My wife and I have traveled several times now from the Sandy Hook lighthouse down the trail in Gateway National Park, crossed the bridge (bike lane and wide sidewalks available) and taken around 4 miles of the eastern HH Trail. As the last review mentioned, much of this trail is placed right on the water - you can hear the bay lap against the stone and you get great vistas. We ride up to a marina where the trail veers to the South. This makes for a nice two hour ride.

There is one section between the bridge and the trail where you must travel on Shore Drive, but its lightly traveled and there is a dedicated bike lane for parts of it.

We rode the whole trail from Freehold to the bridge at Sandy Hook. The southern section from Freehold to Matawan is newer and smooth with few road crossings, and none of the roots as other reviewers have noted for the northern section. In fairness the county has repaved some of the worst bumpy sections, but many root bumps still remain along the older section. On the positive side the old section does provide some nice views of the tidal estuary with bridges over a number of streams, while the smooth southern section offers a more standard suburban rail-trail view.

The newest addition to the trail (about 2 miles) that runs along the waterfront in Highlands has some of the best views of the whole trail as it runs right along the waterline of the bay.

I'm giving the whole trail an overall 3 star rating with the northern bumps dragging down the southern sections rating.

I did the northern section of the trail yesterday, 5/11/2011. All 12 miles of it, from Aberdeen to Atlantic Highlands, and back. I liked that it was close to the main roads, just in case I had to get off, or get a soda. Too many street crossings, but I didn't mind that. I liked that the trail is flat and paved, even though the pavement needs some serious work in some areas. The landscape is green on both sides. The scenery would probably look better earlier in spring, or in fall.

I've taken several bike rides on this trail so far this spring. I have to agree with previous postings, the root bumps on this trail are the pits. I also agree with the comment on the crossings thru local streets. In addition to those complaints, it seems that several large groups of kids like to hang out on this trail and act like it's their own piece of real estate... refusing to yield to passing cyclist or blocking the path completely forcing one to bike around them onto the grass area's. One kid in the KEANSBURG section even thru a can of soda in my direction because I was riding thru his area. A girl in that group even apologized for his actions. Another thing I experienced in Keansburg was a few vagrant/homeless types seem to hang around the path in this town too. Try another trail if you can. This trail needs work and people with manners or maybe even the Keansburg cops to utilize their Bike Patrol units to keep their rowdy kids in check.

From the end of the Henry Hudson Trail in the Atlantic Highlands there is now an extension called the Bayshore Trail. We started at the beginning of the trail by the Casino Restaurant , take Route 36 to 1st ave to the bay and the restaurant is right there. We started the trip and noticed a sign that said closed. I asked a person who just came off the trail why the closed sign. She stated the trail is fine that it is an ongoing feud between the two towns the trail runs through who will maintain it. So anyway the trail was fine with it being paved and stone dust used most of the way. It has to be the most beautiful trail I have seen in NJ. It runs along the bay for 2.2 miles. We then drove through the Highlands on Bayshore Drive for 1.2 miles , on a posted bike path that was very lightly traveled ,so do not worry about the traffic. We then went over the new Sandy Hook bridge which was a breeze, by the way the bridge is bike friendly. We then took the Sandy Hook Bike trail which is fully paved for 5.2 miles. I must say I was pleasantly surprised as this trail is a one for walkers,bikers and skaters. It has great views of the bay and ocean. The only thing you need to be careful for ,is it is heavily used, so do not travel to fast. The day was perfect as the temp. was in the 70s. The ride back was just as wonderful and the whole trip with stopping took 3 hours about 17 miles total.

Did 14 miles out & back today, 9/9/2010, starting from Trail Activity Building on Rt 36 going just past Union Beach. We considered this an urban trail that begins by hugging Rt 36, then veering towards the ocean with trees/brush/wetlands on both sides. Very clean, mostly flat, asphalt trail that is OK for biking, walking, no good for skating - too many upheavals, trail desparately needs to be repaved. Many places to eat either just off the trail or in one of the towns.

