Skip to content

Best Coastal Hikes near New York City

6 routes near New York City qualify, ranked below by how much walkers rate them. They average 5.0 km and 111 m (364 ft) of ascent, with the longest running to 16.2 km.

That is 4 percent of the 171 routes we map near New York City.

Coastal walking is exposed, open and completely different in every wind direction. These routes keep the sea in view for most of their length. The mix is broad: 5 are rated easy and 1 are hard or harder, so there is something here whether you have two hours or a full day.

Trails

Easy

Shore Trail

New Jersey · United States

Distance
2.9 km
/ 1.8 mi
Elevation gain
64 m
Typical duration
42 min
  • Coastal
  • Waymarked route
Easy

Cliff Emanuelson Trail

New York · United States

Distance
0.7 km
/ 0.4 mi
Elevation gain
15 m
Typical duration
10 min
  • Coastal
  • Waymarked route
Hard

Shore Trail

New Jersey · United States

Distance
16.2 km
/ 10.1 mi
Elevation gain
357 m
Typical duration
3 hr 57 min
  • Coastal
  • Waymarked route
Easy

Beach Glen Trail

New Jersey · United States

Distance
4.6 km
/ 2.9 mi
Elevation gain
101 m
Typical duration
1 hr 6 min
  • Coastal
Easy

History Loop

New York · United States

Distance
3.4 km
/ 2.1 mi
Elevation gain
74 m
Typical duration
49 min
  • Coastal

The shortlist, side by side

The ten highest scoring routes on this page, so you can compare effort before opening any of them.

Distance, ascent, walking time and difficulty for the top routes
RouteDistanceAscentTimeDifficultyBest season
Preserve Shoreline Loop TrailNew Jersey2.5 km54 m35 minEasyApril to October
Shore TrailNew Jersey2.9 km64 m42 minEasyApril to October
Cliff Emanuelson TrailNew York0.7 km15 m10 minEasyApril to October
Shore TrailNew Jersey16.2 km357 m3 hr 57 minHardApril to October
Beach Glen TrailNew Jersey4.6 km101 m1 hr 6 minEasyApril to October
History LoopNew York3.4 km74 m49 minEasyApril to October

If you only have time for one, start with Preserve Shoreline Loop Trail, Shore Trail, Shore Trail. Those are the routes people come back to. Every route on this page links through to a full guide with the map, elevation profile, seasonal advice and what to bring.

Frequently asked questions

Related guides

Other shortlists covering the same area or the same kind of terrain.

People also search for