Explore the best rated trails in Plainfield, NJ. Whether you're looking for an easy walking trail or a bike trail like the Timp-Torne Trail and Palmer Township Recreation Trail (Towpath Bike Trail). With more than 114 trails covering 897 miles you’re bound to find a perfect trail for you. Click on any trail below to find trail descriptions, trail maps, photos, and reviews.
You’ve heard of the Steel Belt and the Sun Belt. The 6.7-mile Plainfield Township Recreation Trail passes through an area known as the Slate Belt. The quantity and quality of local slate made this...
The Pennypack Trail travels through wooded parks in Philadelphia and Montgomery Counties along Pennypack Creek, which derives its name from a local American Indian term for a slow-moving creek....
The West Essex Trail follows a short distance (just under 3 miles) of the former rail bed of the Caldwell Branch on the old Erie-Lackawanna Railroad. The trail runs between the EssexPassiac county...
The Hudson River Waterfront Walkway is a 1.5 mile walkway along the bank of the Hudson River in Jersey City. The walkway offers stunning views of Manhattan as well as access to a number of ferries and...
You might expect a 4-mile rail-trail that passes through three downtowns to be excessively urban, but the quaint town centers on the Joseph B. Clarke Rail Trail are compact and surrounded by...
Traveling north-south through Wall Township is the Route 18 Bike Path. The northern terminus is the Municipal Compex, which houses the County Library, the Municipal Court and the Police HQ, as well as...
The Warrington Township Multi-Use Trail spans nearly 3 miles on the west end of town. The trail is part of an effort to make the community more pedestrian-friendly, connecting major points of...
When complete the Green Brook Multi-Use Trail will meander for 7 miles through the communities of Plainfield and North Plainfield, New Jersey. The trail will connect major regional trails and parks as...
In the early 1830s the Morris Canal opened across northern New Jersey, from Phillipsburg on the Delaware River to Newark, and later to Jersey City on the Hudson River. It provided a thoroughfare for...
The Calhoun Street Bridge spans 1,274 feet across the Delaware River, connecting Trenton, New Jersey, on its east bank with Morrisville, Pennsylvania, on its west bank. Built in 1884, the intricate...
The system of trails in Loantaka Brook Reservation are open to hikers, cyclists and equestrians, although the trails are marked as to which uses are permitted on each segment. Loantaka Brook...
Prepare to be whisked into the past when you take the Edgar Felix Memorial Bikeway. The paved trail follows a short-line railroad corridor from the coastal city of Manasquan to a village at Allaire...
When Jones Beach State Park opened on Long Island’s South Shore in the late 1920s, a series of scenic parkways was built on infill dredged from nearby towns to connect New Yorkers to the new public...
While not a "rail-trail," the Hook Mountain/Nyack Beach Bikeway is a very scenic trail along the Hudson River in Rockland County. The southern half of this trail is flat and runs right along the...
The Perth Amboy Harbor Walk offers scenic views of the Raritan Bay and Raritan River as it hugs the shoreline of the City of Perth Amboy, founded in 1683 and home to one of the nation's oldest ports....
Note: This developing route is not yet fully contiguous; please refer to the interactive maps on the websites in the Related Content section. The D&L Trail runs for more than 140 miles through...
The Peace Valley Park Hike & Bike Trail offers 4 miles of blacktop along the shores of Lake Galena, just north of Doylestown in eastern Pennsylvania. The scenic trail travels through woodlands and...
New York City's East River Greenway offers views of the East River, Queens, Brooklyn, and the iconic bridges that connect these boroughs to Manhattan. The paved pathway traces the waterfront on one...
Like many other municipalities in the densely populated suburbs surrounding Philadelphia, the borough of Chalfont, located in Bucks County, has constructed its own network of multi-use trails to...
The Joseph M. McDade Recreational Trail runs nearly the length of the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area on the Pennsylvania side of the Delaware River across from New Jersey. The protected...
Freedom Trail Bikeway will eventually be a 10-mile route linking parks and open spaces throughout South Brunswick Township in northern New Jersey. The trail follows a former rail line through...
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The Palmer Township Recreation Trail (a.k.a. the Towpath Bike Trail) is a terrific community asset for Palmer and Bethlehem township residents and a great destination for visitors as well. Three modes...
The Saddle River County Park Bike Path is a beautiful suburban trail that winds alongside the Saddle River. Most of the trail runs through moderately dense suburban development, with residential and...
Even before the a trail was developed, the residents of Stockertown were enthusiastically walking along the former railroad corridor that cut through the borough. Now, 1.1 miles of packed cinder...
