About us
**FreeWalkers.org** is a social network dedicated to exploring life on foot, for walkers and hikers interested in participating in long-distance walking events in the Mid-Atlantic region. Membership is free and open to everyone. We support each member's effort to reach their own goals of fitness and enjoyment as we walk together, explore our surroundings, and promote pro-pedestrian interests.
FreeWalkers has thousands of members and hosts dozens of long-distance walking events each year in New Jersey, Pennsylvania and New York, as well as many in Maryland, Delaware and Virginia. Most walks are supported by mass transit for easy access and return, and are between ten and fifty miles in length. Some walks are longer multi-day or shorter distance events. We have all kinds of walks, but we are most known for our longer distance walking events. Some of our walks offer shorter 5k to 10k options.
Walkers are free to move at their own pace and distance. It is not necessary for a walk to be completed or timed, only enjoyed. Our walks expose members to countless locations of scenic beauty, historic importance, and pedestrian convenience, all with the benefit of social support, event organization and the opportunity to engage with interesting fellow walkers.
We are an IRS-approved 501(c)3 non-profit and your tax-free donations help us create free and low-cost walks that are interesting, challenging and open to everyone. We manage multiple regional FreeWalkers groups on Meetup. We do encourage joining freewalkers.org and actively supporting our partners and sponsors who help make these events possible. At our website, you can browse photos of our events, learn about our history and mission, and read about the experiences of some of our walkers.
Look for our many walks every year in greater New York City, many parts of New Jersey including Hudson, Union, Middlesex, Somerset, Union, Morris, Monmouth, Mercer and Burlington County; Southeastern Pennsylvania including Philadelphia, Bucks and Montgomery County; Delaware and greater Washington DC. Join us on nature hikes, city walks, history walking tours, long-distance walks, scenic walks and themed walking outings.
Why you might like to join the FreeWalkers:
• Did you ever wonder how far you could walk?
• Would you like to know more about the places you walk?
• Are you more interested in accomplishing personal goals than winning a race?
• Are you the type of person who can't pass up an interesting challenge or adventure?
• Have you ever longed to get out of your car and experience what a community is really like?
• Do you believe you spend nearly as many calories walking as running but over a longer period of time?
• Are you looking for a sport where social interaction is possible?
• Are you looking for an alternative exercise routine that's both easy on the body and builds endurance?
We look forward to seeing you at our next event. Walk the Walk! It's good for you, good for us and good for the greater community. Get out there for your first FreeWalk, and you will be glad that you did.
Upcoming events
11
First Congress Walking Tour -- USA250
Love Park, 16th and JFK Blvd, Philadelphia, PA, USPlease register for FREE to attend.
Historic walking tour celebrating the 250th anniversary of the First Continental Congress, the first unified move towards independence.
Start and finish: Love Park, northeast corner of 16th and JFK, across from Suburban Station. Please arrive 10 minutes early to check in, so we can get started quickly.
Distance: ~8mi
Where to find us: Near the corner
Optional endpoints: Many
Terrain: paved
Transit: Septa Suburban Station or walk or ride from Amtrak 30th St Station
Parking: Love Park parking garage, many options a few blocks west of Love Park
Difficulty: Beginner
Category: history, urban, theme
Coordinator: Charles UpdikeJoin us as we remember and celebrate the 252nd anniversary of the convening of the First Continental Congress in Philadelphia, arguably the first unified and constructive step taken towards American independence from Britain.
A tour of historic Philadelphia will provide context for the conditions of life in America and Philadelphia in 1774, and the grievances of the colonists. The location of the first Congress at Carpenters' Hall will be visited, along with other historic sites, and the Declaration and Resolves, a forerunner to the Declaration of Independence produced by the First Continental Congress, will be read.
We will finish with an optional stop for coffee and grub at Federal Donuts.
This is one of many experiential walks to be hosted by FreeWalkers in the next few years in celebration of the American Semiquincentennial.
