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All my neighbors are always going on and on about all the hiking trails in our area but I never knew exactly where any of them were and then this weekend I found this website, you're gonna love it! It lists all the trails in the NJ and some in NY: New York-New Jersey Trail Conference | The Authority for NY-NJ Hiking Trails
They describe all the trials in detail so you can chance it with the markers or buy a trail map, which I don't think you'd be opposed to since it sounds like you do this a lot.
Do not worry about a lack of outdoor recreational activities here in NJ, there is PLENTY!! I'm sure there will be somethings that will leave you saying "this is better in WA" but there will be others that will leave you thinking "WOW there is nothing like this in WA!"
The town I live in has many many many outdoor activties: fishing, boating, canoeing, kayaking, hiking, cross country skiing, mountain biking, running, swimming etc. This is all right outside my front door. The town is called Ringwood, you might want to check it out I don't think the commute would be too bad to Nutely maybe 25 minutes? There is not a whole lot of rentals in town but there are some You may even score a waterfront rental.
When you do move here you might want to check out Campmor, which is located on Route 17 North in Ramsey in Bergen County. It's a great store for equipment and maps and information for all types of outdoor activities.
Well, you won't find Mt. Rainier in NJ, so set your expectations accordingly... Still, NJ has a lot, if not as much as the Seattle area, in the way of outdoor recreation. I live in Northern Bergen County so I am 15/20 minutes from Harriman State Park in NY which is your best bet in the area for isolation in the woods since you can go deep into certain isolated parts. The Appalachian Trail also runs through the park. I am also 5-10 min's from Clausland Mountain and Tallman State Parks in southern Rockland County, NY. Also near me (near Harriman) is Sterling Forest in NY.
In NJ I enjoy hiking on the Palisades, the Northern section at State Line. From the rest area you have great overlooks and can see awesome birds like eagles, hawks, and vultures at eye level. There is an old highway that can be walked as well as trails meandering around the woods, some leading down the palisades to the river level. You would be surprised how isolated one could be in there, the woods get very reasonably deep. In the winter, provided there is a good snowfall, many of these trails become excellent x-counry skiing trails.
Also nearby are a lot of the parks in the Ringwood area as another poster mentioned. There is also Ramapo and Campgaw areas, which are convenient, but just beware of the bears as well as the Jackson Whites whose homeland it is.
Sussex County is loaded with park land - again be careful of bears. I like Sussex because there is excellen, isolated hiking and also clean, cold streams for easy trout fishing. Brook and brown trout, small ones, are easy to catch. Make sure you fish in season and get your license. I have eaten my catch but mostly I catch'n'release. They stock the waters in that area very often. Lake Hopatcong is an excellent lake if you are looking for that kind of recreation.
Further still but good for a day out you can reach the Delaware water gap which offers plenty of great hiking and camping, but also tons of great water recreation, especially canoeing and kayaking. Down in central NJ are many flat parks with great canoe/kayak opp's and South Jersey offers more of it, even better probably. The Pine Barrens are huge and full of exciting hiking and canoe/kayak opportunities. Plus something we have that will be new for you is our Shore - it's different from anything in the PNW. There are some areas of the shore, like Sandy Hook, which offer nature walks and many are explorable by canoe/kayak, through the salt marshes and into rivers/streams/creeks, some which lead inland.
But you won't be without hiking and outdoor opportunities. We have good outdoor recreation available to the area. It might not be the best in the nation but it's more than adequate. Harriman is probably your best overall bet. It's big enough that you could do multi-day hikes if you wanted to, and it's challenging enough for advanced hikers. There are interesting things to find and explore there - old mines, shelters, sometimes an old settlement/town/graveyard, as well as interesing natural formations, views, etc. Camping is permitted, just check the rules of the park.
And I concur with everyone who recommended campmor and they NY/NJ Trail conf. - both are good. Campmor has a huge nationwide following because for decades they printed up a good catalog and did mail order nationwide; of course, today, with the internet, they do a booming online business. Their headquarters has always been in Paramus, though. They are packed with great stuff for camping and hiking and outdoors rec. in general, they have good quality and very good prices, plus knowledgeable staff who will also be a good resource for you in finding great outdoor rec. in the area.
If you check out CampMor as soon as you arrive in NJ (they are open M-Sat. till 8:00 PM, IIRC) you can check out a lot of the maps that the NY/NJ Trail Conf. puts out for several parks. Each map set for a particular park area runs roughly $7-$11, so buying a few at once would be costly but they are invaluable trail maps for serious hiking in any of the area parks. They're waterproof and tear-proof, and the group uses the money to help maintain the trails and parks, so it's for a good cause. But this way you can check out the maps for the parks before buying and get an idea just how big or small a park really is. Just to set your expectations a bit further - Campmor is not a huge, massive place like an REI - it's an old place, small-ish, but packed with so much stuff, reasonably priced and good quality, good service, and very well organized..
Also nearby are a lot of the parks in the Ringwood area as another poster mentioned. There is also Ramapo and Campgaw areas, which are convenient, but just beware of the bears as well as the Jackson Whites whose homeland it is.
Johnny, tsk tsk! You gave some excellent advice to the OP but in regards to the bolding; don't call them that they are Ramapo; the term you used in your post is derogatory, it's like using "the N word"
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You may even score a waterfront rental.
