Here are some of the best hikes for people in New Jersey. I listed some of the best hikes that I have done and I know them to be good. Whenever I created or scheduled a hike, I wanted my group to experience a good hike with awesome views. They get a good workout and get to experience nature as well. The state parks and trail heads are all over the place and not all of them are inside New Jersey. You may need to drive very far in order to get to some of these hikes. Most of them are worth the trip though since a lot of the hikes offer amazing views and amazing trails.
1. Mount Tammany
One of the most popular hikes in New Jersey is Mount Tammany. There are plenty of trails but I only know of two very popular ones. This hikes is so popular that there are 3 parking lots. The first two parking lots fill up very quickly during the weekends. You have to park on the other side of the highway then walk back to the trail head. This hike has two beautiful views and a waterfall. You can either go for the short hike which is what most people do or go for the long hike if you want to exercise. Mount Tammany during the weekends is pretty overpopulated. It is like an ant farm at the top with so many people wanting to enjoy the view. So you may not have the space to get a solo picture during the weekends.
| Miles: 3.5 or 11 | Elevation Gain: 1200 | Loop: Yes |
| Difficulty: 5 or 8 | Rock Scramble: Low | Notes: Very Popular |
| State: Knowlton Township, NJ | Park: Worthington State Forest | Parking: Spacious |
2. Breakneck Ridge Loop
One of my favorite hikes is Breakneck ridge. You will have to use all four of your limbs to hike to the top. The rock scramble is great and provides a good workout for anyone who wants to exercise. There is a long hike or a shorter version where you take the Breakneck bypass trail. You can also go all the way to the Beacon tower as well if you want a good workout. There will be another rock scramble on the white trail waiting for you there. I find that most people just want to rock scramble and they don’t want to go all the way to the Beacon tower. There is a good ice cream shop near here and there is a lake view next to the shop also.
| Miles: 3.3 or 8 | Elevation Gain: 1,300 | Loop: Yes |
| Difficulty: 8 | Rock Scramble: Lots | Notes: Good Workout |
| State: Cold Spring, NY | Park: Hudson Highlands | Parking: Spacious |
3. Mohonk Mountain House
This hike is beautiful but you will have to drive very far. I usually organize this hike during the fall. The fall colors in Mohonk preserve is absolutely beautiful. I’ve been here so many times in the fall and it is so beautiful. This is the hike that I use. You may use the same hike or create your own trail. You may skip some parts of this trail if you feel that you don’t have enough endurance or stamina. For example, you can skip giant workshop and eagle cliff by going to laurel ledge road. You can skip labyrinth as well and just go to sky top via road. So there are many options, be sure to grab a map at the visitor center.
| Miles: 9 | Elevation Gain: 1400 | Loop: Yes |
| Difficulty: 7 | Rock Scramble: Lots | Notes: Amazing Views |
| State: New Paltz, NY | Park: Mohonk Preserve | Parking: Spacious |
4. Sam’s Point
This is another hike that you have to drive very far. I save this hike also for the fall. The colors of the blueberry leaves are beautiful when they change to red. This has a waterfall, cave and plenty of views. I did not like the cave though but still one of the best hikes if you love photography. You will have lots of opportunities to take scenic pictures. The hike is pretty good as well. You will get a good exercise. The trails are marked very well. I highly recommend getting here before 10AM during October. Way too many people hike this place during the weekends of October. The parking is limited.
| Miles: 9 | Elevation Gain: 1100 | Loop: Yes |
| Difficulty: 7 | Rock Scramble: Low | Notes: Great Hike |
| State: Ellenville, NY | Park: Shawangunk Ridge | Parking: Spacious |
5. Lake Minnewaska To Gertrude’s Nose
This hike is also very far or the drive is very long but this is definitely one of the best hikes I have ever done. Plenty of views and scenery. Lake Minnewaska also has plenty of trails for beginners. However, this hike is pretty strenuous. You are going to get a good exercise with this hike. There are plenty of picture taking opportunities as well. I like that the last few miles of this hike is a road. So if the beginner hikers are already too tired, they can get a good rest by walking on a pretty even terrain.
