Explore the best rated trails in Princeton, NJ. Whether you're looking for an easy walking trail or a bike trail like the Palmer Township Recreation Trail (Towpath Bike Trail) and Lake Iliff Trail. With more than 153 trails covering 933 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.
The John N. Balis Bikeway is a half-mile paved trail along a former rail corridor that now serves as an electrical transmission right of way in the suburban community of Runnemede. The southern end...
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 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,...
The Union Transportation Trail follows the path of the former Pemberton & Hightstown Railroad, which began operating in 1868. The original purpose of the railroad was to allow local farms and dairies...
The Audubon Loop Trail is only 2.5 miles in length, but is over four miles when adjacent sections of the Perkiomen and Schuylkill River trails are added. The trail begins in Lower Perkiomen Valley...
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...
Liseter Trail is a multipurpose recreation pathway in Newtown Square, west of Philadelphia. The mile-long trail skirts the edge of the Liseter subdivision on State Route 252/ Newtown Street to the...
The Lake Galena Park Hike & Bike Trail (alternatively the Peace Valley Park Hike & Bike Trail) offers 6 miles of blacktop along the shores of Lake Galena, just north of Doylestown in eastern...
Randall's Island Park Trails offer a series of interconnected paved loops on an island in the New York City borough of Manhattan. The park offers a quiet setting, especially enjoyed by runners, with...
The Skippack Trail traverses a township of the same name in eastern Pennsylvania, about 40 miles northwest of Philadelphia. Its western end connects to the Perkiomen Trail, a 19-mile north-south route...
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...
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...
Linking the communities of Palmyra, New Jersey and Tacony (a historic neighborhood within Philadelphia) is the over 3,600-foot-long Tacony-Palmyra Bridge. Built between 1928 and 1929 for about $4...
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The Cross County Trail runs for 3 miles between the Schuylkill River Trail in Conshohocken and the village of Plymouth Meeting. The trail links suburban shopping with neighborhoods and mostly...
Located in Worcester Township, the Zacharias Creek Trail is a an easy walk or ride along water, through riparian woods and across green fields. The trail begins on Green Hill road (where there is a...
Part of the growing network of multi-use greenways crisscrossing Southeastern PA and beyond, the 1.5-mile Chestnut Street Trail links several neighborhoods in Hatfield Twp. with downtown Hatfield...
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....
Saucon Rail Trail connects four communities: Hellertown, Lower Saucon Township, Upper Saucon Township, and Coopersburg. The trail has a slight 1% grade traveling from north to south and is easy for a...
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The Pennsy Trail is a short, but sweet rail-trail located in Haverford Township, to the west of Philadelphia. The trail's southern and northern ends are currently broken up by Manoa Road, with the...
The Landsdown Trail runs 1.8 miles between Lower Landsdown Road and W. Main in Clinton. The trail passes among open fields, woodlands and wetlands and provides access to the South Branch of the...
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...
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...
Located in Media Borough in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, Ridley Creek State Park encompasses over 2,600 acres of woodlands and meadows. The park is only 16 miles from Center City, Philadelphia, but...
The Upper Bucks Rail Trail opened in November of 2020, the culmination of more than a decade of work to turn the vision into a reality. The trail occupies the former Bethlehem branch of the...
Visitors to northwestern Philadelphia can acquaint themselves with the parks that surround Wissahickon Creek on a nearly 9-mile system of multiuse trails. In the north, the Wissahickon Trail (also...
United States Avenue Trail, which is also know locally as the "Green Trail" travels through a primarily wooded landscape between Foster Avenue and Egg Harbor Road in Gibbsboro, New Jersey. At the...
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The Lenape Trail is an paved multiuse pathway stretching two miles end-to-end. The winding trail sits on the tree-covered bank of Plainsboro pond, home to geese, swans and other waterfowl. Residents...
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 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...
This is the first phase of the proposed Lehigh & Hudson River Rail Trail. The second phase will connect Hillside Park to Kittatinny Valley State Park. It is hoped that there will be an eventual...
At 2.6 miles, the Staten Island Greenbelt Multi-Purpose Trail offers a nice jaunt for joggers, walkers, and cyclists alike. The crushed-stone path is 6-feet wide and runs from Rockland Avenue to...
For birders and other wildlife watchers, the short West Deptford Scenic Trail offers an opportunity for a remote and tranquil stroll through a beautiful natural area. Located within a 90-acre area of...
The Cross County Trail runs for 3 miles between the Schuylkill River Trail in Conshohocken and the village of Plymouth Meeting. The trail links suburban shopping with neighborhoods and mostly...
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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Officials in Coopersburg, a small town in southern Lehigh County, have constructed a small rail trail along a segment of the old Liberty Bell trolley line that passes through the borough. The...
Cobbs Creek Trail runs through the borough of Lansdowne, just west of Philadelphia. The paved pathway offers a scenic route along its tree-lined namesake creek from the 63rd Street Station to Cobbs...