Would not bike this trail again - too many street crossings and most cars don't slow down for the bikes/pedestrians. Don't understand why the cross streets don't have sign markings perhaps even speed bumps to make the cars slow down. You can't get any speed on this trail because of the number of crossings. Very stressful, would not like to bike this with small children.

This trail is probably the worst maintained and paved of any of the many trails I have used in multiple states.
The trailhead in Highlands is paved for just a few yards. I skated for less than a minute and had to return to my car and drive to another location to start. There are some short stretches that are smoothy paved but for the most part the pavement is very deteriated and rough. There are many large frost heaves and root bumps. I assume it is even hazardous for some bikes. I expected to skate twenty miles one way and back but had to abort my trip in less than 4 miles.

Starting on Sept 14, 2009 a portion of the southern section of the trail from Texas road, Matawan to Greenwood road, Marlboro, will be closed for a long term (18 months) project for a super fund clean up at the site of the former Imperial oil company. Source: Asbury Park Press, September 11, 2009

We did a 5 mile ride starting from Matawan. It was a good ride, just that too many road crossings. Next time we will probably drive to the other end and start from there.

started outon rt79 to the bike trail went up towards malboro. headed back home to freehold.nice bike ride.

A new section of the trail running from 1st Ave. in Atlantic Highlands to the Highlands border is complete. It is a pleasant ride along the Sand Hook Bay waterfront. It is certainly the most scenic portion of this trail. You are at the bottom of a large hill, and not paralleling Route 36 like most of the Henry Hudson. There are several wooden bridges along the route. Unfortunately, the majority of the new route is stone dust and not paved like the rest of the trail. The new part is 8’ wide for most of the way but there are a few narrower sections. If you don’t mind getting a little dirty, this route is suitable for road bikes.

With this section being complete it is now possible to ride from Keyport to the tip of Sandy Hook with very few on road sections. There is about a ½ mile section from Avenue D to First Ave. in Atlantic highlands that is on lightly traveled roads. There are no marked bike lanes in this section, but the road has little traffic. There is also a 1 mile section in the Highlands from the end of the new section of trail over the Highlands Bridge to Sandy Hook. This road has designated bike lanes.

The Highlands Bridge is currently under construction. I was wary about traveling this route on a bike as the road is down to one lane in each direction and VERY heavily trafficked. I had nothing to worry about as a sidewalk over the bridge for Bikes and Pedestrians has been maintained. Once you cross the bridge there is about a 500’ dedicated gravel section until you pick-up the Sandy Hook trail. It is on the narrow side, but I was able to navigate this on my road bike without any problems. Once the new bridge is complete there will be a dedicated Bike lane…It will be really nice.

"We rode this trail again in late June, the trail is 80% shaded with a tree canopy. This is an excellent trail to avoid the intense sun, there is also a Dairy Queen about mid way on Rt 79 between the two unconnected segments."

"We rode the Atlantic section of the Henry Hudson trail in early Aug this year, as rail trails go this one is semi urban, with multiple street crossings and constant sightings of ""human development"". Even though it is paved the trail has become bumpy from tree roots. We didn't see any road bikes on the trail, but we were fine with our hybrids.

A hint to find the western trailhead, follow the Garden State Parkway South signs, this will bring you to Clark st, where the trailhead is.

For more info on the Henry Hudson's southern sections, visit my Jersey biking website at:

http://www.geocities.com/womgene/"

"On a sunny Easter day we rode 23.2 miles of this new section(s) We parked at the marked Henry Hudson parking area in the back of the Monmouth County youth correctional facility, which is about .5 miles from the southern trail head in Freehold. From here the trail pretty much goes through the backyards of new residential developments, the seperation is generally good, and the mature trees along the trail still remain so it is a pleasent ride. The 1st section ends in the center of a small residential development, just make a right turn and follow the road for a few blocks until you reach Rt79. NOTE: Rt79 is not a bike friendly road.

