First Day 2026 Hike in Watchung Resevation!

Start/Finish: Trailside Science Museum parking lot

Distance: 5-6 miles dependent on trail and weather conditions.

Optional endpoints: If you decide to cut the hike short you are on your own to return to the start.

Terrain: Hilly, dirt trails with some rocky areas. Hiking shoes and polls recommended. There will be some poles to share if you do not have one.

Transit: NJ Midtown Direct Transit to Summit Station. Carpool from train is available but must be arranged in advance. Train to Summit leaves NY Penn at 9:22 am.

Parking: Free parking at the Trailside Museum.

Bathrooms: Bathroom at the start and midway as well.

Post- Hike Celebration: Lunch (your own tab) with us in the town of Summit, NJ (location TBA).

Pet Policy: Please leave your dogs at home. We love them, but this is for everyone's safety. Thank you for understanding.

Difficulty: Moderate, some hiking experience is suggested. Pace will be about 2.5 MPH.

Category: nature, history.

Coordinator: Risa Olinsky, info@freewalkers.org, 201-618-5582

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.

The 9/11 National Memorial Trail is a network of over 1,300 miles of trails connecting New York City, the Pentagon and Shanksville, Pennsylvania, in tribute to the heroes who perished on September 11, 2001, and the heroes who, in response, answered the call for their country.

The FreeWalkers are again offering the Cross-Jersey Walking Challenge, with a goal of walking the 100 miles of the East Coast Greenway across the entire state at any time during the year. This walk is part of the ECG trail from Trenton to New York City.

-