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...
Tyler State Park, located in Newtown, Pennsylvania, covers over 1,700 acres on the grounds of an old farm in a charming woodland setting. The park features a network of interconnected trails,...
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...
Currently just a half-mile long community trail in the borough of Hatfield, much greater plans are in store for the multi-use Liberty Bell Trail. Plans call for the trail to follow the route of the...
Not to be confused with the well-known Frick Park across the state in Pittsburgh, the 1.5-mile Frick's Trail is among the newest link in a system of multi-use trails being developed in the suburbs...
The Cross County Trail runs for 3 miles between the Schuylkill River Trail in Conshohocken and the village of Plymouth Meeting. The trail links suburban shopping with neighborhoods and mostly...
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...
Located in Media Borough in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, Ridley Creek State Park encompasses over 2,600 acres of woodlands and meadows. The park is only 16 miles from Center City, Philadelphia, but...
The Eastern Parkway Trail is a 2-mile route along a tree-lined boulevard in Brooklyn's Crown Heights neighborhood. The path begins at Prospect Park, which houses some of Brooklyn's most popular...
This 2.4-mile paved trail provides a quiet, scenic escape northwest of Philadelphia, from Encke Park at Radnor-Chester Road to the shopping center at Sugartown Road and Route 30. The trail travels...
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...
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 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...
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 Schuylkill River West Trail will one day span 15.5 miles beginning in downtown Philadelphia and heading northwest through Lower Merion Township, West Conshohocken, Bridgeport, and Upper Merion...
The Battery Bikeway is a only a half a mile long but it is an important link in the Manhattan Waterfront Greenway system, connecting the East River Greenway with the Hudson River Greenway to form a...
The Merchantville Bike Path gently oscillates through Merchantville Borough, paralleling Chestnut Avenue. The paved 1-mile trail provides a pleasant route dotted with tall pines and leafy shade trees...
The Hunters Crossing and Brayton Garden trails form a paved, multi-use greenway that extends 2.7 miles from the Country Square Shopping Center in Quakertown to Dovecote Drive immediately south of...
The Little Lehigh Parkway Path is a jewel in Allentown's park system. The greenway consists of soft-surface trails tracking either bank of Little Lehigh Creek for three miles. Trees line nearly the...
Eventually, the Barnegat Branch Trail will travel nearly 16 miles from Barnegat Township north to Toms River along a branch of the former Central Railroad of New Jersey. As of 2019, three disconnected...
In the mid 1800s Chester, New Jersey, was the home of the iron ore industry; railroads shipped the ore all over the county. With the end of the industry, however, the rail lines were abandoned, turned...
Philadelphia's MLK Drive Trail offers a paved 4-mile route along Martin Luther King Jr. Drive that's popular for both transportation and recreation. The trail begins near the Philadelphia Art Museum...
This pleasant, flat rail-trail parallels Capoolong Creek through the Capoolong Creek Wildlife Management Area for nearly 4 miles. The surface is varied, so the trail is best suited for hiking or...
This trail is more of a walkway through streets, public spaces and industrial parks, with very little wooded areas to speak of..
First time users of the CVT. We found it well maintained, paved and wide. It's a fine trail if you like to walk or run. However, the trail is not very bike friendly as it has far too many crossroads that require stopping to wait for traffic and/or traffic signals. It runs too close to major highways making it quite noisy in spots.
On the plus side, if you take your shopping cart with you, it passes by Wegmans, Target, Walmart and every other big box store along its way, with convenient access to all their parking lots.
Our first ride on the CVT was our last. We will be sticking to the tried and true, bike friendly, Schuylkill River Trail.
The connection of this short trail to the Valley Forge extension to the full Schuylkill Trail system is now complete! Just yet one more extension off the Schuylkill system as of Aug 13 2022
Nice trail, mostly shaded, which is nice. The south end trail starts at the veteran park which is really nice. There aren’t a lot of benches along the trail, except in veterans park. The north end starts at living memorial park which has shaded parking.
Part of a series of trails - Horseshoe Lake in Succasunna, Black River Wildlife and Patriots Path - we started at Horseshoe Lake and went to the end at Chatham, an in and back trail, and it was a bit over 13 miles. Trail is ok, a bit bumpy in places, but not dangerous. Very flat, shaded and flanked by wetlands. We didn’t have a problem with insects, but can see where it may be a problem in wetter weather. Although beautiful through the woods, it got a bit boring by the end. We finished by doing the trail around Horseshoe Lake and it was wonderful. The lake path is well used, and it was nice to see families about enjoying the outarea. Parking is plentiful if you begin at the lake.
Beautiful, shady, wide and well maintained trail. Loved the falls and reservoir just off the trail, the Clydesdale farm and the easy ride.
Went on a very sunny, hot (upper 90s) day. Trail is completely paved. Lots of shaded areas. Great historical scenery and info. The only area that sort of freaked me out was riding past the rod and gun club. In certain areas, I could see gaps in the barriers. Yikes! But otherwise, very fun, easy ride!
