Please note, these hiking clubs are not officially run by the County of Union. For questions regarding each club below, use the contact information provided.
Founded in 1938 as the Union County Hiking Club, club members are men and women representing assorted walks of life, who are bound together by a common love of exercise and physical fitness in the great outdoors.
Some have sedentary jobs and hike, bike or canoe for a refreshing change of pace. Many are retired and enjoy these activities during the week when trails are less crowded. The exciting events offered to the club’s varied membership include outdoor activities all year long.
Several years ago, realizing that their hiking schedule was taking them far beyond the borders of the Watchung Reservation and to trails throughout the region, the club changed its name to reflect their wanderings. However, their schedule still includes several hikes a year in the Reservation.
Several years ago, realizing that their hiking schedule was taking them far beyond the borders of the Watchung Reservation and to trails throughout the region, the club changed its name to reflect their wanderings. However, their schedule still includes several hikes a year in the Reservation, along with the greenways in the Union County parks system, along with canoeing on the Rahway River.
For more information about the club, go to: https://www.tristateramblers.org/
Watchung Reservation Hikes
Information coming soon
East Coast Greenway/Sept. 11 National Memorial Trail Hikes
Information coming soon
Canoeing on the Rahway River
Information coming soon
New York-New Jersey Trails Conference
Since 1920, the New York-New Jersey Trail Conference has partnered with parks to create, protect, and promote a network of over 2,000 miles of public trails in the New York-New Jersey metropolitan region.
The Trail Conference organizes volunteer service projects that keep these trails open, safe, and enjoyable for the public. We publish maps and books that guide public use of these trails.
The Trail Conference is a nonprofit organization with a membership of 10,000 individuals and 100 clubs that have a combined membership of over 100,000 active, outdoor-loving people.
FreeWalkers, Inc. is a New Jersey non-profit 501(c)3 organization of over 2,000 members that offers community walking events, information, and social networking for the purpose of educating the public on the benefits of walking.
Each year the FreeWalkers hold the “The Big Walk”, a 1-day 50-mile walk through many and Union County Parks along the East Coast Greenway. The FreeWalkers also walk the historic route of the Battle of Short Hills in October and organize Stroll & Roll, an annual family walking event and celebration of healthy family lifestyles in Echo Lake Park. Visit freewalkers.org for more information.
The FreeWalkers organize walking events, walking information and social networking in the region. Among their events in Union County is the annual 50-mile East Coast Greenway hike that passes through many of the County’s major parks.
The New York-North Jersey Chapter of the Appalachian Mountain Club (also known as the AMC) hosts over 2,000 outdoor recreation activities per year. They were the very first Chapter in AMC, with its 12,000 plus members from throughout the New York City metro, southeastern New York, and northeastern New Jersey area.
The NY-NJ Chapter offers its members more than 20 outdoor events on most weekends, many for beginners. Newcomers are welcome to join in the chapters activities and to help conserve and preserve “those outdoor resources that we all enjoy. The Chapter celebrated its 100th Anniversary in 2012, and was the first Chapter to be formed in AMC. For more information, click here.