More details to come!Highlights:
- Carpenters' Hall
- Independence Hall
- Liberty Bell
- Franklin Court
- Penns Landing
- other points of interest
More about FreeWalkers:
Our calendar of walks and hikes | About FreeWalkers | Walker stories | Walking tips
New Jersey walks | Pennsylvania walks | New York City walks29 attendees
Endless Summer Walk -- 30 miles -- Matawan to Asbury Park NJ
Aberdeen Matawan, 43 Atlantic Ave, Matawan, NJ, USPlease register for FREE to attend.
Walk thirty miles on trail, bay and beach with us.
Start: Aberdeen Matawan train station. Please arrive 10 minutes early to check in.
Finish: Asbury Park.
Distance: 10-30mi
Where to find us: Parking lot north of the tracks. There is a bagel shop for coffee and bathroom there too.
Optional endpoints: Long Branch train station: 23 miles and if you choose you can walk an extra mile to the train station. Return from Hudson Trail on 834 bus.
Terrain: paved, boardwalk, beach option.
Transit: NJ Transit train to Aberdeen/ Matawan.
Return: NJ Transit from Long Branch or Asbury Park.
Parking: Ample FREE parking at Aberdeen/Matawan station
Difficulty: Moderate to Advanced - depending on how far you choose to go.
Category: nature, seashore, scenic.
Coordinator: TBD
Highlights: Henry Hudson Trail, Atlantic Highlands, Sea Bright, Long Branch, Asbury Park
Don't you wish summer would never end?
The FreeWalkers know that feeling well and we aim to push the boundaries of the season each year. This year we are declaring this to be our last summer day - and one that is sure to be a great one for a final summer-like walk.
The Endless Summer Walk is a unique long distance event along the interesting and beautiful New Jersey coast. We start at the Aberdeen/Matawan train station near Keyport in the bay area and work out way east to Sandy Hook then south along the ocean all the way down to Asbury Park for a total of 30 miles - all in one day. Great trails, beautiful views and a great ending in quirky and exciting Asbury Park. This makes for an easy ending as we take the train in Asbury back to Matawan to complete the day.More about FreeWalkers:
Our calendar of walks and hikes | About FreeWalkers | Walker stories | Walking tips
New Jersey walks | Pennsylvania walks | New York City walks15 attendees
Burlington Heritage Trail Walk
Burlington Towne Centre, 30 W Broad St, Burlington, NJ, USPlease register for FREE to attend.
A little history and a bunch of riverside greenery along the Delaware River Heritage Trail
Start: Burlington Towne Center Station
Finish: Route 73 Pennsauken Station, Palmyra
Distance: 3-18mi
Where to find us: Across the street from the light rail stop
Optional endpoints: Burlington (3mi), Riverline stops at Delanco, Riverside, Cinnaminson, Riverton.
Mini: Three mile tour of Burlington begins and ends at Burlington Towne Center Station.
Terrain: paved, some dirt and gravel trails
Transit: Riverline light rail (transfer to light rail at Trenton Transit Center or Camden)
Return: Riverline
Difficulty: Average
Category: nature, history, scenic
Coordinator: Charles Updike
Join us for a casual exploration of riverside towns and waterfront nature areas, all along the Delaware River Heritage Trail. Easy transit via light rail. Starts with a historic tour of Burlington and finishes in Palmyra, with the option to walk across the Tacony Palmyra Bridge and along the East Coast Greenway's K&T Trail on the Philly waterfront, with three mile return on foot or transit from Bridesburg Station.
Highlights:
- Historic Burlington
- Burlington Bristol Bridge
- Beverly
- Delanco
- Rancocas Creek
- Amico Island Park
- Riverton
- Palmyra Cove Nature ParkThis walk is part of the 2026 celebration of the Delaware River Heritage Trail. Join us as we walk the trail on these dates:
May 2: Turnpike Gap Challenge, Bristol to Burlington
Aug 15: Delaware River Heritage Trail Loop Walk
(Philadelphia, Camden, Pennsauken, Palmyra, Tacony, Port Richmond)
Aug 29: Lower Bucks Loop Walk, Levittown to Bristol, Fairless Hills
Sep 5: Roebling Ramble, Roebling to Trenton
Sep 26: Burlington Heritage Trail Walk, Burlington to Palmyra
Oct 3: 17.76 mile Heritage Trail Freedom Walk, Philly and Camden
Oct 17: Bristol Stomp, Bristol to TrentonPartners:
The Delaware River Heritage Trail is a scenic multi-use pathway loop highlighting the cultural and natural resources along the upper portion of the scenic Delaware River estuary, linking dozens of communities from Trenton and Morrisville to Philadephia and Camden, connecting active travellers to parks, canals, waterfront views, and colonial and industrial history.The East Coast Greenway Alliance is a non-profit organization developing a public multi-use 3,000 mile trail from Canada to Key West through New Jersey and New York. Donations and memberships help make this dream trail a reality.
