Located within the most populated metropolitan area in the United States — just four miles from our largest city, Manhattan — there lies a haven. It is being restored to benefit wildlife — native plants and animals — and also to benefit people by providing easy access to the wonders of Nature. Where? The Meadowlands. This guide will take you there and to many other wildlife-viewing sites in the Hackensack River watershed. Please, come and see.

We have created three driving tours in the region. Click below on the trail links or the trail names on the map to open a detailed map for each tour. The wildlife-viewing destinations on the tours are marked with numbers in a circle.  When you click on a circled number, or on the list of destinations below each map, you will open a page containing detailed directions and site information for that destination. Detailed directions on the tour pages will guide you from one site to the next (not from a central location or a nearby road).

The second in the series of New Jersey Birding and Wildlife Trails publications, it features the New Jersey Meadowlands and surrounding Hackensack River watershed. Within the Meadowlands’ 32 square miles are over 1,168 acres of publicly accessible parks, viewing platforms, and walking and paddling trails. Following all the trails offered inside this guide will take you north to the Palisades and the New York state border, all the way south to popular Liberty State Park, and to many natural areas in between. Local residents can enjoy the trails at their own pace, while visitors will find each trail includes enough sites and activities to keep them busy for two or three days.

The Meadowlands guide was a collaborative effort led by NJA, funded by the New Jersey Meadowlands Commission (NJMC), and created with invaluable input from Hackensack Riverkeeper, Inc. and the staff of NJMC. It is marketed and distributed with the support of the Meadowlands Regional Chamber of Commerce and the Meadowlands Liberty Convention and Visitors Bureau.
 

Trail Links

Family Trail
Independent Naturalist Trail
Meet Me at the Meadowlands Trail