Hiking and Pizza in Northern NJ: The Perfect Saturday Day Trip

It's easy to escape New York City for a quick road trip if you know where you're going. Some of the best trips can be some of the easiest, within just a couple hours of the city, making it easy to drive out and back in the same day. My favorite trips usually include a walk or hike, passing local points of interest and stopping for a delicious meal to cap it off. What better way to escape the city than heading out into nature and finishing your day with a home cooked meal. The following plans are for a quick trip to Passaic and Morris counties in NJ and if you are based in New York City you WILL NEED A CAR for this trip! 

Suggested steps for this mini road trip:

1. Go for a hike at Norvin Green State Forest in Wanaque, NJ
2. Stop for a full Italian dinner at Frank's Pizza in Lincoln Park, NJ
3. Take a walk down the eccentric Main Street in Boonton, home to various Sopranos lore and Scoop House's homemade ice cream

First off, you will want to get to the trailhead for Norvin Green State Forest in Wanaque, NJ. Throw "The Weis Center Wanaque" or "Highlands Natural Pool Wanaque" into the Waze app, (mentioned in my last post!) which will lead you directly to the parking lot at the base of the trail. Then head up the trail to Wyanokie High Point for some of the coolest views in the area. You can find trail directions for Wyanokie High Point and the rest of Norvin Green here. 

Next, since you are probably starving now, you'll want to head to Frank's Pizza in Lincoln Park, NJ. Throw it into Waze and make your way there, where you'll find massive slices of all sorts of pizza as well as some of the most generous portions in the area for their dinner options. For Fordham students, think Pugsley's with portions easily three times as large. You can't go wrong with anything from their menu, just make sure you have room in your fridge for some leftovers. You can find information on Frank's Pizza, including their telephone number, here.

Finally, before you head home, continue down route 287 south to Boonton for some ice cream, (if you still have room) to see where they shot multiple scenes from The Sopranos or just to people watch. Boonton is home to a lot of interesting and eccentric folk, so most New Yorkers won't feel too out of place. If you have any remaining space in your stomach, try Scoop House Boonton for a couple scoops of ice cream or cool down with a shake. If you have seen The Sopranos, which you should have, then go ahead and explore Dartford, their fictional name for Boonton. The Boonton based filming locations are available here, and there are quite a few in the immediate area. 

Now you should have all the elements of a quick, easy yet exciting escape from the fast pace of city life. Stick around as we venture further and further from New York City and stay tuned for more day trips in the New York, New Jersey area! See you on the road!

Planning a Perfect Day Trip

In the coming weeks, Road Trip NY will feature multiple day trips complete with suggestions on where to hike, where to eat and what to see. Some of this Summers featured trips include:

Panoramic Views in the Palisades 

• Hike the Palisades just minutes from New York City for views of the Hudson River, George Washington Bridge, Yonkers, the Bronx and Manhattan
• Eat a "ripper" - deep fried hot dogs for lunch at Ruts Hut in Clifton
• Catch a Yankees game on your way back to the Bronx

North Jersey Hike with a Pizza Prize

• Hike to one of the highest points in New Jersey for full 360 degree views of green hills, the Wanaque reservoir and New York City on the horizon
• Fill up on a classic Italian dinner at Frank's Pizza in Lincoln Park 
• Soak up Sopranos lore and filming locations in Boonton 

A Drive Down the Delaware River

• Hike Mount Tammany for views of Pennsylvania and the Delaware River 
• Head back towards the city and stop in Morristown for brats and a beer at Revolution Brew House
• Stop at Washington's Headquarters Museum to see where George Washington and the Continental Army set up camp during the Revolutionary War 

Stay tuned for full day itineraries complete with directions and suggestions. See you on the road!

Three MUST Have Apps for Summer Road Trips

When out on the road, it's important to make use of all the digital resources available to you. Below are some essential apps that I use when planning and executing a Summer road trip.

1.  Waze

With its directions and traffic info, Waze is essential to any road trippers digital arsenal. The Waze app even includes additional alerts such as construction, potholes, police and other hazards. It even tells you local speed limits and gives an extremely accurate ETA prediction based on local conditions, making it a must have for Summer road trippers. 

     2.  Audible

                                      

One of my personal favorite apps for long road trips is Audible by Amazon. Audible has an extensive collection of top books narrated and performed by top authors, actors and actresses. With Audible you are able to actively learn on the road and even take your downloaded books offline with you, wherever you may be.

     3. Spotify

                          

Whats a good road trip without some good music? Spotify offers college students with a steep discount so that they can take their music wherever their travels take them. With curated playlists, artist deep dives and even podcasts, Spotify adds an essential range of features to any road travelers musical toolkit.  

Throw all three in a road trip folder on your iPhone or Android, and consider yourself ready for whatever your Summer road trip takes you!