Yesterday I rode the section of trail from the trail head at the west end of the 21st street bridge in Northampton to the Gap above Slatington. The round trip was a little under 24 miles. The terrain to the gap is mostly up hill with a gain of 475 feet. Most of the trail is in deep shade which made the heat tolerable. The entire atmosphere is really great. This section of the D&L trail is in very good condition. The fine stone base is well compacted yielding a nice hard surface. It may have rained recently because there was almost no dust. There is a nice little park area in Slatington with rest rooms and a food trailer only a short distance from the trail. I didn't stop this time, but plan to stop for food on my next ride. I only have one complaint about this section of trail. There are a couple of gates where the trail crosses country roads. The gates are closed and have poles on both sides to block motorized vehicles. The polls are too close together and pose a hazard to people on bicycles. Other than that, this and the Lehigh Gorge section are my favorite sections of the D&L trail.
No, the K&T Trail is not a loop. The title of my review instead refers to the impact that this mile-long trail, which is built along a segment of the now defunct Kensington & Tacony RR, on a section of the Delaware Riverfront in the NE Philly neighborhoods of Wissinoming and Tacony.
Our story begins in the city's early years in the late 17th century. At this time, the banks of the Delaware River were lined with forests and wetlands teeming with wildlife, where Native Americans and early colonists hunted and fished. As the city grew in the 18th and early 19th centuries, the local gentry were drawn to the area's serenity and beauty, building several estates and vacation homes.
Later in the 19th century, numerous industries began popping up along the river, using it as a power source and as a transit route for materials and goods. Mills and factories, as well as the Frankford Arsenal military depot, replaced the earlier mansions and explosive growth occurred as people, many of them immigrants, arrived seeking employment. It was during this period that the Kensington & Tacony RR, part of a network of rail lines that crisscrossed Philadelphia known as the Connecting Railway, was constructed to serve the riverfront.
The area served as an industrial and shipping hub for most of the 20th century. The Frankford Arsenal closed in 1977 and most other industry left over the next decade, sending the area into decline. The K&T RR was abandoned in the 80's, though its rails remained intact, slowly decaying along with abandoned factories and surrounding brownfields.
The dawn of the 21st century saw the riverfront's fortunes turn around as new recreation facilities, including Lardiner's Point Park and the Frankford Boat Launch, were developed. Old ruins were cleared away, allowing new forests to grow and wetlands to be reestablished. In the late 2010's, the old railroad tracks were finally pulled up and replaced by a ribbon of asphalt multi-use trail connecting the two parks and extending a little ways north, to Magee Ave.
Starting at its northern terminus, the trail directly follows the bank of the river, passing beneath the Tacony-Palmyra Bridge. The northernmost of the five bridges that link the city with NJ, the Tacony-Palmyra Bridge is a graceful, concrete structure that serves as a main traffic artery as well as a walkway for pedestrians and cyclists. Like the K&T Trail, this walkway is also part of The Circuit network and can be reached by following the access road to Lardiner's Point Park north to Milnor Street, then turning right onto the bridge. The park itself includes a small plaza as well as a fishing pier where visitors are treated to spectacular views of the bridge and river. Trail users also have the option of taking a gravel path that winds though young, new forests growing along the river bank before rejoining the main trail in the park's undeveloped, southern end.
From Lardiner's Point, the trail continues south through reclaimed meadows and wetlands, passing the Wissinoming Yacht Club. After crossing a creek, it continues south, threading a line between the river and the remaining abandoned buildings of old mills and the Frankford Arsenal, whose site is currently being redeveloped into an office and light industrial park, before ending at the Frankford Boat Launch. The old RR catenaries, which run high above the trail and are still in use as powerlines, as well as the remains of a few old boat terminals, still serve as testimony to the area's bustling past. Otherwise, the quiet and serenity of the trail demonstrate how this segment of riverfront has come full circle, reverting to its original status as a natural area.
Although the trail has several amenities, including benches in Lardiner's Point Park and the Frankford Boat Launch, restrooms in Lardiner's Point Park, ample parking at both parks and interpretive signage with detailed information on local wildlife as well as historical sites from each of the past eras, there was some litter. The trash was especially bad on the middle section of the trail near Comly Street, keeping me from giving it five stars.
Plans call for the K&T Trail to be extended north to the newly opened Baxter Trail and south to the Port Richmond Trail in the near future. All of these segments of multi-use trail being built along the Delaware River will eventually be joined to form the Delaware River Greenway, which, in addition to comprising part of the Circuit network, will also form part of the East Coast Greenway, a long distance trail that follows the Eastern Seaboard of the US from Maine to Key West, FL.
Fully paved trail with lots of shade throughout. Worked well for us on this August day with temperatures in the low 90’s. We parked at the Chestnut St lot / trailhead. We just did the 5+ mile loop portion. Took us 48 mins with a few stops and an easy pace. Well maintained.
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