| Miles: 8 | Elevation Gain: 1322 | Loop: Yes |
| Difficulty: 7 | Rock Scramble: None | Notes: Very Scenic |
| State: Gardiner, NY | Park: Minnewaska State Park Preserve | Parking: Spacious |
6. Lake Minnewaska Carriage Road Circuit Trail
This is also a hike in Lake Minnewaska which is pretty far from New Jersey. This is one of the best trails to do if you love photography and scenery. This trail is not difficult though. I can probably finish this trail in 2 hours if I wasn’t taking any pictures. Most of the trail is just carriage road. The road is pretty even and you will see a few bikers on this road as well. This is a great hike for fall and if you want to go on a date with someone. This is not that difficult but this is a little bit long though so bring plenty of water.
| Miles: 9.2 | Elevation Gain: 1000 | Loop: Yes |
| Difficulty: 5 | Rock Scramble: None | Notes: Great For Fall |
| State: Gardiner, NY | Park: Minnewaska State Park Preserve | Parking: Spacious |
7. Four Mountains Loop
I call this four mountains loop because you will be moving through four mountains. Maybe even more depending on the route that you take. However, this is not that strenuous. I would rate this as moderate. This has plenty of picture taking opportunities as well. The views are pretty good and amazing. I see a lot of very old people taking lots of selfies and pictures on this hike all the time for some reason. This has views, lakes, hills, tiny cave and so on. This is a very good and beautiful trail. I love it.
| Miles: 8 | Elevation Gain: 1000 | Loop: Yes |
| Difficulty: 7 | Rock Scramble: Low | Notes: Great For Photos |
| State: Sloatsburg, NY | Park: Harriman State Park | Parking: Limited |
8. Carris Hill, Wyanokie High Point, Buck Mountain Loop
This is a good hike in Norvin Green State. This will allow you to see most of the really good view points and things to see in the Norvin Green State Forest Park. This is pretty easy and good for beginners. Plenty of views, and things to see. The forest provides good protection from the sun and there are lots of rivers so it is not that hot. There is a waterfall but this waterfall is not that good in the Fall season. It is pretty dry during that time. For some reason, whenever I hike here, there are barely any insects so that is good thing as well. The parking lot is not that big though.
| Miles: 7 | Elevation Gain: 1000 | Loop: Yes |
| Difficulty: 5 | Rock Scramble: Low | Notes: Good Hike |
| State: Bloomingdale, NJ | Park: Norvin Green State Forest | Parking: Small |
9. Apshawa Preserve
Another great hike that offers a lot of bodies of water. There aren’t a lot of view points on this hike but the lake and dam are definitely very beautiful. This is a nice easy hike as well and I would recommend this hike for beginners. The parking lots is pretty big as well. There is really no problem with the parking. The parts of this hike are covered in fences. You will have to use the door to move from one part of the park to another. Just follow the trails and you will see the doors.
| Miles: 5 | Elevation Gain: 700 | Loop: Yes |
| Difficulty: 4 | Rock Scramble: None | Notes: Bodies Of Water |
| State: West Milford, NJ | Park: Apshawa Preserve | Parking: Spacious |
10. Schunemunk Mountain And Megaliths
I love this hike but the drive is a little bit far though. Not as far as Mohonk or Minnewaska but still pretty far. I like to hike this place around the end of August. The wild flowers are very beautiful at those times. This hike is pretty difficult because it is going upwards so I don’t recommend this for beginners. Going down is also a pain. You may end up hurting your knee if you don’t have trekking poles. You can also get lost because you need some sort of experience following the cairns. I met a group here before and they have been lost for 2 hours because they couldn’t find the megaliths. You need to be able to follow the cairns to get to the megaliths if you don’t have GPS.