Circuit Trails is 800 miles of interconnected trails in Greater Philadelphia in the making, already one of America's largest trail networks. Once connected, the Circuit Trails will be one of the nation's premier urban trail networks and it will provide multiple benefits to neighborhoods, communities and the region as a whole.
More about FreeWalkers:
Our calendar of walks and hikes | About FreeWalkers | Walker stories | Walking tips
New Jersey walks | Pennsylvania walks | New York City walks17 attendees
17.76 mile Heritage Trail Freedom Walk
Franklin Square, 7th and Race Sts, Philadelphia, PA, USPlease register for FREE to attend.
Times and location to be determined.
Part of a weekend event celebrating America's 250th birthday and the Delaware River Heritage Trail. There will also be cycling, running and other activities, a weekend full of great journeys, surprises, smiles and lots of Delaware Valley energy.
Start: Franklin Square
Finish: Franklin Square
Distance: 4 to 17.76mi
Where to find us: TBD
Optional endpoints: many
Mini: 4 mile history loop
Terrain: Paved
Transit: Septa and Patco
Parking: TBD
Difficulty: Average
Category: history, urban, scenic
Coordinator: Charles Updike
The walking event begins with a four-mile loop tour of Historic Philadelphia that returns to the start before continuing on the Heritage trail.
Details coming soon.
Highlights:- Franklin Square
- Independence Hall
- Liberty Bell
- Betsy Ross House
- Carpenters Hall
- Washington Square
- Delaware River
- Race Street Pier
- Penn Treaty Park
- Ben Franklin Bridge
- Walt Whitman house
- Cooper River Trail
- Cramer Hill Park
- Cooper's Poynt Park
This walk is part of the 2026 celebration of the Delaware River Heritage Trail. Join us as we walk the trail on these dates:
May 2: Turnpike Gap Challenge, Bristol to Burlington
Aug 15: Delaware River Heritage Trail Loop Walk
(Philadelphia, Camden, Pennsauken, Palmyra, Tacony, Port Richmond)
Aug 29: Lower Bucks Loop Walk, Levittown to Bristol, Fairless Hills
Sep 5: Roebling Ramble, Roebling to Trenton
Sep 26: Burlington Heritage Trail Walk, Burlington to Palmyra
Oct 3: 17.76 mile Heritage Trail Freedom Walk, Philly and Camden
Oct 17: Bristol Stomp, Bristol to TrentonPartners:
The Delaware River Heritage Trail is a scenic multi-use pathway loop highlighting the cultural and natural resources along the upper portion of the scenic Delaware River estuary, linking dozens of communities from Trenton and Morrisville to Philadephia and Camden, connecting active travellers to parks, canals, waterfront views, and colonial and industrial history.The East Coast Greenway Alliance is a non-profit organization developing a public multi-use 3,000 mile trail from Canada to Key West through New Jersey and New York. Donations and memberships help make this dream trail a reality.
Circuit Trails is 800 miles of interconnected trails in Greater Philadelphia in the making, already one of America's largest trail networks. Once connected, the Circuit Trails will be one of the nation's premier urban trail networks and it will provide multiple benefits to neighborhoods, communities and the region as a whole.
More about FreeWalkers:
Our calendar of walks and hikes | About FreeWalkers | Walker stories | Walking tips
New Jersey walks | Pennsylvania walks | New York City walks14 attendees
Past events
588
