List of rail trails in New Jersey

Columbia Trail rail trail in Clinton Township

This list of rail trails in New Jersey lists former railroad right-of-ways in New Jersey that have been converted to trails for public use, as well as proposed rail trails.

Established rail trails

• Atlantic County Bikeway - former Pennsylvania-Reading Seashore Lines; extends from the Shore Mall in Egg Harbor, near Garden State Parkway exit 36, to the Atlantic County Institute of Technology in Hamilton Township
• Barnegat Branch Trail - former Central Railroad of New Jersey Barnegat Branch
• Beaver Lake Rail Trail - former New York, Susquehanna and Western Railway Hanford Branch
• Black River Trail - former Central Railroad of New Jersey Hacklebarney Branch, accessed from Kay Environmental Center in Black River County Park (Morris County)
• Capoolon Creek Trail - former Lehigh Valley Railroad Pittstown Branch
• Columbia Trail - former Central Railroad of New Jersey High Bridge Branch; trail runs for approximately 15 miles (24 km) and follows South Branch of the Raritan River for most of its length
• D&R Canal Trail Along Delaware River - D&R Canal Trail along the Delaware River utilizes the former Belvidere Delaware Railroad (later owned by the United NJ Railroad & Canal Company) right-of-way along the canal's original tow path on the eastern bank of the canal, which was relocated to the river side (west bank) of the canal during the construction of the railroad. The portion of the D&R Canal (known as the feeder canal) from Milford to Trenton utilizes this former railroad right-of-way. The D&R Canal and associated trails have been a New Jersey State Park since 1974.
• Edgar Felix Bikeway - former Farmingdale and Squan Village Railroad and Freehold and Jamesburg Agricultural Railroad
• Henry Hudson Trail - former Central Railroad of New Jersey Highlands Bridge Branch (extension to Freehold on former Freehold Branch was completed in 2006)
• Landsdown Trail - former Lehigh Valley Railroad Clinton Branch
• Middlesex Greenway - former Lehigh Valley Railroad rail line between Metuchen and Woodbridge; part of the planned East Coast Greenway trail
• Ogden Mine Rail Trail - former Ogden Mine Railroad trail, part of Mahlon Dickerson Reservation in Morris County
• Patriots Path (Speedwell Lake to Woodland Road) - former Rockaway Valley Railroad; only portions of the Speedwell Lake to Woodland Road section of Patriots Path use the former rail bed
• Paulinskill Valley Trail - former main line of the New York, Susquehanna and Western Railway to their former connection with the Lackawanna Railroad
• Pemberton Rail-Trail - extends from Hanover Street in Pemberton to Birmingham Road in Juliustown in Burlington County
• Ramsey Bike Path
• Rocky Hill Branch Trail - former Rocky Hill Branch of the Pennsylvania Railroad. Runs along the east bank of the Delaware and Raritan Canal from Route 27 in Kingston to Rocky Hill. Portions of the former rail right-of-way further east to Monmouth Junction might not be accessible.
• Sussex Branch Trail - former Sussex Branch of Erie Lackawanna Railroad
• Taylor Steelworkers Historical Greenway - a 6.25 mile trail that winds its way through High Bridge, criss-crossing a number of historical sites and beautiful scenery^[1]
• Thomas F. Hampton Memorial Trail - a 1.5 mi (2.4 km) portion of the trail follows an abandoned "donkey" railroad once located at Crossley^[2]
• Traction Line Recreation Trail - former Morris County Traction Company trolley line. A two-mile (3 km) portion of the former trolley line along New Jersey Transit's Morris and Essex line in Morris Township serves as a bike trail under the supervision of the Morris County Park System.
• West Essex Trail - former Caldwell Branch of Erie Railroad, part of the Lenape Trail system in Essex County
• Wharton Rail-Trail - runs along the former Mount Hope Mineral Railroad right-of-way in Wharton; a short rail trail (approximately 0.5 miles (0.80 km)) that is paved and has two covered bridges
• Wood Duck Nature Trail - former Hanford Branch of the New York, Susquehanna and Western Railway

Proposed rail trails

• Camden County - The William Penn Foundation has granted $77,000 to the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy to study the development of rail trails on unused rail lines in and around the city of Camden and surrounding suburban areas. The study is a one-year project called the Camden Metro Region Trails Strategy.^[3]
• Former Central Railroad of NJ line from Lakehurst to Winslow Junction - Momentum is increasing for support of the proposed Wharton Rail-trail in southern Jersey. The line was a remnant of the Conrail bailout of 1976 and has been out of service since that date. Since then, trees have grown up through the rails. Most bridges remain intact and the right-of-way and its access roads are being used by rogue ATVs, mountain bikers and hikers. The area eastward beyond the Batsto River is barren, uneventful, and impossible to ride. However, westward to County Route 536, there are several interesting trestles over tea-colored cedar water streams and hardwood groves amongst the solitude of pine trees. This latter route is mostly single track and double track in places west of U.S. Route 206 at Atsion. The New Jersey Department of Transportation will be studying the conversion of the line.
• Rahway Valley Railroad - The status of this partially abandoned railroad between Summit and Cranford is uncertain. Rail Trail groups would like to turn it into a permanent rail trail. Union County is actively pursuing reactivation of the old railroad right-of-way for freight service. The southern portion of the line near Kenilworth is not in active use and the rails and ties have even been ripped up near the Galloping Hill Road grade crossing.

References

1. "Happy Trails to You". Hunterdon County Democrat. April 9, 2010. Retrieved January 31, 2011.
2. "Crossley Preserve". New Jersey Natural Lands Trust. Retrieved November 2014.
3. Rails to Trails, Fall 2006, Page 7.