Release of First-Ever New Jersey Public Trails Tracker

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There are over 3,200 trails in Morris County alone. There are nearly 10,000 in the state of New Jersey.

The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), in partnership with the Trails Task Force of the New Jersey Geospatial Forum, recently announced the release of a statewide inventory of public trails in NJ.

“Trails are vitally important in providing access to the outdoors and connecting people with nature,” said Tanya Nolte, GIS Manager for New Jersey Conservation Foundation and co-chair of the New Jersey Trails Task Force. “It’s gratifying to see the work of the Taskforce result in this first public release of a statewide trails dataset. I look forward to its incorporation into Conservation Blueprint, a freely available online mapping tool; the depiction of trails statewide will make it easier to identify priority lands for conservation, including places where new trails can be connected to existing networks.”

This data set, the first of its kind, used information provided by government agencies and nonprofits to collect a list of over 9,500 public trails throughout our state.

The dataset, accessible by PC and smartphones, aims to advance the capabilities of the DEP, trail planners, and advocates to improve, expand, and better connect the state’s extensive network of trails.

“As the most densely populated state, we know the restorative value of connecting with nature by hiking or bicycling a trail,” said DEP Commissioner Shawn M. LaTourette. “We are blessed in New Jersey to have some 3,700 miles of trails interlacing our forests, coastal marshes, stream corridors, mountains and urban areas. With this new information tool, the DEP and its partners can ensure better connectivity of our trails, improve public safety, enhance access for our state’s residents, and plan for the protection and expansion of first-class trail networks for future generations to enjoy.”

The DEP strongly recommends that hikers use this resource to find more detailed and up-to-date information on trail conditions.

Among the many benefits, this data helps planners and advocates identify areas of focus for New Jersey, prioritizing projects and acquisitions that will link to larger trails to create a statewide network of trails and greenways.

“Planners will have much easier access to information that will help advance New Jersey’s environmental justice and equity priorities,” said Olivia Glenn, the DEP’s Deputy Commissioner for Environmental Justice and Equity. “With this information, planners can strategically and concertedly analyze existing trails, prioritize planned trails, and assess the availability of mass transportation options for all user groups, particularly those living in overburdened communities, to access and enjoy New Jersey’s great network of trails.”

The New Jersey Department of Parks and Forestry offers a mobile-friendly Trail Tracker interactive map that provides useful information on hiking in state parks, forests, and recreation areas.

Key partners that contributed to the development of this trail dataset include the New Jersey Conservation Foundation, New York-New Jersey Trails Conference, the New Jersey Office of Information Technology, the New Jersey Water Supply Authority, and the New Jersey Highlands Council.

“This dataset supports Complete Streets Initiatives and will help enhance the safety for bicyclists and pedestrians”, said Andrew Swords of NJDOT’s Division of Statewide Planning. “By being able to see all of the locations where trails cross public roads throughout the State, we can do a full analysis showing current conditions of safety features like crosswalks, signage, and signals, and prioritize areas in need of enhancement or attention.”

Starting in 2023, the DEP will update the data annually, in time for National Trails Day in the first week of June. The DEP also plans to integrate the data into a user-friendly web application in the future.

“This initial dataset should be viewed as the first phase of a ‘living’ dataset,” said Brandee Chapman, DEP’s State Trails Coordinator and co-chair of the New Jersey Trails Task Force. “The Trails Task Force is currently developing a process to maintain, fill in data gaps, and make the dataset more robust over time. We are grateful to the many partners we have worked with over the years to create this dataset and enhance an already impressive network of trails. We look forward to collaborating with them in the coming years to further improve on this work.”

The dataset may be accessed here.

If you plan on mapping trail data, please consider using DEP’s template so data can be easily integrated into the dataset

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