What are the best hikes in New Jersey?

Standouts include Hemlock Falls, Apshawa Preserve, Stairway to Heaven (Wawayanda), Buttermilk Falls (NJ) — 10 trails in all, mapped with difficulty, distance, and elevation on Roamward.

Are there easy or family-friendly hikes in New Jersey?

Yes — gentler options include Hemlock Falls, Apshawa Preserve, good for kids and the RV/camping crew.

Roamward

Open iOS beta

Hikes · New Jersey

Best hikes in New Jersey.

Q: When is the best time to hike in New Jersey?

Spring & fall. New Jersey hiking is the Highlands and the Delaware Water Gap — the Tammany climb, Stairway to Heaven, and hidden falls.

New Jersey hiking is the Highlands and the Delaware Water Gap — the Tammany climb, Stairway to Heaven, and hidden falls.

Curated trails10

Distance range2–5 mi

Biggest climb1,250 ft

Difficulty2 easy · 7 moderate · 1 hard

TerrainHighlands ridges & waterfalls

Best seasonSpring & fall

Don’t missMount Tammany (Delaware Water Gap)

Boots on

10 hikes worth the detour.

Sorted easy to expert. Every one mapped with distance, route type, and elevation gain — built for everyone from the RV & camping crew to the bucket-list crowd.

Hemlock Falls

Easy · 2 mi · Loop · 300 ft

a waterfall loop near Newark

Apshawa Preserve

Easy · 3 mi · Loop · 300 ft

reservoir and woods loop in the northern Highlands

Stairway to Heaven (Wawayanda)

Moderate · 2.9 mi · Out & back · 900 ft

a boardwalk-and-ridge AT classic

Buttermilk Falls (NJ)

Moderate · 3 mi · Out & back · 900 ft

a staircase beside the tallest fall in New Jersey

High Point Monument

Moderate · 3.5 mi · Loop · 500 ft

a loop to the highest point in New Jersey

Sunrise Mountain

Moderate · 4 mi · Out & back · 600 ft

an AT ridge with a stone pavilion

Tripod Rock (Pyramid Mountain)

Moderate · 4 mi · Loop · 600 ft

a giant glacial balancing rock

Wyanokie High Point

Moderate · 4 mi · Loop · 900 ft

a rocky summit with NYC skyline views in the Highlands

Ramapo Reservation

Moderate · 5 mi · Loop · 700 ft

lakes and ridges in the northern Highlands

Mount Tammany (Delaware Water Gap)

Hard · 3.5 mi · Loop · 1,250 ft

the iconic Red Dot climb to the gap view

Plan the New Jersey trip

Hikes, gems, scenic drives — all in one New Jersey guide.

See everything worth the detour in New Jersey, then let Roamward build the trip around it. Know a New Jersey trail we’re missing? Add it — we’re building this with the people who actually hike it.

Best hikes in New Jersey.

10 hikes worth the detour.

Hikes, gems, scenic drives — all in one New Jersey guide.

More to explore in New Jersey

Scenic routes

Roadside Americana

Lighthouses

More New Jersey guides

Plan it. Then take it on the road.