"Hike of the Week: A Year of Hikes in the New York Metro Area" 2013, 1st ed. Is Here!

November 13, 2013
Jeremy Apgar
New York-New Jersey Trail Conference

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"Hike of the Week: A Year of Hikes in the New York Metro Area" 2013, 1st ed. Is Here!
Hike of the Week Book Cover

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The New York-New Jersey Trail Conference is excited to announce the publication of Hike of the Week: A Year of Hikes in the New York Metro Area. This new book contains a selection of 52 hikes in the New York metropolitan area -- one for each week of the year. The hikes are taken from Daniel Chazin's popular Hike of the Week column in The Record and are organized by season and level of difficulty. The hikes run a wide range of lengths and difficulties, from easy jaunts under two miles in length to strenuous ten-mile treks.

About the Book

Hike of the Week: A Year of Hikes in the New York Metro Area 2013, 1st edition
Daniel Chazin
List price: $19.95 ISBN 978-1-880775-78-3
New York-New Jersey Trail Conference (November 2013)


Each hike is accompanied by photos or illustrations, a map, and a sidebar that focuses on some interesting aspect of the hike, such as history, geology, wildlife, etc. The photos show fantastic views and interesting features that one might encounter while on the hike. Each map has been designed to clearly show the hike route and identify the many different points of interest along the way. The sidebars were prepared by a team of volunteers, and the maps were designed by Trail Conference Cartographer Jeremy Apgar. The book was designed and laid out by volunteer Sara Abad, and Charlotte Fahn served as volunteer project manager.

This guidebook is perfect for anyone interested in exploring the rich network of trails in our area, including those new to hiking as well as experienced hikers looking to expand their horizons. Visit our website for more information about the book.

At a Glance

  • 52 hikes (nearly all loop hikes)
  • Maps and photos accompany each hike
  • Sidebars focus on an interesting aspect of each hike
  • Suitability of hikes for dogs is indicated
  • Driving directions are provided
  • Public transportation information is provided where available

About the Author

Daniel Chazin is a long-time member of the New York-New Jersey Trail Conference, having served on the Board of Directors, as Chair of the Publications Committee, and as editor and writer of a number of guidebooks. This is a beautifully produced and edited guide into which Daniel and a number of others have poured a vast amount of useful information. The hikes have all been field-tested by readers of The Record, members of the Trail Conference and Chazin himself. As Chazin points out, the hikes in the book often follow parts of more than one trail. (A trail guide often describes each trail individually.) Most of these hikes are loops, so that you can return to the trailhead without backtracking.

Chazin provides accurate descriptions of each hike, including difficulty ratings, distances, estimated hiking times, vantage points, and access information by both car and public transportation (where available). In addition, each hike includes a sidebar that focuses on some interesting aspect of the hike, such as history, geology, wildlife, etc., thus adding enriching information to the hiking experience. Chazin wrote 20 of the sidebars himself, while the remaining 32 were written by others with special expertise in the subject of the sidebar. Each hike is accompanied by a map and photos, and references are provided to the Trail Conference maps that cover the hike (when applicable) and to other maps available online or at the parks.

The guide covers a wide range of hikes, from an easy 1.3 miles in Richard W. DeKorte Park (about an hour) to a strenuous 8.0 miles on Plateau Mountain in the Catskill Forest Preserve. Altogether, the 52 hikes described in the guidebook include about 266 miles of some of the finest hiking trails in the New York metropolitan area.
For someone new to hiking in the area, this is an excellent introduction to many of the best hikes in northern New Jersey and southern New York. For a beginning hiker, especially teenagers, the book contains a wealth of information. For an experienced hiker, the descriptions are a joy, and the guide is a perfect gift for anyone whom you would like to get interested in the joys of walking or hiking outdoors.

About the Trail Conference

The New York-New Jersey Trail Conference is a volunteer organization dedicated to creating, protecting and promoting the nation's finest network of foot trails in a major metropolitan area. The Trail Conference is a coalition of 100 clubs and 10,000 individual members that maintains over 2,000 miles of trails in New York and New Jersey. Its website, www.nynjtc.org, and its hiking books and trail maps provide detailed information that enable hikers to enjoy some of the most remarkable trails in the country.