Engaging Getaways and Venues for:
For your convenience, each walking tour begins with basic information on duration, length, and level of difficulty. Walks marked “easy” have few ups and downs, no areas of tricky footing, and no navigational challenges and are appropriate for anyone capable of walking. Tours labeled “moderate” require a little more physical commitment and might have an area of tricky footing, but they require no particular navigational abilities or physical endurance. The few itineraries marked “difficult” are appropriate to regular walkers who feel comfortable walking in a few tricky areas and finding their way in forests or hills. The text fully details whatever difficulties the traveler might encounter along the way. Serious walkers will probably find even “difficult” trails relatively easy. And even the least experienced walkers can safely follow almost all “difficult” and “moderate” itineraries just a short way to a nice view or historic site, and then retrace their steps.
Unless otherwise indicated, all itineraries are loops. Walking time is based on a very leisurely 2 mph, except in itineraries with exceptional ups and downs. The numbered text directions enable you to complete a walking tour without using the accompanying map, but some may find it easier to simply follow the map and refer to the text when necessary. We strongly recommend that you use both the text and the maps, which provide navigational aids and point out information about history, geography, and nearby shops and restaurants. At each numbered waypoint on the map, the same number in the text gives the information you’ll need to find your way from that location on the map.
For the few difficult itineraries, experienced walkers might enjoy having a compass and a more detailed topographical map, which can be purchased at various stores throughout a region or on the Internet. For New York and New Jersey, a great resource is the New York-New Jersey Trail Conference, which sells detailed maps. Maps can be bought at www.nynjtc.org.
Most of the Shortescapes.net itineraries follow footpaths marked with colored trail blazes that indicate the way for at least a portion of the route. A word of caution: Trailblazes can mysteriously disappear, and footpath conditions change. While we have made every effort to select well-established itineraries and have walked every single one, we cannot guarantee that the character of an itinerary has not been altered or deformed. If you encounter a dramatic change, we’d like to hear from you.
