Built for how we move.

Photo credit: Photo by Bergen Arches Preservation Coalition

Who we are

The North Jersey Trail Network is an initiative driven by community based groups, local residents, nonprofit organizations and regional coalitions working to shape a healthier, more connected region that’s built for how we move.

Together, we are bringing to life a trail system that links infrastructure in ways that makes it possible for people to travel safely and freely within their neighborhoods, across communities, and to the places they want to go.

Photo credit: Photo by Bergen Arches Preservation Coalition

Our Vision

The North Jersey Trail Network envisions a region where people have safe, accessible, and affordable ways to walk, bike, roll, enjoy the outdoors, and reach the places they need to go. Led by New Jersey Bike & Walk Coalition and Rails to Trails Conservancy, the network creates connected, welcoming spaces that support a healthier, stronger, more vibrant and resilient North Jersey—connecting Morris, Passaic, Essex, Bergen, Hudson, and Union counties.

Your voice matters

The North Jersey Trail Network will be built in partnership with the people who live here, ensuring every community in the region, regardless of ZIP code, has safe, accessible and connected ways to move. Your voice—and your individual experiences—will shape the network’s development, guiding how gaps in safety, access and infrastructure are addressed.

Join us

Our timeline

2026

January

A shared regional vision and draft network map emerge, identifying key trail and active transportation corridors that will connect communities across North Jersey and guide future investment.

2025

July

Initiative establishes working groups to co-create the network’s shared vision and identify trail segments with strong potential to improve safety, access, and regional connectivity.

2025

February

The initiative opens to the public. Residents, partners, and local leaders begin shaping the vision through meetings, workshops, and work to define a map for the trail network.

2024

April

Rails to Trails Conservancy and the New Jersey Bike & Walk Coalition formalize a collaboration to pursue a regional trail network for North Jersey.

Where we are

This North Jersey Trail Network will span six counties in northern New Jersey— Morris, Passaic, Essex, Bergen, Hudson, and Union—home to 4.1 million people, about 42% of the state’s population.

Led by the “Mapping Working Group,” the initiative has developed a snapshot of how the region can be connected by existing and future trail development.

Bergen County

Union County

Essex County

Morris County

Hudson County

Passaic County

Our community

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Our supporters

Together, this collaborative of community-based organizations, local governments and agencies, and nonprofit organizations is creating a planning process for the North Jersey Trail Network that reflects real lives and real needs—centering inclusion, honoring cultural resources, and addressing safety and access for communities that have long been overlooked.

Get Involved

This is your trail network.

The North Jersey Trail Network will be built in partnership with communities like yours. Whether you’re focused on safer routes to school, better access to parks, or more ways to move through your neighborhood, your voice matters.

Ways to participate:

• Join a working group focused on visioning, mapping, or implementation
• Volunteer your skills in outreach, design, logistics, or storytelling
• Talk to neighbors and local leaders about the trail network and why it matters
• Support local events that bring people together around the trail
• Stay connected by signing up for updates and opportunities

Every action helps.

You don’t need to be a trail expert. You just need to care about making your community safer, more connected, and more vibrant. Every action helps shape a trail network that reflects and uplifts the places we call home.