NJ Hiking Recommended Books

50 Hikes in New Jersey

This is a really fantastic introduction to hiking in NJ. There are a variety of hikes throughout the entire state, in all lengths and difficulty levels.

Each trail description includes the distance, approximate hiking time, trail elevation, difficulty rating, corresponding map set, how to get there and of course the trail route. Each hike also includes a topographic map with the trail route marked on it.

New Jersey Walk Book

This book covers EVERY trail in NJ. Yes, EVERY park and trail in the state. Save yourself a lot of aggravation and get this. We hiked for years without knowing it existed – what a HUGE difference once we picked this up.

Published by the NY-NJ Trail Conference, the guide is broken down by region and then by park/area and then trails. Includes directions to the parks/trails, the trail routes, mileage and blaze color. There are also trail maps in the back of the book. NOTE: there are no suggested "loops" - it describes each trail from start to end.

Hiking the Jersey Highlands

Another book by the NY-NJ Trail Conference. It covers the Jersey Highlands region.

Areas covered include Wildcat Ridge, Hacklebarney, Ringwood, Wawayanda, Norvin Green, Farny State Park, Jenny Jump, Long Pond and more.

It's broken up by starter hikes, longer/scrambles and challenging hikes and each hike has a trail map.

Hiking New Jersey: A Guide to 50 of the Garden State's Greatest Hiking Adventures

by Paul E. DeCoste, Ronald J. Dupont Jr.

New - 2009. Excellent trail maps, and clear, well-organized directions. Nice mix of trails all over the state. Maps for each hike are very well done, and directions for the hike are broken down by mileage in the left column... super easy to follow along. Also gives difficulty rating, trail surface, "canine compatibility", relevant websites etc. Includes little chunks of history of the hikes.

Kittatinny Trails

By Robert Boysen. It covers northwest Jersey, all trails from the Delaware Water Gap to High Point State Park.

Areas covered include Worthington State Forest (Mt Tammany's Red Dot and Blue Dot trails, Sunfish Pond, Dunnfield Creek, the AT in NJ etc). Del. Water Gap NRA such as Crater Lake and Rattlesnake Swamp. Also: Stokes State Forest and High Point State Forest.

There are detailed trail descriptions, trail maps, photos, elevation profiles, and parking directions.

New Jersey Parks, Forests, and Natural Areas: A Guide

Michael P. Brown. This isn't a trail book with hike descriptions or specific trails listed, but is a good resource for locating parks across the state. You may find ones nearby you didn't know existed.

The guide is grouped by regions with a basic locator map at the start of each section. Each brief park entry lists address, park description, hours, fees, location, and allowed activities such as camping, boating, fishing, picknicking etc, as well as how many miles of trails the park contains. There are some photos throughout.