Tourne Park: Hiking and Biking an Hour from NYC

Situated just thirty five miles outside New York City, Tourne Park, also known as the Tourne, offers some of the areas best hiking, running, biking and equestrian trails. Located in areas of Mountain Lakes, Boonton Township and Denville, the Tourne provides the curious outdoor lover with over 500 acres of woods, streams, mountains and meadows to explore.

If you are a road tripper in the Bronx or other areas of NYC, the easiest way to access the Tourne is by driving over the George Washington Bridge and following Route 80 to the Cherry Hill Road exit in Parsippany, about an hours drive depending on traffic, and proceeding into Mountain Lakes to the Birchwood Lake park entrance. If you are on campus and without a car, there are a couple different ways to reach the park. If you'd like to explore the Tourne on foot, take the subway into Manhattan and take the bus from Port Authority Bus Terminal to the Mountain Lakes Boulevard stop. From there, you can walk to the entrance of the Tourne located on North Pocono Road. If you'd prefer to explore the park via bike, take the subway to Penn Station  -  you are allowed to bring your bike on both the subway and NJ Transit  -  take the train to the Denville stop and ride your bike over to the Tourne. 

Once you are there, there are trails that suit every level of explorer: short and flat 1.5  -  2 mile loops, moderate 3-4 mile loops through varying terrain and the most popular trip in the park, the top of the Tourne hike. The top of the Tourne hike begins in the parking lot where you will find basic amenities such as a port a potty, covered picnic area, outdoor grills and finally, separate trails for hikers and bikers. Follow the signs for your preferred method of exploring and begin up the hill. On your way you will find different flora and fauna, rocky outcroppings and wildlife. However, the real prize is at the top of the hill, where you will find a 9/11 memorial, including a full view of Manhattan off the eastern side of the hill. It's always rewarding to see where you started your journey as you take a moment to relax and appreciate your trip. 

Overall, the Tourne provides the perfect quiet, wooded escape within an hours drive of the city and is sure to have something for every type of outdoor explorer. Enjoy!

Why a Road Trip is the Best Type of Vacation

The best way to explore an unfamiliar area is to hit the street and find your way around on your own two feet. While air travel has made it easier to jump from city to city, small American towns, especially between our two coasts, have seen a nosedive in the number of outsiders passing through. Not only can road trips breathe life back into short trips and getaways, but it can bring some commerce back to small towns neglected in the age of airfare.

These sorts of small towns often have exceptional family owned small businesses and restaurants that are harder to come by in large commercial cities. Taking a road trip through an unfamiliar area is the best way to familiarize yourself with your surroundings, aside from a long walk through the area. Road trips can provide an authentic look at different subcultures within our country, while simultaneously enriching these communities themselves.

Preparing for a Flawless Road Trip

While road-tripping may be one of the most classic types of American vacations, it requires the same level of preparation and planning as any other trip. In order to properly prepare and get ready to hit the road, there are a few important things to remember that will make your road trip experience as pleasant as possible.

From the classic Volkswagen bus to a 1967 Ford Mustang convertible, to the mobile tiny homes and conversion vans of today, there are a variety of vehicles that can provide the essential road trip experience. However, there are a couple important points to consider when choosing and checking your road trip ride.

First, you will want to decide whether to take your own car or rent a car for the duration of your trip. While using your own car is often the most comfortable and convenient choice, you may rack up a large number of miles on your own vehicle and you put your own property at risk. Enterprise rents compact cars to students between age 21-25 for an additional insurance charge.

Finally and most importantly, you want to have a mechanic look over your vehicle and take care of any issues it may have. Proper tire pressure, new brake pads and fresh coolant (especially on long hot summer drives) are essential to making sure your trip goes flawlessly.

On the off chance that you run into any car trouble, there are a few things you want to make sure you have stored in the trunk. These include, a spare tire and jack, a quart of motor oil, a gallon of water, a flashlight and plenty of batteries and for extra long journeys and back country excursions, you may want to invest in a satellite phone for that extra peace of mind.

By taking the time to properly plan and prepare for your trip, you guarantee that even when things go wrong, you can quickly get back on the road.

Welcome to Road Trip NY

Hello readers and welcome to Road Trip NY! Over the next ten weeks I hope to share some of my favorite Summer road trips from New York City, as well as the best stops along the way. My suggestions will come in the form of written itineraries, photographs and even some video interviews so that anybody has the information they need to escape NY on a killer road trip.

As a journalism student and avid road tripper, I have developed a personal log of my favorite spots during my own trips. I hope to share some valuable suggestions and answer common questions along the way.

Some featured trips will include:

- the ideal Jersey Shore day-trip
- a weekend escape to the Berkshires
- city to city: the long way from NYC to D.C.

Check back regularly for more road trip fun as we ride through the summer!