Metrotrails: NJ, PA, NY Metropolitan Area Hiking and More!

Join us for this very diverse and interesting urban and suburban hike that will take us generally in the corridor of the old Greenwood Lake Branch of the Erie Railroad, and visiting parks and historic sites along the way.
The 15 mile hike meets at Fayette Avenue Park in Wayne NJ on a little side road.
After meeting, we will shuttle with as few vehicles as possible to our start point.
This is the third hike in the series to trace the old Greenwood Lake Branch, but the entire duration of this one is still active, which means we must follow parallel roads and such. To keep it interesting, we are going to do other stuff that will certainly make it more fun.
We will pass through small area parks that include the Mills Reservation, Mountainside Park, and Anderson Park.
On this route, we will also visit the Montclair Hawk Watch, which is only open a couple of months of the years! Here as well as in Mills, we will be treated to lovely views facing east from the Watchung Mountains toward New York City.
We'll come back down and pass through Montclair University which is parallel with the tracks for a while.
We'll turn onto some side roads, and the follow the old Caldwell Branch for a bit, which is now West Essex Trail. We'll turn off back to the north, though Little Falls and then to Willowbrook Mall where, depending on time, we may walk through a bit.
From there, we have to cut through some lots, use a pedestrian lane over Passaic River, and then side streets back up to our meeting point.
This sets things up so that the next hike in this series will be almost entirely rail trail on the abandoned branch line.
We'll have a whole lot of interesting stuff to see on this one.
If needed, contact me at 908 343 8374

Join us for this next hike in our Pennsylvania Highlands series, this time covering a few different trails from last time, a new section of the PA Highlands/Hopewell Big Woods Trail, and a long stretch of the Schuylkill River Trail where it follows mostly the former Schuylkill Branch of the Pennsylvania Railroad.
After meeting at 422 SportsPlex at 9 am, we will shuttle with as few cars as possible to our start point in French Creek State Park near Hopewell Lake.
We will walk along the south shore of the lake doing a little of the trails we've done in the past, but then cutting a couple of corners for more diverse route.
We will pass through Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site and continue north on Colliers Trail. We'll pass through the campground and then the east leg of Six Penny Trail to the new Highlands Trail. We'll take this steeply down to the somewhat new section that is all well graded and easy (which we did recently).
The section offers splendid panoramic views of Monocacy Hill and beyond to the Neversink Mountain to the west.
We eventually hit Schuylkill River Trail, and will have an easy walk to the east. It features a spendid former rail bridge over the Schuylkill River.
Everyone should come prepared with food and drink they need because we are mostly out of the way of stores and such. Side trips for those things will depend on our timing.
If needed, contact me at 908 343 8374

Join us for another historic presentation, this time on the Lehigh and Hudson River Railway, between the Delaware River and Maybrook in New York. Much of it is trail today.

Free event.

Join us for another diverse hike in the Hudson Highlands of New York, this time revisiting a bit of what we've done before, but with more than half of the hike totally new to us.
After meeting along the Empire State Trail at the Lowes Home Improvement Center of Highland New York, actually just off of the New Paltz exit from the Thru Way to the east, we will shuttle with as few vehicles as possible to our start point nearer to the Hudson.
This hike will give us about half very easy terrain and half tougher stuff.
I'll still be pushing the stroller through the entire thing, but the first part will be a bit of a challenge because we will be on circuitous footpaths.
The hike takes us from Berry Town Park up into Illinois Mountain State Park.
We'll make our way around the extreme southeastern perimeter on the red, white, blue, yellow, and then green trails weaving all through the property. There will be some rocks, but all of it is open to mountain biking, so we'll manage to get through.
Once we finish with these trails, we will descend again on gravel Reservoir Road. Less than one mile through development roads will lead us to the former Maybrook Line of the New York, New Haven and Hartford.
We did this entire line as a series before, but when we did this bit, it had been a rainy day and only a couple of people showed up, so this is the chance to finish the segment of it that a few are missing.
When we did this last, the trail was under development, so this time it will be like a new hike with the completed trail.
The route takes us through pleasant and easy terrain along the Black Creek and very nice woods.
We don't really pass by any food places along the way, so everyone should be prepared with whatever food and drink they want for the trip.
We'll pass by the cars near halfway point, and so it won't be necessary to carry everything all at once.
If needed, contact me at 908 343 8374