What we’re about
**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
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Pre-Thanksgiving Gobble, Gobble Hike!
South Mountain Reservation Dog Park, South Orange Ave and Crest Drive, Maplewood, NJ, USStart and Finish: Locust Grove Parking lot. Please arrive 10 minutes early if you can. We will wait for the NYC train.
Please register for FREE to attend.
Distance: 5-6 miles (dependent on weather and trail conditions).
Terrain: hiking trails, some elevation. Moderate 2-2.5 mph pace through the woods.
Transit: NJ Transit to Millburn - Midtown Direct - 9:11 AM train from NYC.
Difficulty: Easy/Moderate. I will have a few hiking poles available to share. Please be able to walk narrow trails and some hills.
Category: nature, history, scenic.
Coordinator: Risa Olinsky: 201-618-5582, if you text or call leave your name please.
Directions: Locust Grove is located on Glen Ave across the sreet from the NJ Transit/ Millburn station. There is (limited) parking in the trail head lot, FREE at the train station and the Millburn Library across the street. Port-o-Johns in the park for before the hike.
Holiday Spirit! Each year at Gobble, Gobble we like to do somethig special to support the community. Again, this year we will collect old coats for all ages, children through adults. Bring your coats to the walk and drop them in my car and I will deliver them to The GenWealth Group for donation. Bring a coat, get a thank you gift!
For safety and comfort: Dress for warmth (layers suggested) Hiking shoes/boots. Bring water. Trails can be muddy and rocky in some areas. Hiking poles are helpful; not required. If you're coming from NYC there is the mid-town direct train to Millburn that leaves NY Penn Station at 9:11 am to arrive in Millburn at 9:56.
Children (who can walk the distance) welcome with parent/guardians. NO strollers, bicycles, or other wheels. NO dogs!!
Contact information. info@freewalkers.org, 201-618-5582.
More about FreeWalkers:
Our calendar of walks and hikes | About FreeWalkers | Walker stories | Walking tips
New Jersey walks | Pennsylvania walks | New York City walks
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2 attendees
New York Christmas Miracle Walk
NYC Penn Station, 8th Avenue at 33rd Street, 8th Ave and 33rd St, New York, NY, NY, USTake in all the best of holiday cheer in Manhattan and Brooklyn
Please register for FREE to attend.
Start: NY Penn Station
Finish: NY Penn Station
Distance: 9mi
Where to find us: Outisde Penn Station at 8th and 33rd
Optional endpoints: Many
Mini: yes
Terrain: paved
Transit: NJ Transit and MTA to Penn Station
Return: MTA D
Difficulty: Beginner
Category: urban, theme
Coordinator: Charles Updike
A celebration of Christmastime in the city, with more details to come.
A tour of the holiday highlights of Manhattan and a subway ride together to Brooklyn and back to see the amazing Christmas decorations of Dyker Heights.
Highlights:
- Macy's
- Saks Fifth Avenue
- Rockefeller Center
- Columbus Circle
- Union Square
- Dyker Heights Christmas lights
- and more....
More about FreeWalkers:
Our calendar of walks and hikes | About FreeWalkers | Walker stories | Walking tips
New Jersey walks | Pennsylvania walks | New York City walks1 attendee
Battle of Trenton March
Washington Crossing State Historic Park, Visitor's Center, 1112 River Road, Washington Crossing, PA, USFollow in the footsteps of Washington at our young nation's most vulnerable moment.
Please register for FREE to attend.
Optional endpoints: Walk one or both walks
Start: Washington Crossing PA
Finish: Mill Hill Park, Trenton
Distance: 4-13mi
Where to find us: Near the flagpole
Optional start: Afternoon history tour starts at the coffee shop at Warren and Front Sts, goes to the Old Barracks Museum via Morrisville
Mini: Afternoon history tour (4mi)
Terrain: paved
Return: carpool, Uber
Parking: Park for free at 25 Memorial Drive in Trenton around 7:30, possibly to carpool with others from this point.
Difficulty: Beginner
Category: nature, history, urban
Coordinator: Charles Updike, 916-225-0569.
Learn the history of the Ten Crucial Days that kept the American Revolution alive.
Two battle re-enactments, an 8 mile march and a 4 mile tour
Bear witness to the events of December 25, 1776 through January 2, 1777 and learn their significance.
Muster up. It is time for the FreeWalkers regiment to march with the Continental Army in observance of the 244nd anniversary of Washington crossing the Delaware and the subsequent battles of Trenton. Cross the Delaware with us and march down to Trenton as Washington's troops did after the crossing and prior to the Battle of Trenton, and then witness perhaps the most important battle of the Revolution re-enacted on the same streets where it all took place 244 years ago. Tour the area with us and return to town in time to observe the re-enactment of the second battle. Join us for part or all of the day's activities.
Schedule:
7:30am: Check in
8am: Crossing the Delaware and marching to Trenton for battle
(8 miles) Washington Crossing Historic Park in PA to Battle Monument, Broad and Warren Sts in Trenton
11am: Battle of Trenton re-enactment
12noon: Lunch break on Warren Street
12:15pm: Historic tour of Trenton and Morrisville
(4 miles) Coffee shop at Warren and Front Sts to Old Barracks Museum via Morrisville
3pm: Battle of Assumpink Creek re-enactment (2nd Battle of Trenton)
More info on these and associated events can be found at Old Barracks
Meet-up:
Meet us at the Washington Crossing Visitor Center parking lot at 7:45am for the crossing and morning march of eight miles. Look for us outside the coffee shop at 12:15pm for the historic tour of four miles.
Transit:
Both walks end a short distance from Trenton Transit Center. Carpooling may be available or can be arranged between Trenton and Washington Crossing. Return via Uber is also an option.
Come, intrepid foot soldier, brave the elements and defeat the enemy as our founding fathers did. Huzzah!
Highlights:
- Washington Crossing Park
- McKonkey's Inn
- Delaware and Raritan Canal
- Trenton Battle Monument
- Trenton battle sites
- Mill Hill Park
- Old Barracks Museum
- William Trent House
- Robert Morris legacy
- Summerseat (Washington's Headquarters, Dec 1776)
- Delaware Canal
- Morrisville levee
- NJ State Capitol
Partners:
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 walks
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1 attendee
Down the Shore Walk: Long Beach Island
Barnegat Lighthouse State Park, 208 Broadway, Barnegat Light, NJ, US22-mile walk on the beach and between seaside towns, with fun, food and a lighthouse tour
Please register for FREE to attend.
Start: Barnegat Lighthouse
Finish: Holgate Wildlife Refuge
Distance: 22mi
Where to find us: Barnegat Lighthouse parking lot
Terrain: beach, paved
Transit: NJ Transit bus, Uber
Return: Carpool, Uber
Difficulty: Advanced
Category: seashore, scenic
Coordinator: Charles Updike, 916-225-0569
Join us on this year's exploration of a new segment of the Jersey Shore, starting with a tour of the newly restored Barnegat Lighthouse and ending with a wildlife refuge. Hop from one beach town to another, beaches, main streets and back bay.
Meet us for pre-walk breakfast at the Inlet Delicatessen near the start of the walk.
Highlights:
- Barnegat Lighthouse
- Loveladies
- Harvey Cedars
- Surf City
- Long Beach
- Beach Haven
- Edward Forsythe Wildlife Refuge
More about FreeWalkers:
Our calendar of walks and hikes | About FreeWalkers | Walker stories | Walking tips
New Jersey walks | Pennsylvania walks | New York City walks
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2 attendees
Past events
325
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