If you decide to continue to the 2nd section ride Rt 79 for 2 miles. Do NOT pass the Bicycle Hub of Matawan (bike store) like we did. The trail starts at the street just south of the store (Station Street). NOTE: The Bicycle Hub has a very short connector trail from it's parking lot to the trail directly behind the building. The Bicycle hub also encourages riders to use thier lot as a parking area for the trail head for this second section. This second northern section continues for almost 5 miles stopping a couple miles short of the original Henry Hudson trail. This section enters a more industrial area with fewer houses and more rusting relics of NJ's past industry. There are some places adjacent to the trail about a mile before it ends that you can grab some grub (Deli, Pizza, Dougnuts, Convieance store) making this a good rest stop before turning around for the return trip. "

"The nothern half of the trail is now open from Marlboro to Matawan. The trailhead is at Station Road (just off of Rt. 79) at the location of the former Wickatunk Station. Unfortunately parking is a problem at this spot.

The section between Wickatunk and the southern section to Freehold is not open (about a mile). The northern end of the trail ends in Matawan just past Church Road. All of the open sections are paved and generally in shade most of the day. The Monmouth County Park website seems to indicate the missing links in Marlboro and Matawan are in the design stages. There are some busy road crossings in these areas that may be holding up completion.

Overall, a great trail!
Jerry"

"The trail segment from Freehold north into Marlboro is now officially open.

There are several street crossings, but all are very manageable. There’s a very short off right-of-way detour at one very busy crossing (County Route 55) to take advantage of controlled pedestrian crossing with traffic signal.

The entire route is nicely paved and suitable for bikes, in-line skates, strollers, etc. Parking is available at a County owned hospital/nursing home on County Route 46 near Route 79 in Freehold, or at an elementary school in Marlboro just north of Route 18 and east of Route 79.

There are no services along the trail. However, the main business district in Marlboro is just 2 blocks to the trail’s west.

E-mail me if you need specific information.

Thanks, and enjoy."

I live in Morganville and really enjoy the trail so far can't wait til it is all done. Just wanted to say great job much appreciated.
Lou

"Although not officially open, you can ride or walk the trail all the way to downtown Marlboro into the development across from Marlboro High School, approximately 5 miles from Rt 537 in Freehold. The trail is paved and a great ride."

Monmouth County Parks anticipates a June opening for the southern portion of the trail between Freehold and Route 18.

"I can't wait any longer. Are we almost ready for construction of the trail?

**NOTE FROM RAILS-TO-TRAILS CONSERVANCY**
For information on when construction of a rail-trail project, such as the Monmouth Heritage Trail, will begin, please contact the local folks who are working directly with the project. In the case of the Monmouth Heritage Trail, please contact either

Monmouth Heitage Trail, Inc.
PO Box 170, Wickatuck, NJ 07765
www.bicyclehub.com/heritagetrail

or contact

Monmouth County Parks
805 Newman Springs Road
Lincroft, NJ 07738
732-842-4000
info@monmouthcountyparks.com
www.monmouthcountyparks.com"

"Well, if you are curious to ride this trail be prepared to stop at road crossings every three minutes or so. The scenery is pretty industrial looking. I'd rather drive further down the highway and bike along the beaches past the highlands."

"""Good news! It looks as though the Monmouth County Park's Department is just about ready to go out to bid on the first part of paving and bridge construction. This is for the nine miles that were outlined in the public meeting last year.

--From the Monmouth County Park System public relations officer on February 17, 2004."

"From the Asbury Park Press of January 9 2004: Monmouth County Parks has $240,000 for the third phase of the southerly extension of the Henry Hudson Trail. The 12-mile extension runs along the former Freehold Branch railroad right-of-way and connects to the existing nine-mile trail that stretches from Atlantic Highlands to Aberdeen.

he project, estimated to cost between $1.1 and $1.5 million, began in 2002, and the commission is now concentrating on constructing bridges and street crossings, and paving the path. That work should be completed in or before 2005."

