Books that cover hiking in New Jersey, nearby areas of New York and Pennsylvania, as well as NJ rail-trails and kayaking.
The major books are featured first, followed by a few older classics, then a big list of books by region or category.
Note if using Amazon… it’s now flooded with many AI-generated “books” filled with dubious, inaccurate content scraped from other sources and usually has fake images or scenery on the cover that you’d never encounter in our region.
Check to see if it’s from one of the major publishers of quality hiking guides… New York – New Jersey Trail Conference (NYNJTC), Falcon Guides, Appalachian Mountain Club (AMC), Countryman Press, or Mountaineers Books. Travel-focused guides from National Geographic, Moon, and Lonely Planet often include hiking content.
Be sure to also check out our companion page listing New Jersey Trail Maps.
Afoot in Morris – 2025
Guide to hikes across Morris County, New Jersey.
This guide highlights the more than 50 parks and preserves within Morris County.
The guide book features detailed descriptions of trails and parks, color photos, and many Trail Conference topo color trail maps, driving directions, and public transport info.
The hikes are broken into geographical regions – northwest, southeast etc plus the Morristown area. Even with a narrower regional focus than most other guides, this book still packs a lot of hike options.
Some of the major parks covered include Morristown NHP – Jockey Hollow, Pyramid Mountain, Great Swamp, Tourne County, Black River County, Hacklebarney, Schooley’s Mountain, as well as long distance trails like the Columbia Trail, Highlands Trail, and the Patriot’s Path.
Published May 2025.
Get Afoot in Morris…
Best Day Hikes in New Jersey – 2024
Guide focused on the Southern and Central regions of NJ.
If you live in southern NJ you’ll want this as your main guide, and if you’ve done a lot from the 50 Hikes book then get this to fill in some gaps.
This guide leans toward including hikes that don’t usually make it into NJ guide books. It leaves out some key hikes (i.e. Mt. Tammany) that tend to be over represented in hiking books in favor of lesser known trails.
There is more coverage of hikes across southern and central New Jersey than north. In comparing the overview hike map from this to the 50 Hikes book above it’s like they were there trying hard not to overlap.
The book is broken down in regions (Skylands, Gateway…), includes map diagrams, complete hike directions, historical background, and some color photos.
The 2nd edition update is co-authored by Priscilla Estes and Michael McCormick (who runs the blog “South Jersey Trails”). Many routes were updated and quite a few swapped out with hikes in new locations.
Some of the hikes that are now in the 2nd edition include: White Lake Natural Resource Area, Allamuchy Mountain, Rattlesnake Swamp and Catfish Tower Loop, Wawayanda Lake Loop, Allaire State Park, Manasquan Reservoir, Woods of Wenonah, and Princeton Battlefield and Institute Woods.
Updated February 2024 (2nd edition; 1st was 2019).
Get Best Day Hikes in New Jersey…
Hiking New Jersey (2023)
Excellent trail maps, and clear, well-organized directions.
Great overall guide totally revised 6/2023. Worth getting even if you have the prior version.
Routes were either re-hiked and revised or changed to a different route. Several different hikes were added (therefore some from the last book are gone).
Nice mix of trails all over the state. Additions include: Tillman Ravine, Surprise Lake (from State Line instead of Bearfort Ridge), Schooley’s Mountain, Clayton Park, Rancocas, Franklin Parker, Bass River, Maurice River Bluffs.
Trail maps and photos are now full color (and the photography is quite good).
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.
An info box gives difficulty rating, elevation, estimated hiking time, fees, trail surface, dog friendly, cell service, finding the trailhead etc. Includes little chunks of history of the hikes.
The “trail finder” list of hikes has a grid noting which hikes are best for waterfalls, views, children, dogs, etc.
Revised 2023 (2nd Edition; 1st was 2009).
Get Hiking New Jersey (2023)…
50 Hikes in New Jersey (2020)
The classic Jersey hiking guide and a great gift for new hikers.
If you are only purchasing one book or want to start with a good sampling of the hiking in New Jersey – this is the book to get.
There are a variety of hikes throughout the entire state, in all lengths and difficulty levels.
Hikes include Jersey classics such as Mt. Tammany, Terrace Pond, and Bearfort Ridge, central and southern NJ favorites like Sourlands, Cheesequake, Wells Mills, and Parvin.
There are detailed color topographic trail maps for each hike, with the route marked in red, are super easy-to-understand. Color photos throughout.
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.
The 2020 edition added three completely new hikes as well as revisions and updates for existing ones.
Updated April 2020 (5th Edition).
Get 50 Hikes in New Jersey…
Hike of the Week
A year of hikes in the New York Metro area.
This book collects 52 hikes from the Hike of the Week column in Bergen County’s ‘The Record’ newspaper.
Hikes are sorted by season and difficulty level and include a map for each hike. Associated history, geology, and wildlife information is included.
