NEW JERSEY

New Jersey is America’s most densely populated state yet only 17 states have a higher percentage of public land, which is a neat trick to pull off. Dogs are allowed to hike pretty much all that public land; they have to wait until the taffy shops close at the Jersey Shore to get to most of the 127 miles of legendary wide, white sand beaches for the most part but they can get there. Smack in the middle of America’s fourth-smallest state are one million acres of pine barrens so remote that the legendary winged creature with the head of a horse and the body of a serpent known as the "Jersey Devil" is still said to reside there. The New Jersey Pinelands were established as America's first National Reserve in 1978 and this is the largest open space on the Eastern seaboard between Boston and Richmond. More than 500 miles of sand roads are still unmapped for your dog to explore or sample the 49-mile pink-blazed Batona Trail. New Jersey claims 72 miles of the Appalachian Trail and your dog can jump on for memorable day hikes at the Delaware Water Gap, Van Campens Glen, the Stokes State Forest or Wawayanda State Park. The canine hike to Sunfish Pond, a glacial lake that is one of New Jersey's "Seven Natural Wonders,” is a highlight for day-trippers on the AT. Your dog can tackle another “wonder” - the iconic Giant Stairs hike at the 500-foot sheer cliffs of the Palisades on the Hudson River. It will take a mile of scrambling - and likely lifting your trail companion in places - over massive boulders that have piled up at the foot of the cliffs from thousands of rock slides over millions of years.

The Best Day Hike You Can Take With Your Dog In New Jersey

Blue/Yellow/White/Red Trails
Pyramid Mountain National Historic Area • Boonton

Pyramid Mountain is not what Seaman would expect from a hike in heavily suburbanized northern New Jersey. The mountain is best known for its glacial erratics - boulders that were sprinkled across the landscape by retreating ice sheets long ago. The most celebrated is Tripod Rock,a boulder variously estimated at between 150 and 200 tons in weight, that is suspended heroically off the ground by three smaller stones. Two massive stone monoliths: Whale HeadRock and Bear Rock stand close by. It was the desire to save these treasured rocks that led to the development of the Natural Historic Area that protects more than 1,500 acres of sporty trails, fields, forests and wetlands.

A five-mile loop cobbled togetherfrom the Visitors Center takes in all three natural phenomena. As a bonus the route tops out at 924 feet on Pyramid Mountain with views of the New York City skyline. There are wet paws along the way and enough short, steep, and rocky climbs to remind Seaman he is on a mountain and not in suburban New Jersey. Switchbacks help lessen the strain of 300-foot elevation gains.

If you are used to hiking with your dog in some of the wilder areas of the metropolitan New York area, Pyramid Mountain may seem like you have signed up for a parade on sunny weekends. Maybe someone will invite you and Seaman to drop in for a backyard barbecue at the end.

HIKING TIME: 2-3 hours

(from the book 300 Day Hikes To Take With Your Dog Before He Tires You Out: Trails where you won’t be able to wipe the wag off your dog’s tail)