"I thought this trail was surprisingly quiet considering the proximity to Rt. 36 in the southern half, even with the trees being bare. This is a nice level, paved trail. There are quite a few street crossings but most have extremely light traffic.

There are some mile markers painted on the pavement and, for the record, end at 10+ miles, not the 9 that is indicated. There are plenty of places along the entire length that you can park and access the trail if you want to start or finish somewhere other than the trail's endpoints.

We had a perfect day (mostly sunny and 70 degrees) for our ride, which we started in Aberdeen. I was all set to have lunch in the Highlands when we got there, but unfortunately there isn't much around where the trail ends.

I suppose you could shoot down Rt. 36 South a little more to get to the town of Highlands, but we opted against that. Instead, we turned around and started heading back. We noticed on the way down that Keansburg had a few eateries (pubs) that we could visit, so we stopped in there instead. Keansburg is approx. half way between Aberdeen and Highlands.

All in all it was a fantastic day and I will gladly give the trail a few more rides.

-Rich"

"We arrived at Aberdeen end of the trail on a sunny Saturday and began to ride toward Atlantic Highlands.

Riding condition is mostly great since trail is paved. Although there are occasional bumps due to asphalt thermal expansion, it really was no big deal. The trail parallels route 36 and it actually stays within the vicinity of the residential areas. If you are used to or enjoy riding through an isolated wilderness, as is the case in Paulinskill Valley Trail, this trail is not for you. However because of this we were ale to buy drinks and ice cream at a nearby convenient store as the day got pretty hot.

The worst thing about this trail was that the riding was frequently interrupted by the roads you have to cross along the way. That was a bit frustrating. We were dodging pedestridians and joggers but that is to be expected at any paved trail in NJ.

After having been on other NJ trails such as Columbia Trail, Delaware & Raritan Canal Trail, Sussex Branch, Paulinskill Valley Trail, and etc, this trail does not measure up in terms of scenic qaulity, length of the trail and overall riding experience. We probably will not return to this trail or recommend to any mountain bikers. "

"The Monmouth Heritage Trail has been completely cleared of debris. It is scheduled to be paved in the next year. During this time the Monmouth County Park Service has posted ""Area Closed"" signs along with snow fences at all road access points. I have posted some pictures at access points of the staus of this project, and look forward to its completion.

Looks like it will rate high!

Fred"

"This is a long paved trail, fairly level, scenic, and cleaned up religiously every day. There are a large number of street crossings, some quite busy. The neighborhoods are quiet, quaint and varied. The salt marshes appear at various points along the trail, and water channels flow under the trail at many points. Many of the street crossings give access to various services.

I am particularly drawn to this trail in the winter because of it's proximity to the water. It tends to be a bit warmer than more inland trails, and although snow isn't removed, it melts quickly. There are a few dedicated parking areas, especially at the west end, and street parking is available almost everywhere along the route. It is even possible to walk the whole route and take a bus back to your starting point.

There are plans to extend the trail a considerable distance at both ends, but so far they remain just plans.

Rates an 8 out of 10!

Fred"

"While the weather is nice I make it down to the Henry Hudson trail 2 - 3 times a week. It is great for both in-line skating and bike riding. I usually start by the Leonardo end because there is a good parking area with restrooms and water fountains. Plus the pavement is better maintained on this end.

The only problem is that there are a number of places where the tree roots are creating bumps in the pavement, but they seem to be repaving over sections to fix this."

"A wonderful paved trail although there are several very busy street crossings along the route.

Passing through marshes and residential back yards, this trail offers enjoyable views.

Plenty of parking at either end and loads to do in Atlantic Highlands to kill time."

"Excellent starter trail and good for children, although there are many street crossings in Keyport and Keansburg. The trail ends in Atlantic Highlands where there are several casual restruants and a marina."