Since the focus is on the NY Metro area, these hikes are concentrated in northern NJ with some in the adjacent NY area and a few further out in areas such as the Catskills.
Average hike length ranges from short 1.5-2 mile hikes to around 8 miles, with a handful of 8+ for avid hikers.
Published in 2013.
Get Hike of the Week…
Kittatinny Trails
This book covers northwest Jersey’s Kittatinny ridge region – 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 Appalachian Trail in NJ etc).
Delaware 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.
Published 2005. Much of the info is still relevant but there have been trail changes of course.
Get Kittatinny Trails…
The New Jersey Walk Book
This book covers EVERY trail in NJ. Yes, EVERY park and trail in the state.
While the overall information is still relevant be aware that many trails have been changed or updated since publication.
This guide is broken down by region and then by park/area and then trails. Includes directions to the parks/trails, some facts and history about the parks and trail creation, the trail routes, mileage and blaze color.
There are also trail maps in the back of the book but there are no suggested “loops” – it describes each trail from start to end.
Published 2004.
Get The New Jersey Walk Book…
Hiking the Jersey Highlands
This book focuses on 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 diagram. The hikes tend to be on the shorter side (under 6-miles or so).
Published 2007. May not be available.
More great books…
For hikers looking for easy hikes in northeast corner of NJ:
Best Easy Day Hikes New Jersey
For hikers looking for hikes in Hunterdon County:
Hiking Hunterdon County Trails
Hunterdon County & Beyond
For hikers looking for hikes around Princeton:
Walk the Trails in and around Princeton
For hikers closer to NYC, these include hikes in Northern NJ:
60 Hikes Within 60 Miles: New York City
Best Day Hikes Near New York City
Take a Hike New York City
For hikers closer to Philly, these include hikes in central and southern NJ:
60 Hikes Within 60 Miles: Philadelphia – 2023 revised.
Wild Philly: Explore the Amazing Nature in and Around Philadelphia– Field guide / trip planner – 2023.
Best Day Hikes Near Philadelphia – 2018.
For hikers closer to NY – Harriman State Park (just over the NJ border)
Circuit Hikes in Harriman – 2020 revised.
Harriman Trails: A Guide and History – 2018 revised.
For hikers wanting to explore into New York:
Hiking New York – 2024.
Hiking the Catskills – 2022.
Moon Hudson Valley & the Catskills – 2019.
50 Hikes in the Lower Hudson Valley – 2019.
50 Hikes in the Upper Hudson Valley – 2018.
50 Hikes in the Catskills – 2017.
Scenes & Walks in the Northern Shawangunks – 2006.
For hikers wanting to explore into Pennsylvania:
Hiking the Poconos (2026) – 2026 revised.
Hiking Pennsylvania – 2022 revised.
For hikers with kids:
Best Hikes With Children – New Jersey
For hikers with dogs:
Best Hikes with Dogs: New Jersey
For hikers also into biking rail-trails:
Rail-Trails New Jersey & New York (2019) contains many more New Jersey rail-trails than the original version (2011) that covered NJ, NY, and PA. There’s also a book dedicated to Pennsylvania rail-trails.
For hikers also into kayaking:
Quiet Water New Jersey (2010). This guide from 2010 is what we’ve been using for years to kayak in New Jersey. (Note: Available as a Kindle book but used printed copies sometimes show outrageous prices).
We also have the 2018 version, AMC’s Quiet Water Mid-Atlantic, which only has 13 of the 52 ones in the 2010 NJ-only book. Generally, kayaking info doesn’t get out-of-date as much as trails do.
Paddling the Jersey Pine Barrens (2002)
For hikers into waterfalls:
Hiking Waterfalls New York – 2025.
Hiking Waterfalls Pennsylvania – 2025.
Hiking Waterfalls New England – 2022.
Waterfalls of Pennsylvania: A Guide to More Than 180 Falls – 2020.
For hikers into birding:
Birds of New Jersey Field Guide – 2023.
Birds of New York Field Guide – 2021.
Birds of New Pennsylvania Field Guide – 2021.
For hikers into geology or rockhounding:
Roadside Geology of New Jersey – 2013.
Rockhounding Pennsylvania and New Jersey – 2024.
Rockhounding New York – 2025.
Novels about long distance hikes:
Farther: Eight Months on America’s Triple Crown Trails – 2026.
Mud, Rocks, Blazes: Letting Go on the Appalachian Trail – 2021.
Grandma Gatewood’s Walk – 2014.
Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail – 2013.
The Barefoot Sisters Southbound – 2008.
A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail – 2006.
Classics:
The Wilderness World of John Muir – 1954.
My Side of The Mountain by Jean Craighead George – 1958.
Desert Solitaire by Edward Abbey – 1968.
The Pine Barrens by John McPhee – 1978.
Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer – 1996.