Mountain hike suggestions?

[Ellie]

Hi all! I'm relatively new to NJ and looking to do some hiking this summer. I would love to hear any suggestions you all might have for 4-10+ mile hikes with real elevation gain (and preferably a real summit) in day-trip distance from northeast central NJ. I love all the local parks, but I grew up in NH so my idea of a "hike" involves going up and coming down a mountain :) (and my husband and I are trying to get in shape for a Grand Canyon trip in August)

[TJ Karakowski]

Surprise Lake and Pinwheel Vista come to mind and they're relatively close to northeast Jersey. Since they're both connected to the AT (Appalachian Trail) you can easily make the hikes whatever length you want. Also I'm a big fan of the NY NJ Trail maps, and this one (http://www.nynjtc.org/product/north-jersey-trails) covers your neck of the woods and is a great resource for figuring loops and mileage. You can get them at Campmor up on 17N also if you live in that area.

[njHiking.com]

Hi Ellie – Along with the two that TJ mentioned, these are some of the hikes that have a decent climb (for Jersey) and/or view - that what we’ve used to prep for trips out west...

• Mt Tammany/Sunfish Pond (Tammany is short but steep  - combine it with Sunfish to make it longer).
• Buttermilk Falls, Crater Lake, Hemlock Pond (Buttermilk is short but steep)
• Wyanokie High Point
• Sunfish Pond via Garvey Springs, Delaware Water Gap - From Old Mine Road take Garvey Springs up (short but steep) and then north on the Appalachian Trail and back
• Mt Minsi (keep going on the AT to add some miles to this)
• We also have a few more on the Challenging Hikes in NJ page.

In general, the areas you might want to focus on would be the Delaware Water Gap, Norvin Green, Bearfort Ridge/Terrace Pond area, Harriman/Bear Mountain (over the border in NY). And these are all roughly within 1.5 to 1.75 hrs from central NJ.

--Dawn

[Ellie]

Thanks so much TJ and Dawn!!

[Paul]

check out this website:  http://www.nj1k.org/

I hate to tell you this, but NJ is relatively flat compared to NH. But don't limit yourself to up & down situations, there are lots of pretty spots in northern New Jersey.

Enjoy!

Paul

[Ellie]

Thanks Paul! I DO realize NJ is much flatter ;) As I mentioned in my original post we often go out for walks in the flatter county parks and other spots nearby, and we very much enjoy those walks. However, there are other times we want a more mountain-like hike (to prepare for vacation hikes among other things), and it's sometimes hard to get a sense of the elevation gain from trail descriptions, so the point of this thread was to try to find some good hikes that might fill that niche as well.

[Paul]

Cool. Well, i hope the nj1k site helps, and remember nothing is flat in Harriman.