Hiking & Biking at Spruce Run

Spruce Run has one marked hiking trail: a 2.6-mile section of the Highlands Trail. It follows an earthen footpath through a maple forest and a pine forest, then runs on park roads and sidewalks along the water's edge before leaving the park onto NJ Fish and Wildlife land. The same paved roads and sidewalks are good for easy bike rides, and a car-free parking lot at Picnic Area 4 is a safe place to teach a child to ride.

The Highlands Trail at Spruce Run

The Highlands Trail is a long-distance route of more than 150 miles, from Storm King Mountain on the Hudson River in New York to Riegelsville on the Delaware River in New Jersey. Spruce Run holds 2.6 miles of its Hunterdon County stretch.

What you walk, in NJDEP's order:

1. An earthen footpath through a maple forest.
2. A pine forest.
3. Park roads and sidewalks around the water's edge.
4. The trail then leaves the recreation area onto NJ Fish and Wildlife property.

The NJDEP area map draws the Highlands Trail section, a connector trail and the park's paved path. Download it before you go (park map). NJDEP doesn't publish a difficulty rating or a separate trailhead for this section.

Good For / Maybe Skip If

• Good for: a short woods walk with reservoir views, birding along the shoreline, or adding a few miles to a picnic or camping day.
• Maybe skip if you want a long loop with climbs. Spruce Run's trail is a single 2.6-mile section, and part of it follows park roads. For more trail miles, the Warren Highlands Trail below is the bigger hike.

Biking

NJDEP calls the park grounds and sidewalks excellent for biking. Picnic Area 4 has a parking lot closed to vehicles, which makes a quiet place for learning to ride. The fee for arriving on a bike, or on foot, is $2 per person in season (hours and fees).

Warren Highlands Trail

Spruce Run Recreation Area also looks after park properties in several Warren County townships, such as Harmony Township and Lopatcong Township. These are a mix of forest and farm fields leased to farmers, and many are open to through-hiking on the Warren Highlands Trail and to hunting unless posted otherwise.

The Warren Highlands Trail is a branch of the Highlands Trail that runs from Allamuchy State Park to the bridge between Phillipsburg, NJ and Easton, Pennsylvania. Its 16-mile section here crosses state, county, township and nonprofit land, from the corner of Fiddler's Elbow Road and Harmony Brass Castle Road to Marble Hill Nature Preserve. NJDEP publishes an overview map and six section maps (Ragged Ridge, the Van Nest Hoff Vannatta Farmstead, Merrill Creek, Fox Farm, the Warren County Farmers' Fair fields and Hengst Farm to Marble Hill), and asks hikers to print their own copy.

• Stay on the trail to protect the forest and the farmers' crops.
• Merrill Creek Reservoir is private property. Where the trail crosses it, only walkers are allowed, and Merrill Creek's own opening hours and rules apply.

Trail Safety

• Ticks: wear repellent and light-colored clothing, tuck pant legs into socks, keep to the trail, and after the hike do a tick check, shower and launder what you wore.
• Bears: black bears live throughout New Jersey. Never approach or feed one, and never run. Report an aggressive bear to 1-877-927-6337 (1-877-WARN-DEP).
• Dogs: keep them leashed; six feet is the longest leash allowed.
• Trash: the park has no garbage cans. Everything you bring in leaves with you.