East Coast Greenway

The New Jersey Department of Transportation, in partnership with the East Coast Greenway (ECG) Alliance, has published a guide to the New Jersey portion of the ECG.  Intended to be an urban, multi-use equivalent to the Appalachian Trail, the ECG is a 3,000-mile trail system linking 25 major cities from Maine to Florida. The guide offers a 78-mile route from Trenton to Jersey City and passes through towns such as Princeton and New Brunswick.

 

The guide is laid out using a series of maps that detail both on- and off-road routes, as well as connecting trails, and the approximate locations of the planned future route of the ECG. The maps also include the locations of transportation services like train stations and ferry terminals, parks and cultural amenities, as well as services like bike shops, lodging and groceries.  Each map section has its own cue sheet to aid navigation both northbound and southbound and for both on- and off-road route options. Finally, a rail connection option using PATH is provided for the difficult-to-navigate section of the ECG between Newark and Jersey City.

 

Measuring 5¾- by-10½ inches and printed on durable, waterproof vinyl paper, the ECG Guide is spiral bound and intended to withstand abuse that comes with outdoor use. 

For more information on the East Coast Greenway, visit www.greenway.org. To obtain a printed and bound copy of the guide, contact bikeped@dot.state.nj.us, or write to Bicycle/Pedestrian Advocate, New Jersey Department of Transportation, PO Box 600, 1035 Parkway Avenue, Trenton, NJ 08625. The guide is also available to download from NJDOT’s website at www.njcommuter.com. Click on the Biking in New Jersey section of the website and look for the Free Information tab in the left toolbar to order the guide.