Outbound Collective logo

Paterson, New Jersey

Looking for the best hiking in Paterson? We've got you covered with the top trails, trips, hiking, backpacking, camping and more around Paterson. The detailed guides, photos, and reviews are all submitted by the Outbound community.

Top Hiking Spots in and near Paterson

  • West Milford, New Jersey

    Hike the Terrace Pond North - South Loop

    10.7 mi / 1200 ft gain
    From Warwick Road, parking at the northernmost road side parking area, cross the road, and the Terrace Pond North trail (marked with blue blazes) begins as a steady climb until you gain a ridge that offers some great views for several miles. Eventually, you'll reach a power line where you turn ri...
    Read more
  • Tuxedo Park, New York

    Hike to the Sterling Ridge Fire Tower

    5.0
    8.5 mi
    Start out by turning right when you walk out of the visitor center onto Sterling Lake Loop (Blue Blazes). The visitor center is worth going in as they have a full diorama of the park with LED light to show trail routes. About .3 miles into the hike you will cross over a small bridge with a waterf...
    Read more
  • West Milford, New Jersey

    Hike Bearfort Mountain

    5.0
    5.06 mi / 1007 ft gain
    Bearfort Mountain is a great weekend morning hike that borders NJ and NY. Parking can be tricky as the entrance to the lot looks like it is Greenwood Lake Marina's boat storage area. Once parked, find the trail entrance at the top of the little hill and continue to the blue on white marked trail....
    Read more
  • Brooklyn, New York

    Brooklyn Botanical Gardens

    5.0
    1.34 mi / 75 ft gain
    Brooklyn Botanical Gardens is a loop trail that takes you by a lake located near New York City, New York.
    Read more
  • Brooklyn, New York

    Prospect Park Loop

    4.0
    3.65 mi / 223 ft gain
    There are multiple places to enter Prospect Park. If you're looking for the main entrance to Prospect Park, it faces the stunning Soldiers' and Sailors' Arch in Grand Army Plaza. It is adjacent to the Brooklyn Botanical Garden, the flagship Brooklyn Public Library, and the Brooklyn Museum. As you...
    Read more
  • Gillette, New Jersey

    Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge Loop

    5.0
    0.94 mi / 43 ft gain
    Nestled within the more urban and suburban communities in Northern New Jersey, you can escape back to nature at Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge. The name says it all - this place is the perfect opportunity to get up close to a variety of different wildlife that call this protected land home....
    Read more
  • Briarcliff Manor, New York

    Hike Kate Kennard Trail

    1.8 mi / 140 ft gain
    If you’re in the town of Briarcliff and looking for an easy local trail to try out, Kate Kennard Trail is good for getting in a quick run or walk. It’s a straight line path the whole way. You’ll know you’ve reached the end of the path when you see a sign that marks the beginning of a road leading...
    Read more
  • Staten Island, New York

    Hike the Staten Island Greenbelt

    4.0
    7.6 mi
    The white trail offers one of the two more ambitious hikes, passing through Egbertville Ravine, Heyerdahl Hill and Buck’s Hollow parks on Staten Island, offering an up-close view of the forest and marshland that once covered the island. About midway, the trail also passes the Greenbelt Nature Cen...
    Read more
  • Rye, New York

    Hike the Marshlands Conservancy Loop

    4.0
    1.55 mi / 125 ft gain
    Located along the Long Island Sound, this 147-acre conservancy is home to a plethora of different birds, including marsh wrens, seaside sparrows, and American woodcocks. The conservancy has 3 miles of trails, all easy to navigate. Starting out from the visitor's center, take the trail to the rig...
    Read more
  • Vernon Township, New Jersey

    Stairway to Heaven

    4.8
    6.8 mi / 1089 ft gain
    This popular hike starts out on the Appalachian Trail (AT, white blazes). You begin on a boardwalk that crosses over a marsh, then you leave the boardwalk and enter a forested area. At around 1.4 miles, follow a bicycle path, Canal Road, then turn right, cross over a bridge, and take a left throu...
    Read more
  • Bear Mountain, New York

    Hike Bald Mountain, Bear Mountain State Park

    4.7
    6.8 mi / 1080 ft gain
    From your starting point at the Bear Mountain Inn, go left along the Cornell Mine Trail. (This part can be a bit confusing, but go past the carousel to a shaded picnic area; that is where the trail starts.) You will go under a bridge and follow the trail until it takes a sharp left and descends t...
    Read more
  • Cortlandt, New York

    Hike the Camp Smith Trail

    4.5
    5.92 mi / 1759 ft gain
    This approximately 3-hour hike borders the Hudson River, and is one of the best in Westchester County. Start off at the parking area at the Bear Mountain Tollhouse, or at a small parking area farther up Bear Mountain Road, if you want a slightly shorter hike. The trail is fairly steep in places, ...
    Read more
  • Highland Falls, New York

    Popolopen Torne

    4.5
    1.18 mi / 531 ft gain
    Popolopen Torne is a hidden gem in the Hudson Valley, a surprisingly unknown trail with a beautiful payoff and a far deeper meaning. A short hike to the top puts you at the foot of a memorial to those who have served their country, a pile of painted rocks carried up by those who want to pay their...
    Read more
  • Philipstown, New York

    Anthony's Nose via Appalachian Trail

    4.6
    1.95 mi / 682 ft gain
    Parking for the trail runs along both sides of 9D right up until the Bear Mountain Bridge. It can be busy on the weekends so just make sure you're as far off the road as you can and be especially careful unloading kids and dogs. The trailhead is located at approximately 41.322571, -73.975949 and ...
    Read more
  • Monroe, New York

    Hike the Jessup/Highlands/Long Path Trails

    7.8 mi / 500 ft gain
    This trails starts at a small park in Woodbury called Gonzaga Park.  Closed from mid-November to April, you are still able to park just outside the gate if that is the time of year you are hiking.  Three different trail names share this path.  The Jessup trail starts/end at Gonzaga Park and trave...
    Read more
  • Philipstown, New York

    Hike the Osborn Loop

    7.6 mi / 850 ft gain
    The Osborn Loop trail itself is not a loop.  It connects to a 2.5 mile section of the Appalachian Trail.  Hiking these together creates the loop.  Start at the trail head for the Appalachian Trail on South Mountain Pass Road.  There is parking for two or three cars.  Walk up the road a short dist...
    Read more