| Miles: 6.5 or 9 | Elevation Gain: 1600 | Loop: Yes |
| Difficulty: 8 | Rock Scramble: Low | Notes: Lots Of Cairns |
| State: New Windsor, NY | Park: Schunnemunk Mountain State Park | Parking: Limited |
11. Anthony’s Nose
This is a pretty good hike and not that far. There is a short version of this hike and a long version. I have seen tourists and beginners that just couldn’t do the short version. So I don’t recommend this for beginners but it is very beautiful at the top. The trail for the long version consists of up and down or ascents and descents so your legs are going to be working really hard. The parking lot is not that big for the long version and even smaller on the short version. I suggests getting to the trail head before 10 AM on a weekend.
| Miles: 2 or 7.4 | Elevation Gain: | Loop: No |
| Difficulty: 8 | Rock Scramble: Low | Notes: |
| State: Cortlandt Manor, NY | Park: Bear Mountain | Parking: Limited |
12. Popolopen Torne Loop
I love this hike. It is not that difficult but it is not that easy as well. The difficult part is just following the trail markers. If you have GPS then that is not a problem. There is a lake, rivers, views, and you can also go to the bear mountain bridge to enjoy the views. If you want to just take pictures at the top or you are a beginner, there is a parking lot at the trail head. It will be like 1 mile hike to the top. Probably even less.
| Miles: 6 | Elevation Gain: 1,200 | Loop: Yes |
| Difficulty: 6 | Rock Scramble: Low | Notes: Good Views |
| State: Highlands, NY | Park: Bear Mountain | Parking: Limited |
13. Pochuck Boardwalk, Stairway To Heaven, Pinwheel Vista
This is a nice hike in Wawayanda State Park. The unique thing about this hike are the cows. You will end up going through a farm and that farm often has cows moving around. The calves or the young cows are very friendly. They would meet the hikers and are interested in them. I tried to feed some of them but they wouldn’t eat the grass. Next time, I will bring a few apples with me. The view point is pretty beautiful as well. The pochuck boardwalk has lots of wildflowers during the end of August. The trail looks beautiful at that time.
| Miles: 8 | Elevation Gain: 1,200 | Loop: No |
| Difficulty: 7 | Rock Scramble: A Few | Notes: Lots Of Plant Life |
| State: West Milford, NJ | Park: Wawayanda State Park | Parking: Spacious |
14. Tourne Trail to Oslo Rock
This is a very easy hike. You will most likely be done in one hour. The trail is easy and the elevation gain is low as well. This is a good hike if you still need more exercise after Norvin Green State. It has a few viewpoints and the walk in the forest is nice.
| Miles: 2.6 | Elevation Gain: 600 | Loop: Yes |
| Difficulty: 2 | Rock Scramble: Low | Notes: Easy Hike |
| State: Bloomingdale, NJ | Park: Norvin Green State Forest | Parking: Small |
15. Bearfort Ridge Hike – Greenwood Lake And Surprise Lake
This is a beautiful hike and rather easy as well. The views consists of looking at various bodies of water. Greenwood lake looks beautiful at the view point of this hike. The view of surprise lake isn’t that amazing but it is pretty cool as well. This is good for beginners. You have the option of a 4 mile hike or 7 mile hike depending on where you park. I only did the 4 mile hike. I just wanted to take pictures of the lake.
| Miles: 4 or 7 | Elevation Gain: 900 | Loop: Yes |
| Difficulty: 5 | Rock Scramble: Low | Notes: Great Lake Views |
| State: Hewitt, NJ | Park: Abram S. Hewitt State Forest | Parking: Limited |
16. Mount Beacon Fire Tower Loop
This is a pretty good hike. If you just want to get to the fire tower and head back down then that is perfectly fine also. I see a lot of tourists and beginners that do this hike. The only problem is that the hike going down hill is pretty steep. You can definitely injure your knees, ankle and lower legs by going down hill to the parking lot. I highly recommend bringing hiking sticks. Do not take the shortcuts. I am guessing that people who are very tired, created their own trails. Do not use those trails because they are a lot steeper and you may end up hurting yourself.
