Henry Hudson Trail
Directions
Parking locations are identified on the trail map and brochure (Web Map link), which include:
Henry Hudson Trail Activity Center -- GPS Coordinates: 40.413341, -74.050544
Trailhead near Garden State Parkway Exit 117 -- GPS Coordinates: 40.422785, -74.212541
- Parkway South to Exit 117A. (Aberdeen) After toll, turn left onto Lloyd Rd. Cross overpass. At first light, turn left onto Gerard Ave., lot is on the right.
- Parkway North to Exit 117. Bear right onto Hwy 35 South, then U-Turn left onto “35 North Matawan/Amboys.” Head back toward the Parkway, turn right at Clark St. Go straight through the first light, to lot on right.
Public transportation: NJ Transit's North Jersey Coast Line to the Matawan-Aberdeen station is about one mile from the western end of the Atlantic Path. NJ Transit bus #834, which connects Red Bank railroad station with Highlands, stops at the intersection of NJ 36 and Leonard Avenue in Leonardo, 0.5 mile west of the Atlantic Path's eastern terminus. The Academy Line provides bus service to Atlantic Highlands from the Port Authority Bus Terminal in New York City.
Bus Directions
NJ Transit bus #834, which connects Red Bank railroad station with Highlands, stops at the intersection of NJ 36 and Leonard Avenue in Leonardo, 0.5 mile west of the Atlantic Path's eastern terminus. The Academy Line provides bus service to Atlantic Highlands from the Port Authority Bus Terminal in New York City.
Train Directions
NJ Transit's North Jersey Coast Line to the Matawan-Aberdeen station is about one mile from the western end of the Atlantic Path.
Park Overview
The sun sets over water along the North Section of this trail.
Trail Overview
Several paths or segments make up the Henry Hudson Trail network, and getting from one to another can be challenging. Hikers may be less affected than bikers.
Use the Web Map link on this site for a trail map and brochure for the path segments north and south of the Garden State Parkway.
Park Description
Henry Hudson Trail
The paved ten foot wide Henry Hudson Trail follows the right-of-way of an abandoned railroad line. In several disconnected segments it runs westward from Atlantic Highlands and then bows southward to Freehold while pierced by the Garden State Parkway near its mid-point. A ten-mile segment - the North Section -- on the former Highlands Branch of the Central Railroad of New Jersey is situated north of the Garden State Parkway. Plans are to extend the trail another 12 miles south of the Garden State Parkway to Freehold Borough. Currently two segments that comprise the Southern Extension - the Matawan/Marlboro Path and the Marlboro/Freehold Path -- are completed totaling nearly ten miles.
The Henry Hudson Trail honors the man who explored the harbor at Atlantic Highlands and its coastline in the early 1600s. The trail has only a tenuous connection to the Hudson River which ends as it flows into Upper New York Bay several miles away. To plan a hike along the Hudson River itself in New Jersey a prime location is The Palisades.
Check the park's web (use Contact Information on this site) for alerts of closed portions.