Pete Avelar painting a yellow Lenape Trail blaze in Branch Brook Park, Newark, with Sacred Heart Cathedral in background. Photo by Paul Kiczek.

Want to see more of New Jersey? The best way to see a state or country is on foot. Here’s a Columbus Day walk through Essex County, from preserved woodland through suburbs and ending in New Jersey’s largest city, Newark.

FreeWalkers, a social network for people interested in distance walking, is sponsoring The Lenape 34. Scheduled for Columbus Day, October 11, 2010, the 34-mile walk will begin at the Millburn, NJ train station and proceed along the Lenape Trail though South Mountain, Eagle Rock, and Mills Reservations, as well as through Montclair, West Orange, Nutley, and Belleville, ending in Newark.

The trail walk will begin at the Millburn train station at 7 AM and conclude at Penn Station in Newark. If you’re not up for the entire trek, you can do a portion. More details are at the Lenape34 Web site.

The Lenape Trail is part of the Liberty Water Gap Trail, which goes across the entire state of New Jersey (130 miles) from the Delaware Water Gap to the Statue of Liberty, through Essex, Morris, Warren, and Sussex Counties.

Twenty years after a 1974 fire ruined the tracks of the Poughkeepsie-Highland Railroad Bridge, built in 1888, Poughkeepsie’s Bill Sepe began advocating to convert the rail bridge to a pedestrian and bicycle trail. The dream became a reality when the walkway opened in October 2009, celebrating the  400th anniversary of the voyage of Henry Hudson in his ship, the Half Moon, from New York harbor to the site of Albany, NY.

People of all ages and abilities use the walkway, and it’s is a terrific asset for area residents or workers, who can stroll/jog/bike across and back before or after work or at lunch. Developers might not have thought there would be many people coming from the Highland side, since there were only about a dozen metered (2-hour limit) parking spaces, though we and others parked on the road without fees. As we approached Highland from the Thruway, there were a few signs for the Hudson Valley Rail Trail, which will eventually connect the Walkway Over the Hudson to the trail systems in the Shawangunks and the Catskills.

Warnings on the walkway Web site note that the temperature of the concrete can be up to 20 degrees hotter than the air, so people are advised to carry water, especially for pets, and to be careful of the dogs’ paws on the hot surface.

To learn more, go to
Walkway Over the Hudson Park Web site and Rails-toTrails Conservancy article.

Join canal enthusiast Bob Barth for a leisurely bike ride on the historic Delaware & Raritan Canal towpath. We will stop at historic villages and canal structures, such as locks and swing bridges, and talk about why the D&R was one of the most successful canals in the United States.

Helmets required. Bring water and snack. The ride will last approximately three hours.
Meet at the Griggstown Causeway parking lot.
Questions? Call Bob at 201-401-3121.

For independent rides along the towpath in the Millstone Valley,
see the National Scenic Byways suggested route:
Bicycle Ramble along the D&R Canal Towpath.

Cycling along the carriage roads in Acadia National Park

Traveling to a different part of the country? Want to bicycle when you’re there? HotelsCombined.com has released its Top Ten American Bicycle Destinations, with trails for various ability levels, throughout the country.

Or go to Trails.com and search for a trail (hiking, biking, or backpacking) where you’re heading.
Want rides closer to home? Click for Regional Biking and Walking Routes.
Interested in cycling the world? Check out National Geographic’s Top 10 Cycle Routes.

What trail would you recommend?

The most recent episodes are available at on blip.tv and older episodes (the series began in 1996) are linked from the index on pedestrians.org.

The shows are broadcast on the Princeton Public Access TV Channel (available in West Windsor on Verizon FiOS Channel 45). This summer they are shown on Tuesdays at 7 PM, Fridays at 1:30 PM, and Sundays at 11:30 AM.

Biking Hiking with Kids: Trail information and tips on mountain biking and hiking with kids, with links to other hiking and cycling blogs.

Car-Free American: Bill Poindexter profiles people around the country who use bicycles for commuting, running errands, and recreation.

Car Free Days: Since 2007, two parents have been using cargo bicycles and setting an example for their kids by setting aside days without getting into their cars.

Free Range Kids: “Do you ever…let your kid ride a bike to the library? Walk to school? Make dinner? Or are you thinking about it? If so, you are raising a Free-Range Kid!”