| Miles: 6 | Elevation Gain: 2000 | Loop: Yes |
| Difficulty: 7 | Rock Scramble: None or Lots | Notes: Bring Hiking Sticks |
| State: Beacon, NY | Park: Hudson Highlands | Parking: Spacious |
17. Palisades Giant Stairs
This is a very easy hike and very fast also. I can do this in less than two hours even if I am carrying a lot of gear. This hike is not going to give people a good exercise but the views are really good. This is good for beginners. There are some rock scrambles but in terms of difficulty, this is pretty easy. Just wear proper footwear and be careful. You will be hiking near the Hudson river. It is not going to be hot. There is a restaurant at the parking lot if people get hungry.
| Miles: 4.5 | Elevation Gain: 900 | Loop: Yes |
| Difficulty: 4 | Rock Scramble: A few | Notes: Easy To Moderate |
| State: Closter, NJ | Park: Palisades Interstate Park | Parking: Spacious |
18. Diamond Mountain Loop Hike
This hike is a pretty good hike in Bear Mountain. The main parking lot is often full so I created this hike in an alternate parking lot while having the same trails in mind. This offers a couple of views, some are blocked by the trees. There is also a lake. This is a good forest walk and offer a good exercise as well.
| Miles: 6.5 | Elevation Gain: 1250 | Loop: Yes |
| Difficulty: 7 | Rock Scramble: A few | Notes: Good Hike |
| State: Ramapo, NY | Park: Bear Mountain | Parking: Spacious |
19. Bull Hill Full Loop
The trail head is next to Breakneck Ridge. This hike is often overshadowed by Breakneck but this hike still offers a good exercise and very interesting views. There are ruins of mansions, wildflowers, streams, views and so on. This is an interesting hike and not that hard to do.
| Miles: 7 miles | Elevation Gain: 1,400 | Loop: Yes |
| Difficulty: 6 | Rock Scramble: Low | Notes: Ruins |
| State: Cornwall Landing, NY | Park: Hudson Highlands | Parking: Small |
20. Storm King Hike
This is a very short hike but offers plenty of views. If you just want to take a hike, get into nature, and leave as soon as possible then this is a good hike. There are views after views after views. The only problem is that this hike is only 2.3 miles which means you will not get a good workout out of this. Still a good hike for beginners.
| Miles: 3.3 | Elevation Gain: 650 | Loop: Yes |
| Difficulty: 4 | Rock Scramble: Low | Notes: Short Hike |
| State: Cornwall, NY | Park: Storm King State Park | Parking: Limited |
21. Hoggencamp Mountain, Mines To Stahahe High Peak
This is a pretty long hike but it is also pretty easy. There isn’t much elevation gain and the trails are mostly flat. There are lots of views, lots of rock formations, mines and this is a pretty smooth hike. The stahahe high peak looks awesome as well but it is somewhat poorly marked. I did not have problems going to the stahahe high peak but I had problems getting back. I got lost in that very narrow trail with lots of bushes. I had to search for 5-10 minutes for the trail. You can skip Stahahe if you don’t feel like you have the energy anymore.
| Miles: 9 | Elevation Gain: 900 | Loop: Yes |
| Difficulty: 6 | Rock Scramble: Low | Notes: Rock Formations |
| State: Southfields, NY | Park: Harriman State Park | Parking: Limited |
22. Ramapo Lake And Cannon Ball Trail Loop
This is a pretty easy hike. It has views, ruins, a tower, view of the lake and so on. The hike is mostly flat and there is really not much elevation changes. You will be walking on roads as well. You can get lost at the canonball trail though. In the canonball trail at the forest, if you see wires or electric wires on the trail with ribbons, do not follow the ribbons or wires and go down. The next marker should be straight ahead.
| Miles: 7 | Elevation Gain: 1000 | Loop: Yes |
| Difficulty: 5 | Rock Scramble: Low | Notes: Easy, Lake, Ruins |
| State: Oakland, NJ | Park: Ramapo State Forest | Parking: Spacious |
23. Pyramid Mountain Tripod Rock Loop
This is another easy hike. There are some interesting rock formations, transmission towers, and a few viewpoints as well. It is a pretty easy hike that is good for beginners. This is more like a walk in a park than a hike actually.
