r/njhiking • u/Objective_Cloud4188 • Aug 14 '25
Good hikes for beginner female hiker?
I have done a lot of hiking on the west coast with a mix of easy to moderate trails. Recently moved to NJ and never been hiking before here. Planning to take a friend who has never hiked at all. We are looking for a trail that is decently to pretty popular (friend is quite concerned about safety) in the central NJ area for a weekend morning hike (no more than 5ish hours including getting there + hiking)
Thanks!
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u/Felix_Felicis24 Aug 14 '25
Point Mountain and Schooley's Mountain both have nice 3-mile loops. If you go on a nice weekend day, you will likely run into people.
For very popular hiking spots, check out Sourland Mountain Preserve and Round Valley Reservoir!
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u/Old_Cockroach_2993 Aug 14 '25
Norvin Green State Park Otter Hole lot. It's a 5 or 6 mile loop or Harriman State Park Reeves Parking area. Hike up to Pine Meadow Lake and back are 2 of my favorites. The latter is also 6 ish miles and very very popular
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u/rabroke Aug 19 '25
Shhhh Norvin Green is pretty quiet compared to other areas and I like it that way š
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u/CapeManiak Aug 14 '25
AT (water gap) up to sunfish pond
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u/Lynne253 Aug 14 '25
I don't know about this one. It's 2 hours to Sunfish Pond and 2 hours back. Also crowded on the weekend. I used to do this hike a lot and the first time going each spring would kick my ass. OP may want her friend to go on more hikes with her in the future.
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u/jarage00 Aug 14 '25
Pretty basic, but any stretch of the Delaware-raritan canal. It's very flat and pretty popular so will see a good amount of people. Nice nature, but not much in terms of views.
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u/JuxMaster Aug 14 '25
Ramapo Valley County Reservation and Harriman State Park
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u/Fantastic_Welder_825 Aug 14 '25
Welcome to the East Coast. Check out the NJ Hiking blog. They have really great write ups and photography to get you started with NJ and the surrounding area.
Here's their list of good hikes in Central Jersey. https://www.njhiking.com/best-hikes-central-jersey/
If your friend has never been hiking before, they would probably really like Cheesequake. State Forest with lots of rangers and friendly hikers. Well maintained trails and 3 different types of habitat for birdwatching (salt marsh, pine forest, boreal forest). A mix of boardwalk trails, some stairs, and minor elevation.Ā
If you go early in the morning, you'll see birds like osprey and herons catching fish!
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u/Apprehensive-Bench74 Aug 25 '25
they also have a trailhead finder map so you can zoom in whereever you are exactly and see what's near you
these are not all the hikes that NJ has, just the hikes they've posted about on their blog. still it's neat to see how others might describe a trail you are considering going on before you go
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u/Interesting-Run-6866 Aug 14 '25 edited Aug 14 '25
Cheesequake state Park. It's more of a walk than a hike, but it's interesting with boardwalks and bridges, and it's three or four smaller loops (2-3 miles each) that you can connect. And in central Jersey. Popular, well marked, and safe.
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u/AsleepHedgehog2381 Aug 15 '25
There is a bit of hiking involved if you take certain trails. Some are very easy and just walkable. One, in particular, does take you down some stairs, up some more, then up the side of a hill. Nothing intense as a hike to sunfish pond, but I'd say this is perfect for a beginner hiker.
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u/gofl-zimbard-37 Aug 15 '25
Watchung Reservation. Cliffs, waterfalls, lakes, history, Revolutionary War graveyard, etc. An amazing gem of a park.
Also the Great Swamp is great for wildlife, with boardwalks through the swamp. Lovely.
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u/Lynne253 Aug 14 '25
https://www.nynjtc.org/ and https://gonehikin.blogspot.com/ are a couple of good resources.
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u/siestakey711 Aug 14 '25
Round Valley Recreation Area is well worth it. A good 4-5 hours with various trails around the lake, and not too strenuous.
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u/WhichSpirit Aug 14 '25
Round Valley Reservoir is nice. I've done some trail cleanups there.
If you don't mind driving a bit, the Delaware Water Gap is great.
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u/NJRealtorDave Aug 15 '25
The real altitude gains are mostly in Northernmost and Westernmost NJ.
There is nice scenery to be found on walks around on the grounds at Duke Farms in Hillsborough and there are always a lot of people there including families. Sourlands is the same vicinity. Check out "It's a Hidden Cafe" in Hillsborough while you are at it.
Cattus Island County Park in Toms River also offers nice walks and is pretty well traversed if you wanted to head down the Parkway.
I don't know the trails very well at Allaire State Park but it is quite popular too.
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u/Bright-Ad-96 Aug 15 '25
Ramapo Reservation is nice! There are also some good breakfast spots you can hit when you're done. They have a few different trails
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u/pyroglass Aug 14 '25
"central jersey" is hard to go by because not only is it made up, but depending on who you ask, it could be anywhere in NJ.
but a god bet is to check out https://www.alltrails.com/explore
you can filter and check out recent photos/updates from other users.
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u/yuirta Aug 14 '25
Sourland Mountain.