looking for a hike very close or east of parsippany. would like to see waterfalls/lakes or any body of water. any recs?

Has anyone done a thru hike on the Batona trail recently? How was the experience? What is the water situation (I.e any running water at camp sites)?

Anyone feel cursed once they get into hiking and trail running? Living in South Jersey I must drive 2.5hrs for a decent hike. I’ve hiked Batona Trail and it’s fine but the lack of access is adding to the reasons to leave the state :(. Exploring nature without car sounds etc is such a life hack that I’m finding quite difficult here.

View the beautiful waterfall at the Ramapo Valley Reservation in Bergen County, NJ, on a relatively easy hike!

Ramapo Reservation is a great place to hike in New Jersey. We may be partial to this spot because we live in Bergen County, but it's really so beautiful. We love the waterfall. There are some great views and rigorous hikes, too, if you prefer a good workout! Lots of wildlife. You can find almost everything you need to know about Ramapo Reservation at this link: Read more about Ramapo Valley Reservation in Mahwah, NJ!

Hey all, im looking in the NJ/NY area for a drive to a nice scenic overlook. I work 6 days and i NEVER have time to go hiking but i need a mental day and just want to enjoy nature and just relax and bonus points if they allow grilling. Any and all suggestions appreciated.

Hey everyone i would like to hike through one of the pygmy pine stands but I can't find any information on specific trails that go through them. Any leads? thanks!

Hey all, I am based in South Jersey and looking for some nice backpacking or backcountry trails. I am a relatively seasoned hiker and have a ton of experience camping. I want to hike the AT in one or two years but I have 0 experience backpacking. Figured it was best to start my journey locally. I was looking into hiking the batona trail but was turned off by the fact that you can only camp at designated campgrounds and the lack of reliable water sources. Does anyone have any good recommendations that are within the state or just across the border that offer backpacking trails with similar vibes to the AT?

If we could just step off the train and step onto the trail…does anyone know of such a town?

Hello I went to a pretty sweet swimming hole near Jenny Jump a few years ago. I remember it being not a long walk down to the spot, eventually a bunch of people brought bbq stuff down and it was like a fairly large gathering. It was a pool then a waterfall with another smaller pool above. Anyone familiar and can point me in the right direction for getting back there?

Best hiking Warren and Hunterdon county?

Hello all-

I have a large cub scout pack in Morristown that we are doing an annual hiking challenge with - basically just something to get kids outside with the possibility of a hiking stick reward at the end of the year.

We decided to offer pack hikes on a monthly basis to help achieve the goal - I'm an avid hiker but it's usually solo with the dog or my family. Planning a hike for a possibly large group (we have about 50 cubs - I doubt many will show up but have to be prepared, I guess) kinda sucks - I mostly just don't want to annoy other hikers by basically 'taking over' a trail.

Once I get a gauge on how many Cubs are preparing to show after the first hike in September, I'll be able to plan better - but for this first one... anyone have any ideas on where a potentially large group could go and not annoy anyone? Doesn't have to be too interesting or anything lately - just more about getting miles in for the Cubs.

Thanks!

Hi everyone!

I recently hiked Big Beech Mountain within Long Pond Ironworks SP. However, the summit/destination was not the trail/location I thought it was. Upon further research, I realized the place I originally wanted to hike to was Hasenclever Hill, which lies on the NY/NJ border. My plan was to try and get there from the New York side, in Sterling Forest. However, as I was reading the trail map for Sterling Forest, I didn't see a definite trail to where Hasenclever Hill may be. I've attached the map I was looking at, plus the Peakery posting which originally inspired the hike.

If anyone knows either the area, Hasenclever Hill, or the trails in Sterling Forest, or has done the Hasenclever Hill hike, any tips on how to get there or where to enter or the route would be greatly appreciated! I've only been in Sterling Forest twice (for the Fire Tower trail & Bare Rock trail), so I'm not as familiar with Sterling Forest as I am with other hiking locations.

Thanks!

https://peakery.com/hasenclever-hill-new-jersey/routes/27015/

https://parks.ny.gov/documents/parks/SterlingForestTrailMap.pdf

Hey everyone, has anyone here hiked the tabernacle section of the Batona since the wildfire at Tea Time Hill? I'd like to see the burnt area, but the only directions i've been given is "park at batona campsite and go north". Can someone give me a little more direction so I can see this area? thanks!

I plan on proposing to my girlfriend soon. We are not huge hikers, but I know she’ll appreciate a good photo op, so I want to do it around September or October on a hike with our dog somewhere with a pretty view. I have been having trouble figuring out where exactly I should do it. Does anyone have any suggestions? We are in Essex County so I somewhere in the North Jersey area is ideal.

Hey folks, I’m new in the state and know nothing around but I’d love to start hiking and unfortunately I still don’t have a car…

Which good trails accessible by bus would you recommend?

Newark Penn Station would be a reference starting point but it’s fine with buses that don’t depart from there as well

Also, it’s fine med to a bit hard hikes and i love big mountains with beautiful horizon views, rivers and lakes ☺️☺️☺️

Thanks in advance!

I want to go backpacking (my current goal is being able to do a 1-3 night overnight hike by the end of the year) but I am nervous about the mileage. I recently did an 8.2 mile flat “hike” (more like a vigorous walk) on the D&R from Washington’s crossing to Lambertville and that was pretty exhausting with a 10lb pack just to test myself. I can’t imagine doing something like 19 miles a day on the batona trail then being able to stand on both feet the following day 🤣.

Does anyone have a recommended list of day hikes/places to build endurance or should I just keep increasing my distances on the D&R for now? Or any other suggestions for building up that endurance (specifically for my feet more than breathing/heart rate)?

Looking for some good trails near Wyckoff in north jersey maybe like 10-20 minutes away Not picky but would be nice if it had one or some of these things

Critters View Stream/waterfall 2-4 miles

Thanks

How are the ticks this year? I have an infant, and I want to get back on the trails. I usually do fine with DEET on my legs, but I dont want to take any chances with the little one.

I’m due to run the Chicago Marathon in October, I’m looking to join a running club in the Boonton/Denville/Mountain Lakes area here in Morris County, NJ. Grateful for any recommendations :)

I recently went up to the Delaware Water Gap to do the Buttermilk Falls to Crater Lake loop. The hike was fine albeit a bit challenging in the beginning with the rapid ascent but the real challenge was trying to get to the falls. I thought I knew my way but there are a lot of road closures in the DWG and the roads that are open are in very poor condition. There are points where you are going 1 mph to avoid the potholes on the main roads! You could not access the falls from Haneys Mill Road as the bridge is out and the same goes for going through Walpack. I had to detour almost 30 minutes north to a road called Brook Road which is completely impassable if you don’t have a high clearance 4x4 vehicle (which luckily I have). Coming out I decided to go through Stokes State Forest which was a much smoother ride but took me almost an hour north out of my way onto 206 in Sussex County.

The silver lining is that the difficulty of accessing the falls seems to keeping people away and other than two NOBOs on the AT I was by myself the entire morning. Either way it’s a real shame how difficult it is to navigate the Jersey side of the park and unfortunately with how the federal government works and how low on the totem pole the DWG is it’ll stay that way for a long time.

I live in South Jersey down by Wharton State Park. A lot of flat trails. I’m looking for any recommendations on trails with high elevation gain in South Jersey. Really trying to challenge myself and train for an upcoming trip. Much appreciated 🙏