Although just a mile long, the Beach Channel Drive Greenway in Queens offers expansive views of Jamaica Bay and the beautiful Marine Parkway Bridge as it traces the border of Jacob Riis Park. On the...
The Columbia Trail has the distinction of being named for a natural gas pipeline that runs beneath it for 15 miles in rural northern New Jersey. The crushed-stone trail rolls along the South Branch of...
The John Kieran Nature Trail is a short loop that borders Van Cortlandt Lake and its associated wetlands. It is a wonderful site for bird-watching. The trail also passes several sites of significance...
Splayed over 1,146 acres in northwest Bronx, Van Cortlandt Park has a lot going on. The park is New York City's fourth largest and is home to the oldest municipal golf course in America. There are...
The Calhoun Street Bridge spans 1,274 feet across the Delaware River, connecting Trenton, New Jersey, on its east bank with Morrisville, Pennsylvania, on its west bank. Built in 1884, the intricate...
Over 5 miles in length when all branch paths are counted, the Sellersville/Perkasie & East Rockland Twp. Bicycle & Walking Path System is a ribbon of asphalt that links several parks, open space...
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Built on the former Erie Railroad main line, the 15-mile Heritage Trail runs through the small Orange County towns of Goshen, Chester, Monroe, and Harriman. The shaded trail runs through different...
The Ramsey Bike Path is a recreational path built on the former Paterson to Suffern trolley line right-of-way. The path extends along a north-south route from one end of Ramsey to the other....
The Doylestown Bike and Hike Trails system provides a convenient car-free network of paved pathways to get around this eastern Pennsylvania community, about 30 miles north of Philadelphia. With more...
Tatamy Trail begins in West Easton and heads north to Tatamy Borough, primarily along a former railroad corridor. On its southern end, it meets the Palmer Township Recreation Trail, which connects the...
With the 32-acre Poquessing Valley Park and the 500 acres of parkland of the Benjamin Rush State Park, it’s easy to feel like far Northeast Philly is fortunate when it comes to green space. But the...
When complete the Green Brook Multi-Use Trail will meander for 7 miles through the communities of Plainfield and North Plainfield, New Jersey. The trail will connect major regional trails and parks as...
At first glance, there’s no evidence that an aqueduct ever existed along the Old Croton Aqueduct Trail. The trail is often a singletrack dirt pathway that winds through communities and trees and...
This trail goes through the Black River Wildlife Management area along streambeds and forest. Equestrians must have a NJ Wildlife Permit, which is available from NJ DEP for a fee. The trail follows...
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A short rail trail with two covered bridges occupying a portion of the former Mount Hope Mineral Railroad right-of-way in Wharton, NJ. In the future this trail will be linked with the Rockaway...
The Manasquan Reservoir Trail is located in the Howell Township and provides a great natural destination in the heart of the town. The trail forms a perimeter loop around the 770 acre reservoir...
Running alongside a New Jersey Transit passenger line, the Traction Line Recreation Trail has been around since 1986, when Jersey Central Power & Light donated portions of the land to the Morris...
The Bronx River travels from the mouth of the East River north to the Kensico Dam, providing views of the natural history of the area. Because the trail is under development, there are several gaps...
The John Kieran Nature Trail is a short loop that borders Van Cortlandt Lake and its associated wetlands. It is a wonderful site for bird-watching. The trail also passes several sites of significance...
The South Bethlehem Greenway is a linear park that follows a former Norfolk Southern rail line through the southern neighborhoods of Bethlehem. The paved pathway begins just north of Lehigh University...
A short rail trail with two covered bridges occupying a portion of the former Mount Hope Mineral Railroad right-of-way in Wharton, NJ. In the future this trail will be linked with the Rockaway...
The Randolph Trail system covers 16 miles of pathways through five parks, the Clyde Potts Reservoir watershed and 2,000 acres of pristine open space. The trails link schools and neighborhoods and also...
The Kingston Branch Loop Trail is a trip up one side and down the other of the scenic tree-lined Delaware and Raritan Canal. The eastern half of the loop follows the bed of the Rocky Hill Railroad and...
The Johnson Trolley Line has two sections, north and south, which are split by Interstate 95; there is talk of building an overpass to link the two segments. The Trenton-Princeton Traction Company ran...
The tree-lined 22.5-mile Henry Hudson Trail is the definition of scenic variety. Traversing both urban and natural environments, the route passes wetlands, streams, fields, and the Garden State...
The Kinkora Rail Trail will one day span 13 miles between Mansfield and Springfield Township. In 2014, Springfield Township completed a small segment of the rail-trail that connects with the...
