Happy Summer Trails: Best Places To Hike And Bike Around Montclair

MONTCLAIR, NJ — The trail beckons as Montclair-area hikers, bikers, and walkers are ready to experience nature close-up again.

Here are a few of the best places to check out if you are adventurous and looking for trail experiences regionally.

Watchung Reservation in neighboring Union County offers a 6-mile trail through historic sites and amid nature's beauty. Start your bike trip or hike at 452 New Providence Road, Mountainside, or at one of the parking areas at the Deserted Village of Feltville and Lake Surprise. The 11-mile Sierra Trail at Watchung Reservation is great if you want to get off pavement and into the woods.

Lawrence Hopewell Trail in Mercer County is a 22-mile series of trails that serve local communities in Hopewell and Lawerence townships on the other side of the Delaware River. The series of trails was planned to connect places and keep people healthy. Not only are the trail segments meant for recreation, they were planned for commuter use also! Start your hike at 197 Blackwell Road in Pennington.

Watershed Institute does more than work to protect water. It conserves and restores habitats and offers recreation on its trails that pass through wetlands and meadows, over streams to the Wargo Pond. A portion of its trails connect to the Lawrence Hopewell Trail. The Watershed Institute trails begin at 31 Titus Mill Road in Pennington, New Jersey. You can bring a picnic and a pet on a leash, but you must carry your waste out with you.

Delaware & Raritan Canal State Park is for people on foot as well as kayak and canoe! D & R Canal park near Princeton has a self-guided trail system for hiking, biking, and even horseback riding. The park's webpage suggests two local shops where you can rent a bike. The D&R Canal park trails are extensive, so check out maps here and plan your day.

The Lenape Trail offers 36 miles of trail that cross 19 Essex County, New Jersey parks. Some sections of the trail are paved, others are unpaved and ready for hikers who want a greater challenge. Volunteers from the New York-New Jersey Trail Conference help maintain the trail with help from Partners for Health Foundation in Essex County. The trail is named for the Lenape tribes of indigenous people who lived on the land that is now known as the Mid-Atlantic region.

Sourland Mountain Preserve offers a short and a longer trail with rocky areas and a little climbing. The trails go through forest with gentle slopes. Take the 5.7-mile trail or a shorter loop through the preserve. There are 4,000 acres here to enjoy, in Somerset County, New Jersey. Mountain bikes are allowed at the Preserve, as are horses.

South New Jersey Trails

Edgar Felix Memorial Bikeway is in South Jersey, an east-west path between Allaire State Park and Manasquan. If you good bike ride through the South Jersey countryside, this bike trail of 5 miles one way is worth checking out.

Batona Trail is where long-hike seekers will find more than 50 miles of trail through South New Jersey's pines, in the state's Pinelands Natural Reserve. Plan a shorter hike if you like, starting at one of the trail's many entry points. The trail crosses highways and winds through small Jersey towns.

Monmouth County Parks offer a system of trails for walking, hiking, and biking, with many that are open for horseback riding as well. The links below for each trail provide more information. New Jersey state parks are smoke-free.

Henry Hudson Trail is 24 miles of the former railway, paved for biking, walking, or in-line skating. There's a northern extension accessible at 945 State Highway 36, and a southern.

Hartshorne Woods Park has more than 14 miles of trails with entrances at Highlands and Locust. Overlook the Navesink River as you bike or walk. The park offers picnicking, horseback riding, fishing and other recreation.

Thompson Park in Lincroft is home to 13 miles of trails on some old farm roads and a former horse exercise track. There is also access to Marlu Lake for fishing.

Holmdel Park has 9 miles of trail and offers fishing, reservable picnic areas, and tennis courts. Enter the trail at Longstreet Road in Holmdel and enjoy the natural surroundings. The trail has some hills.

Nearby In Pennsylvania

Peace Valley Park is close by for biking, hiking, boating, and fishing. It's part of the Bucks County park system. Enter on Creek Road in New Britain Township and enjoy the outdoors.
Newtown Rail Trail and Pennypack Trail have come in two phases, as part of Bucks County's trail program. Upper Southhampton Township announced the opening of the Newtown/Pennypack trail in April. The project has been in the works for a long time, and it's ready to enjoy. Find out more here and enjoy this nearby recreation option.

Tyler State Park in Newtown is a local treasure, with all kinds of outdoor recreation including 25 miles of hiking trails. The Tyler Park trail is unpaved and biking is only allowed in some areas, so plan before you head out. There's a one-mile hiking-only difficult trail that crosses Porter Run Creek.
If you head west across Bucks County you can access the Schuylkill River Greenways, a system of trails between Philadelphia and Reading in Berks County. You'll never get tired of the discoveries these trails have waiting.

Perkiomen Trail connects to the Schuylkill River trail network, with its 20 miles running on the old Perkiomen section of the Reading Railroad line in neighboring Montgomery County. The trail welcomes horses, walkers, hikers, and bikers, and you can bring your dog on a leash. Remember to clean up!

Core Creek Park in Langhorne, Pennsylvania is part of the Bucks County parks system and offers hiking and biking trails along with kayaking and canoeing on Lake Luxembourg. You can also rent paddleboats and rowboats in the park, with discounts for seniors. There's a dog park and picnic areas, as well.

High Rocks State Park has some great hiking and climbing in Tinicum Township, part of the 45 acres that is Ralph Stover State Park. There's a 4.5-mile trail loop with great views and challenging terrain. The cliffs at High Rocks are an area owned by the state of Pennsylvania and Bucks County and include opportunities for real outdoor rock climbing.

South Orange/Maplewood Running Club posted a photo of a recent outing at Watchung Reservation in Mountainside.

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