Make Mondays An Adventure On Some Of New Jersey’s Most Popular Hiking Trails

For such a small state, New Jersey is really a hiker's paradise - so many of our beautiful state parks and forests are teeming with exciting trails. But for a beginner, it can be intimidating to get started. Which trails are suitable for beginners? Which trails are good in the fall and winter? That's why an organized hike in New Jersey is the perfect place to begin - and Stokes State Forest has an amazing one. Monday Mountaineers, a regular hiking group, is holding hikes through some of Stokes State Forest's most popular hikes through the month of November. These hikes are suitable for both beginners and experienced hikers, although a periodic "Monday Monster Mountaineers" group offers more strenuous adventures as well. So lace up those hiking boots and let's get ready to hit the trail!

Stokes State Forest is a sprawling natural preserve in the northern part of the state, not far from the Pennsylvania border.

It's also a great hiking destination. But tackling it can be intimidating - and that's where the Monday Mountaineers come in.

This organized hiking group tackles some of the forest's most popular hiking trails each week, starting with the Blue Mountain Trail on Monday, November 13th.

This four-mile hike is suitable for most hikers, and takes you past some stunning bodies of water.

Up for a more challenging hike? Come back the following week, November 20th, for a 6.5-hike through the mountainous region of Culver's Gap.

This hike on the Appalachian Trail is along the path of the forest's famous fire tower - one of the best views in all of New Jersey.

Have you joined the Monday Mountaineers on past hikes? Let us know what you thought of this organized hike in New Jersey in the comments section! You can find out more about the schedule of the Monday Mountaineers and links to the Eventbrite signups on the official NJ government website, and the Stokes State Forest Facebook page has some incredible pictures of the hiking grounds. If you're planning to make hiking a regular thing, you may want to subscribe to AllTrails + for some of your solo adventures - features like downloadable trail maps make it easy to stay connected even in remote areas.