The Karamac Trail is a short walking trail that starts under the Interstate 80 bridge on the New Jersey side of the Delaware River. The trail follows an old railroad right-of-way; there is a railroad...
This trail is in an area rich in geological history. Zinc and Iron Ores were transported along this branch from mines in the area that operated for over 200 years. The trail is scenic with a slight...
The Warrington Township Multi-Use Trail spans nearly 3 miles on the west end of town. The trail is part of an effort to make the community more pedestrian-friendly, connecting major points of...
The trail winds along the Bushkill Creek connects the old Simon Silk Mill on 13th Street to Third Street at the base of the stone stairs leading up to Lafayette College. The trail is paved and though...
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The 1.5-mile Thomas F. Hampton Trail was named for a past executive director of the New Jersey Natural Lands Trust. Now an interpretive nature hike, the trail occupies the former rail bed of part of...
The Oxford Bikeway is a .9 mile long pave trail constructed on an abandoned railroad right-of-way. The trail can be accessed at three points. To the north the trail ends at Pequest Road, however there...
The two diverse sections of the Shore Parkway Greenway Trail blend urban and scenic, offering views of sights ranging from the Statue of Liberty to wildlife refuges. Following the Belt/Shore Parkway,...
Just an hour north of New York City, the Timp-Torne Trail offers a scenic hike through Bear Mountain and Harriman State Parks with panoramic vistas of the Hudson River. The rugged blue-blazed trail...
Splayed over 1,146 acres in northwest Bronx, Van Cortlandt Park has a lot going on. The park is New York City's fourth largest and is home to the oldest municipal golf course in America. There are...
The village of Smithville, upon which the Historic Smithville Park (open 8 a.m.–30 minutes after sunset) sits, has a long and colorful past—and some important connections to the history of bicycles in...
I have ridden this in its entirety, usually starting from Midtown. I have taken it all the way north to Van Cordtland park. South of 125th can get quite congested, especially on nice days.
Short piece of trail, but descent views of the Hudson.
Ridden this from Kensico Dam south. Great trail. Tight winds and turns, so some slow moving. Beautiful area. Not too congested.
This is my third time on the D&R. There are several loop trails that can be done by crossing from NJ to PA and back. This was my first time doing a loop. It was a 19-mile ride. We rode from Old Frenchtown Field in Frenchtown, NJ. There is a fairly large parking lot adjacent to the trail. We rode to Bull's Island and crossed the pedestrian bridge over to PA. The PA side is more scenic and is called the Delaware Canal State Park. There are a couple of locks right after you cross over. Both sides of the trail flank the Delaware River for most of the ride. At the covered bridge in Uhlerstown, PA, it's a short ride to the car bridge, which takes you back to Frenchtown. There are restaurants and stores easily accessible from the trail here. I recommend either a hybrid or mountain bike, as the surface is gravel (NJ side) and a mixture of dirt and gravel (PA side).
This trail is a continuation of the Old Erie Path. You can start riding in Tappan on the Joseph B. Clarke Trail, which then leads to the Old Erie Path. It starts at the Piermont train station building. It is very scenic as you rise above views of the Hudson River and Tappan Zee (Mario Cuomo) Bridge. The surface is crushed stone and dirt. A hybrid or mountain bike is recommended.
This trail is a continuation of the Joseph B. Clarke Trail. It is very scenic as you rise above views of the Hudson River and the picturesque architecture of Piermont. The surface is crushed stone and dirt. A hybrid or mountain bike are recommended. The trail ends at the Piermont train station building.
We rode from the parking lot in Tappan on Oak Tree Rd. The RTC directions are very accurate. The parking lot is small big enough for about 6 cars. This trail within the first couple of miles branches off. You can't miss the fork. It's clearly marked so you know which way to go. The left branch remains paved and goes to the end in Blauvelt. The right branch takes you to Piermont and Nyack, leading you to the Old Erie Trail. This part of the trail is crushed stone. There are a few street crossings along the way. This trail isn't particularly scenic but would serve as a good commuting or training trail.
Enjoyed this on a Sunday morning Well signed and fun
Great path, all asphalt, smooth and no roots, and pretty high speed on the down slopes. Be careful, though, and keep very alert when you have to cross the several big and busy streets. Riding toward Doylestown (going west to east) is easier than heading away from Doylestown.
I was there yesterday (1/15/20) and most of it was closed due to maintenance activity. Only the length north of Herbert was open. ( about 1 mile). Hope to go back after the work is complete
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