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Best Mountain Hikes near New York City

There are 22 hikes near New York City in our database that fit. They average 12.6 km and 277 m (909 ft) of ascent, with the longest running to 81.4 km.

That is 13 percent of the 171 routes we map near New York City. They run noticeably longer than average for the area, 12.6 km against 4.5 km, so budget more daylight than a typical outing here. The climbing is steeper too: 277 m (909 ft) on average versus 99 m (325 ft) across the wider area.

Mountain routes trade effort for scale. Expect sustained climbing, quick weather changes and views that make the numbers worth it. The mix is broad: 14 are rated easy and 5 are hard or harder, so there is something here whether you have two hours or a full day.

Trails

Expert

Patriots' Path

New Jersey · United States

Distance
81.4 km
/ 50.6 mi
Elevation gain
1,791 m
Typical duration
21 hr
  • Mountain
  • Waymarked route
  • Long-distance path
Expert

Lenape Trail

New Jersey · United States

Distance
33.8 km
/ 21.0 mi
Elevation gain
743 m
Typical duration
8 hr 43 min
  • Mountain
  • Waymarked route
Expert

Patriots' Path

New Jersey · United States

Distance
40.4 km
/ 25.1 mi
Elevation gain
889 m
Typical duration
10 hr
  • Mountain
  • Waymarked route
Easy

Summit Trail

New Jersey · United States

Distance
1.3 km
/ 0.8 mi
Elevation gain
29 m
Typical duration
19 min
  • Mountain
  • Summit push
  • Waymarked route
Easy

Summit Trail

New Jersey · United States

Distance
4.1 km
/ 2.6 mi
Elevation gain
91 m
Typical duration
1 hr
  • Mountain
  • Summit push
  • Waymarked route
Moderate

Bearfort Ridge Trail

New Jersey · United States

Distance
8.7 km
/ 5.4 mi
Elevation gain
191 m
Typical duration
2 hr 5 min
  • Mountain
  • Waymarked route
Easy

Beech Mountain-Clove Trail

New Jersey · United States

Distance
4.2 km
/ 2.6 mi
Elevation gain
93 m
Typical duration
1 hr 1 min
  • Mountain
  • Waymarked route
Easy

Fire Tower Ridge Trail

New Jersey · United States

Distance
3.9 km
/ 2.4 mi
Elevation gain
86 m
Typical duration
56 min
  • Mountain
  • Waymarked route
Moderate

Mountain Bike Trail

New Jersey · United States

Distance
9.4 km
/ 5.9 mi
Elevation gain
208 m
Typical duration
2 hr 17 min
  • Mountain
  • Waymarked route
Easy

Pierson Ridge

New Jersey · United States

Distance
1.5 km
/ 0.9 mi
Elevation gain
33 m
Typical duration
22 min
  • Mountain
  • Waymarked route
Easy

South Ridge Trail

New Jersey · United States

Distance
2.1 km
/ 1.3 mi
Elevation gain
45 m
Typical duration
30 min
  • Mountain
  • Waymarked route
Expert

Suffern - Bear Mountain Trail

New York · United States

Distance
34.8 km
/ 21.6 mi
Elevation gain
765 m
Typical duration
8 hr 59 min
  • Mountain
  • Waymarked route
Easy

Wanaque Ridge Trail

New Jersey · United States

Distance
4.8 km
/ 3.0 mi
Elevation gain
107 m
Typical duration
1 hr 10 min
  • Mountain
  • Waymarked route
Easy

Wildcat Ridge Trail

New Jersey · United States

Distance
3.3 km
/ 2.0 mi
Elevation gain
72 m
Typical duration
48 min
  • Mountain
  • Waymarked route
Easy

Vista-Ridge Connector Trail

New Jersey · United States

Distance
0.5 km
/ 0.3 mi
Elevation gain
10 m
Typical duration
7 min
  • Mountain
  • Panoramic viewpoint
  • Waymarked route
Easy

Breakneck Mountain Trail

New York · United States

Distance
2.2 km
/ 1.4 mi
Elevation gain
48 m
Typical duration
32 min
  • Mountain
  • Waymarked route
Easy

Mountain Trail

New York · United States

Distance
2.0 km
/ 1.2 mi
Elevation gain
44 m
Typical duration
29 min
  • Mountain
  • Waymarked route
Easy

Ridge Loop

New Jersey · United States

Distance
4.3 km
/ 2.7 mi
Elevation gain
95 m
Typical duration
1 hr 3 min
  • Mountain
  • Waymarked route
Easy

Rocky Mountain Connector

New Jersey · United States

Distance
1.4 km
/ 0.8 mi
Elevation gain
30 m
Typical duration
20 min
  • Mountain
  • Waymarked route
Easy

Rocky Ridge Trail

New Jersey · United States

Distance
2.3 km
/ 1.4 mi
Elevation gain
51 m
Typical duration
34 min
  • Mountain
  • Waymarked route
Hard

Sierra Trail

New Jersey · United States

Distance
17.3 km
/ 10.7 mi
Elevation gain
380 m
Typical duration
4 hr 14 min
  • Mountain
  • Waymarked route
Moderate

Sterling Ridge Trail

New Jersey · United States

Distance
13.0 km
/ 8.1 mi
Elevation gain
286 m
Typical duration
3 hr 8 min
  • Mountain
  • Waymarked route

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
Patriots' PathNew Jersey81.4 km1,791 m21 hrExpertApril to October
Lenape TrailNew Jersey33.8 km743 m8 hr 43 minExpertApril to October
Patriots' PathNew Jersey40.4 km889 m10 hrExpertApril to October
Summit TrailNew Jersey1.3 km29 m19 minEasyApril to October
Summit TrailNew Jersey4.1 km91 m1 hrEasyApril to October
Bearfort Ridge TrailNew Jersey8.7 km191 m2 hr 5 minModerateApril to October
Beech Mountain-Clove TrailNew Jersey4.2 km93 m1 hr 1 minEasyApril to October
Fire Tower Ridge TrailNew Jersey3.9 km86 m56 minEasyApril to October
Mountain Bike TrailNew Jersey9.4 km208 m2 hr 17 minModerateApril to October
Pierson RidgeNew Jersey1.5 km33 m22 minEasyApril to October

If you only have time for one, start with Patriots' Path, Lenape Trail, Patriots' Path. 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

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