anyway!See more..
3.5Brendan T. Byrne State Forest(7 reviews) - A favorite place in NJ, so much geographic diversity Spent More than 3 hours Nature & Wildlife Areas • Forests
This is flat hiking with a few options to see truly stunning topography. Most people find their way through trais that lead to Pakim Pond, but there are trails through the pines and deep in thick vegetation. You can hike on trails with the white sands of the Jersey Shore (you are close, of course), see carnivorous plants, heavily wooded areas. There are several picnic spots and benchhes. If you go deep in to the preserve, you may end up on unpassable roads, but the quiet can overtake you. Great warning that we went tduring tick season and that was not ideal, but the greenery (and the fact that we did not have a reaction) made it worth it. Still, wear lots of bug spray and avoid going in the trails that are covered if headed there during summer.See more..
1.5Marilyn Beard Trailhead Park(3 reviews) - Same as previous review Hiking Trails • Forests My review is only based on the premise that this is a car/truck trail thru the Pine Barrens of NJ (which is how it was sold to me). I decided to try this trail on my way home yesterday (nice day and had time to kill). What the previous review quoted is still accurate over a year later. I got as far as the humming powerlines where I could finally turn around and didn't bother going any further. I have a typical SUV - nothing offroad or fancy, and in some sections of the road I was hoping I wouldn't get stuck in the sand (thank god I didn't have a car cause it would have been a very short trip - and I would have had to back out). I didn't see any markers - I actually kept asking the person I was with if it was private property. I def. won't be back. If I had an ATV/dirt bike, it may be fun. I'm used to upstate PA mountain trails that are maintained -- not paved - just gravel or compact dirt. Something to drive on to enjoy nature.See more..
5.0Willingboro Lakes County Park(1 review) - What A Strange but Fun Experience! Bodies of Water • Hiking Trails • Forests If you have ever been stopped at a certain traffic light on Rt 130 North, you're sitting next to Willingboro Lakes County Park. We have been meaning to visit this park forever since we've driven past it for years. The county finally overhauled the park, creating a new, safer entrance, a picnic grove, and a play area. The trails have been upgraded. I know, a park along busy Rt 130 doesn't sound thrilling, correct? But once you loop at the back of the larger lake, it's relatively quiet and pleasant. The actual lakes are in a pit (this was a former quarry) so you definitely go up and down along the lake's edge. Even when you walk between the two lakes and can definitely hear the traffic, you can still turn away and tune it out. Plus there are frogs, turtles, ducks, and birds, which pleases these two old ladies. We just like nature! Be warned: if you don't like dogs, you won't like this park. Many local folks use the park to exercise their pups. Oh the whole the pups were on leashes and well-behaved.See more..
5.0Rutgers University Ecological Preserve(1 review) - Great place for family to hike Forests • Scenic Walking Areas The Preserve is a wonderful place to hike, bike and walk your dog. The trails are probably the best marked and maintained of any hiking location I've visited in NJ. The are some hills but none or so rugged that children won't enjoy them.See more..
