
Visitors to the Highlands Trail in New Jersey experience brand-new signs installed along the length of the New Jersey section. This is the result of a successful collaboration between the New Jersey Highlands Water Protection & Planning Council (Highlands Council) and the Trail Conference. The New Jersey section of the Trail extends approximately 130 miles from…

Our Publications Committee has continued to be quite busy recently, so here is an overview of recently published titles and upcoming updates as of mid-September. Recent Maps and Books: Northern New Jersey Highlands Trails map setCheck out the Northern New Jersey Highlands Trails map set, an updated version of our popular North Jersey Trails map,…

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Help find the next problem invaders that threaten our region’s natural areas… Become an Invasives Strike Force (ISF) citizen science volunteer! SIGN UP TODAY! We are excited to announce and unroll our newly refined ISF survey program for 2022! Many of you have helped contribute to our standard, intermediate, and blockbuster surveys which were the hallmark…

The Trail Conference has been awarded a $250 grant from ExtremeTerrain’s Clean Trail Grant Program. The program provides a grant for organizations for their next trail improvement projects. The Trail Conference will use the grant to provide food and refreshments for participants at the annual National Trails Day event at Trail Conference Headquarters at the historic Darlington Schoolhouse on…

On Monday, June 20, 2022, the Trail Conference celebrated the installation of new Lenape Trail bollards in Cedar Grove Park. In partnership with the Essex County Park System, 33 new bollards were installed along New Jersey’s 36-mile Lenape Trail that connects 18 parks and 11 municipalities. This project represents the culmination of 10+ years of work…

The most important part of having a safe, enjoyable trail experience is being prepared. When you’re heading into the woods, that means having reliable navigation. These days, we are blessed with an abundance of navigation resources: In addition to traditional paper maps, there are online hike descriptions, guidebooks, trailhead kiosks, downloadable park maps, interactive Avenza Maps…

This fall, hundreds of enthusiastic runners participated in trail events ranging from 2 to 26.2 miles. From smooth carriageways in Rockefeller and the Ramapos to singletrack trails in Sterling Forest, these venues are helping runners connect with the Trail Conference and our mission. 2nd Annual Sterling Furnace Half Marathon and 7-Miler Organized by Trail Conference Board member…

What a difference a year can make! The Welch Trail Education Center (WTEC) is blossoming into a seasonal home for our Conservation Corps members and a budding environmental center. With the COVID-19 vaccine came the help of volunteers which made all the difference. Last year, it was only my father, husband, and two sons pitching in. This year, it…

Every Christmas before I turned 10, my parents would load up the car and drive my sisters and me 400 km (about 250 miles) from Lagos to our village in Edo state to visit our grandparents. We drove through the tropical rainforest dotted with red sand anthills and thick bush as far as the eyes…

The volunteers of the Trail Tramps made significant improvements along the Briarcliff Peekskill Trail in New York’s Westchester County thanks to the support of a donor. In 2020, before the COVID-19 pandemic began, hiker Mark Perreault walked the Briarcliff Peekskill Trail in New York’s Westchester County and became concerned about the trail’s need for extensive…

New Board members Sreeni Nair, Kalyan Ghosh, Barbara Evans, and Carol Ann Benton were appointed to the Trail Conference Board of Directors in November at the Trail Conference Annual Meeting. Sreeni Nair lives in Mercer County, N.J. He has been an avid hiker all his life— first, in the mountains of India, and later in the…

