Top 3 Can't-Miss Hiking Trails in Sussex County

The great outdoors are great for a reason. Looking for your next adventure in the Sussex County area? Look no more, because these trails will appease both novice and expert hikers.

1.) Sparta Glen Park – Sparta, New Jersey

The Sparta Glen Lake Trail is a 1 mile lightly trafficked loop trail located in Sparta, New Jersey that features beautiful wild flowers and cascading streams. The stream passing through Sparta Glen’s narrow valley, forms part of the headwaters of the Wallkill River. The elevation gain to reach the summit viewpoint is just over 350 feet and leads to a stunning view of Lake Mohawk. The trail is primarily used for hiking, walking, nature trips, birdwatching, and personally, I would recommend going between the months of February and October. The trail also has three different difficulty levels that are noted with green, blue and yellow markings, so be on the lookout when deciding which path to take.

For all you dog lovers- dogs are also able to use this trail, but they have to be kept on leash.

2.) High Point State Park – Sussex, New Jersey

High Point State Park is a state park located in the Skylands Region of Northwestern, New Jersey. The park covers about 15,413 acres and is part of the Kittatinny Mountains, the highest point in the state of New Jersey. High Point offers great trails for hikers and skiers and quiet spots for campers and fishermen. The view from High Point Monument, at 1,803 feet above sea level, offers a spectacular panorama of rich farmland and forest, soft hills and lush valleys in three states. The blue line of the Delaware River divides the verdant ridges of New Jersey from those of Pennsylvania. Local resident, Cathy Carlson said, “Loved this place! Hiking and views were the best. Good challenging terrain, and well marked trails”.

Fun fact: Landscaping was designed by the Olmsted Brothers of Boston who were the sons of the eminent Frederick Law Olmsted, who designed Central Park.

3.) Kittatinny Valley State Park – Newton, New Jersey

Glacial lakes, limestone outcroppings, and former railroads are just the few of many beautiful features of Kittatinny Valley State Park. With its multi-use trails, the park offers varying distances at various difficulty levels. Whether you are looking for rocky mountain surfaces or flat surfaces, they have it all. Local John Fleming, who routinely hikes at this location said, “the trail corridor exhibits many features of the trail’s former existence as a railroad and the flat cinder base of the trail allows for multiple uses including hiking, horseback riding, biking, cross-country skiing and dog sledding”. The scenic property is also home to a variety of wildlife such as deer, turkey, a variety of songbirds, beavers, muskrats, and squirrels.

Without a doubt, there are a ton of other remarkable hiking trails in the Sussex County area. Frankly, this blog post would be far too long to list them all. Knowing there are many hiking enthusiasts just like me, I'll sign off by asking my fellow hikers: what are some of your favorite hiking trails in Sussex County? Comment below!