Kids and Nature: Jeff Hoagland is a naturalist and Education Director of the Stony Brook-Millstone Watershed Association.

Let’s Go Ride a Bike: Two friends bike-commute in Nashville and Chicago.

Livin’ in the Bike Lane: Ride hard, ride safe, ride on!

NJ Wild: Carolyn Edelmann blogs about nature, especially along the D&R Canal and towpath.

Pedal Around: a chronicle of  living car-free since Sept. 15, 2009 and his current adventure of bicycling cross-country. Love how he signs off with: PS: Remember, every lane is a bike lane. Share the road.

Streets Blog: The national blog network for sustainable transport, smart growth, and livable streets.

Suburban Bike Mama: Without a car for a few days, this city girl remembered her strong pedestrian roots and vowed to never “need” a car again.

A View from the Cycle Path: David Hembrow blogs about cycling in the Netherlands.

Walk Bike Jersey: The authors are advocates and professionals working to make our residents healthier, our air cleaner, our streets safer and the overall quality of life in New Jersey better.

The publisher, the Appalachian Mountain Club (AMC), notes:

“This easy-to-use guide will help you explore Eastern Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware year-round, from lesser-known excursions to area favorites, including several hikes on the Appalachian Trail. Each trip includes useful information such as a detailed map showing parking areas and natural highlights, and a summary of trip characteristics.”

Susan Charkes’ writing is featured on SustainableLawrence. org; she was an environmental planner for the Stony Brook-Millstone Watershed Association.

Also available from the AMC is Day Hikes Near New York City by Daniel Case.

Students pedal along the Trolley Line Trail

The WW-P News reports on a suggestion to extend the Trolley Line Trail, which would enable WW-PHS South and North students to safely walk or cycle between the two high schools, as well as providing a convenient and safe link for residents of both townships. This isn’t a new idea, and is one the WWBPA supports, but there are several obstacles that would need to be worked out. Read more:

Trolley Line Trail: Stretching the Limits
West Windsor-Plainsboro News

from the West Windsor & Plainsboro News, May 28, 2010

Writing for the WWBPA, President Jerry Foster sent a letter to the editor of the WW-P News in support of a Trolley Line extension.

WW-P News, June 11, 2010 follow-up article:
Trolley Line Trail: Hurdles Abound

Stony Brook Bridge completes a missing link.

The addition of a new bike/ped bridge, near Jasna Polana and the Hun School, completes a missing link in the Stony Brook Regional Bicycle and Pedestrian Pathway, allowing users to travel off-road or on lightly-traveled roads from the Princeton Battlefield to Princeton Day School and on to Hopewell.

The first pedestrians on the Stony Brook Bridge: Princeton Township Open Space Manager and Arborist Greg O'Neil, Township Engineer Robert Kiser, Project Engineer Deanna Stockton, President of Friends of Princeton Open Space (FOPOS) Wendy Mager, FOPOS Trustee Emeritus Helmut Schwab, Engineering Assistant Anthony Soriano, and Engineering Intern Phill King

Read more about the trail and the bridge installation in Town Topics.

Read about the Pedestrian Bridge Project History.

Click here for Princeton Bikepaths and Sidewalks Map.

New Jersey Transit is building two new rail bridges across the Hackensack River and taking 2.5 acres of parkland from Hudson County to build a new rail facility.  State law mandates that it must compensate Hudson County by providing double the acreage being taken or double the dollar value of the taken land, or a mix of the two.  The ECG wants that mitigation to take the form of two miles of trail in Hudson County, including a bike & pedestrian path on the new southern Hackensack River bridge, to bring the Greenway off-road from Belleville Turnpike in Kearny to West Side Avenue in Jersey City.  Two miles of trail, in a 20-foot wide corridor, comes to five acres.

Public support is needed to make this happen. A hearing planned for Wednesday, Feb. 10 has been postponed because of the snowstorm until March.  Or write a letter to :

Laurie Cotter, Deputy County Administrator
567 Pavonia Ave
Jersey City NJ 07305
The ECG requests that a copy be sent to:

NJDEP, Green Acres Program
Bureau of Legal Service & Stewardship
PO Box 412
Trenton NJ 08625-0412
Letters will be accepted until Feb 24.

Also send a copy to the East Coast Greenway,  27b North Rd, Wakefield RI 02879 or email it to info@greenway.org.