Christmas night in 1776, George Washington’s surprise attack and subsequent victory over opposing forces provided a much-needed boost to the Continental Army’s dwindling morale.
South of Trenton, a relatively short, disconnected section of the trail spans 3.5 miles, beginning at Canal Boulevard and running through a wooded tract of the Abbott Marshlands. It ends at the historical outlet lock into Crosswick Creek at Bordentown. The trail here is dirt, with some narrow sections, mostly running next to a canal and an active rail line.
CONTACT: state.nj.us/dep/parksandforests/parks/drcanal.html and fodc.org/visit-the-canal/towpath-trail
DIRECTIONS
You can access the Delaware and Raritan Canal State Park Trail from dozens of places along the way. Below, we list directions to parking lots closest to the endpoints of the trail, but more options can be found on the trail website or TrailLink.com.
The northwesternmost parking lot for the trail is available at Old Frenchtown Field in Frenchtown. From the intersection of US 1 and NJ 29 in Trenton, take NJ 29 N, and go 32 miles to reach Frenchtown (NJ 29 makes a few turns, so make sure to follow the signs for NJ 29). Arriving in Frenchtown, you’ll come to a T-junction; take a left onto Bridge St., then make your first right turn onto Harrison St. Take Harrison north 0.7 mile to 12th St. Take a left onto 12th St. and follow it a short distance to the parking lot at the northwest corner of Old Frenchtown Field.
The northeasternmost parking lot for the trail is available at Demott Lane in the unincorporated community of Somerset. To reach it from I-287, take Exit 10 for Easton Ave. Head southeast on Easton Ave., following the signs for Easton Ave./County Road 527 S to New Brunswick. Follow Easton Ave. 1.5 miles to Demott Lane. Make a left onto Demott Lane (it will look like a small driveway); you’ll see a brown sign at the entrance that notes access to the historical Van Wickle House (owned by The Meadows Foundation) and the towpath. You’ll travel a short distance to the parking lot; from there, a footbridge will take you across the canal to the trail.
6 Edgar Felix Memorial Bikeway
County
Monmouth
Endpoints
Main St. between Atlantic Ave. and Central Ave. (Manasquan) to Hospital Road, 0.25 mile south of Atlantic Ave./County Road 524 (Allenwood)
Mileage
3.4
Type
Rail-Trail
Roughness Index
1–2
Surface
Asphalt
Prepare to be whisked into the past when you take the Edgar Felix Memorial Bikeway. The paved trail follows a short-line railroad corridor from the coastal city of Manasquan to a village at Allaire State Park that features living-history exhibits, a museum, and rides on the vintage Pine Creek Railroad.
The trail gets its name from Manasquan cyclist Edgar Felix, who lobbied the town to convert to trail a section of the former Freehold and Jamesburg Agricultural Railroad, originally created as the Farmingdale and Squan Village Railroad in 1867. The first 2 miles of bikeway opened in 1971 and later became the first completed segment of the future 55-mile Capital to the Coast Trail, which will span the state from Trenton to Manasquan.
The rail-trail starts at North Main Street in Manasquan and follows the old railroad corridor northwest 3.4 miles to the Allaire State Park boundary on Hospital Road. Here, a spur of the Capital to the Coast Trail continues through the park 1.9 miles along the railroad right-of-way to a historical village and tourist railroad site.
Starting at the trailhead in Manasquan, you can take an on-street bike route through the town for 2 miles to the beach. Traveling in the other direction, the trail passes residential neighborhoods and a recreational complex on the way out of town. At 1.2 miles, you come to the Wall Township Bike Path, which heads north 1.7 miles to a government complex.
As you proceed along the trail, the surroundings become more rural with woods mixed with fields. You’ll reach Allenwood about 2.7 miles from the start, where you’ll find a general store with refreshments and trailside tables. Returning to rural countryside, you’ll cross two pedestrian bridges that leapfrog trail users over the eight-lane Garden State Parkway.
Crossing Hospital Road, the trail continues as a spur route of the future Capital to the Coast Trail into Allaire State Park. (A left turn onto another trail adjacent to Hospital Road heads south 0.4 mile to a parking lot and fishing on the Manasquan River.) You’ll pass old farm fields, forests, and ponds with waterfowl as you learn about the area from interpretive signs.
As you proceed west, the trail’s backdrop becomes more rural.
At the trail terminus in the state park, you can tour historical Allaire Village to experience a 19th-century iron-making community, or hop a ride on the vintage cars of the steam-powered Pine Creek Railroad. You’ll also find hiking and mountain biking trails in the park, including a short dirt path along the old railroad corridor that dead-ends at I-195.
CONTACT: capitaltocoasttrail.org
DIRECTIONS
To reach the eastern trailhead in Manasquan from I-195, take Exit 35A onto NJ 34 S. Head south 2.3 miles on NJ 34, and exit onto County Road 524 Spur E/Atlantic Ave. toward Manasquan. Turn right, go 1.5 miles, and take the second exit off the traffic circle to stay on Atlantic Ave. Go 0.9 mile, and turn right onto Main St. Then go about 200 feet, and look for parking on the left.
To reach the western trailhead at Allaire State Park from I-195, take Exit 31B onto Lakewood Farmingdale Road. Head north 0.5 mile, and turn right onto CR 524; then go 1.2 miles, and turn right into Allaire State Park (entry fee charged Memorial Day–Labor Day). Follow the entrance road 0.3 mile to the parking lot, park, and then retrace your way to the entrance to find the trail on the right.
7 Elephant Swamp Trail