| Miles: 3 | Elevation Gain: 700 | Loop: Yes |
| Difficulty: 4 | Rock Scramble: Low | Notes: Easy Hike |
| State: Boonton, NJ | Park: Pyramid Mountain | Parking: Spacious |
24. Sterling Forest – Bare Rock and Fire Tower
This is a good hike to a forest. There is a good viewpoint and you can go to a fire tower. Unfortunately, when I went here, the fire tower was closed. It was under renovation. My group and me were not allowed to go all the way to the top. It was closed. We were able to climb the stairs of the fire tower but we were not able to get to the top. The view was still good though.
| Miles: 8 | Elevation Gain: 950 | Loop: Yes |
| Difficulty: 6 | Rock Scramble: No | Notes: Good Easy Hike |
| State: Tuxedo Park, NY | Park: Sterling Forest State Park | Parking: Spacious |
25. Palisades Long Path And Shore Trail Loop
I am not sure if I want to say that this hike is difficult or moderate. I usually do this hike around March. I tend to hibernate during the winter, and I start to prepare to hike again around March. So in March I do a 12 mile hike to warm up my body and prepare it for the hiking season. The views are similar to the Giant Stairs hike I mentioned before. Simple hike and you most likely will not get lost. If you have google maps on your smart phone, you should be able to see where you are.
| Miles: 12 | Elevation Gain: 1200 | Loop: Yes |
| Difficulty: 8 | Rock Scramble: Low | Notes: Long Hike |
| State: Closter, NJ | Park: Palisades Interstate Park | Parking: Spacious |
26. Timp Torne Loop
This is a pretty strenuous hike. It will start out very slow but it will become more challenging along the way. There will be a lot of ups and downs or ascents and descents. You will go through rocky terrain and woody terrain. The views at the start are the same thing. It is just some sort of parking lot. You get different views as you further the trail. Definitely a great hike and a good workout.
| Miles: 8 | Elevation Gain: 1600 | Loop: Yes |
| Difficulty: 7 | Rock Scramble: Low | Notes: Felt Very Long |
| State: Tomkins Cove, NY | Park: Bear Mountain | Parking: Spacious |
27. Dunderberg Spiral Railway / Bald Mountain
This is another strenuous hike. The elevation gain is pretty high. This is not something I would recommend to beginners. There are some decent views along the way. You will get a good workout and a good exercise after this hike.
| Miles: 7 | Elevation Gain: 1700 | Loop: Yes |
| Difficulty: 8 | Rock Scramble: Low | Notes: Green |
| State: Tomkins Cove, NY | Park: Bear Mountain | Parking: Spacious |
28. Awosting Falls
This is a great hike if people are planning on visiting Lake Minnewaska. This hike is very popular in the Spring where the waterfall is at its peak. The waterfall is somewhat dry any other season though. This place is beautiful and there are a lot of places to take pictures of. There is a parking fee though so be sure to enjoy this place thoroughly.
| Miles: 2 | Elevation Gain: 200 | Loop: No |
| Difficulty: 2 | Rock Scramble: None | Notes: Beautiful Waterfall |
| State: Gardiner, NY | Park: Minnewaska State Park Preserve | Parking: Spacious |
29. Black Rock Forest
This is another good hike. There are a couple of views, rivers and plant life. This is not that hard and I had lots of beginners who did this with me. The path to the best view is somewhat confusing. You may get lost trying to get there. Other than that, I like this hike and I recommend it.
| Miles: 7 | Elevation Gain: 1100 | Loop: Yes |
| Difficulty: 5 | Rock Scramble: Low | Notes: Good Hike |
| State: Cornwall, NY | Park: Black Rock Forest | Parking: Spacious |
30. Bonticou Crag And Table Rocks
This hike is way too easy and too fast for me. I drove 2+ hours just to get here, I had to pay parking and the hike was very easy. I had to go to Mohonk just to get my time’s worth. If you have hiked most of the trails, then you should at least explore this place. However, the hiking trails in Mohonk will give better rock scrambles and better experience than this one.
| Miles: 6 | Elevation Gain: 1100 | Loop: Yes |
| Difficulty: 5 | Rock Scramble: Some | Notes: Short Hike |
| State: High Falls, NY | Park: Mohonk Preserve | Parking: Spacious |