Issue #6 — Wednesday, June 3, 2026
One family-friendly hike within a 2-hour drive of Hoboken — plus where to take the kids to eat in the city and NJ. Hike it or skip it; either way your weekend's sorted.
The Black River drops through a boulder-choked glacial gorge — car-sized chunks of ancient gneiss piled in the streambed by glaciers 15,000 years ago, with the river churning cold and clear through the gaps between them. Kids don't walk past this. They climb it, wade in the pools, and use it as the measuring stick for every hike that comes after. The hemlock canopy overhead keeps the gorge floor 10–15°F cooler than the parking lot, which on a 95-degree Saturday morning is not a trivial thing.
High payoff, short drive, and literally cool. That's the formula this week.Park at the main lot on Hacklebarney Road in Long Valley (Chester Township). The red trail drops quickly into the gorge — you'll hear the Black River before you see it, and within five minutes you're in a hemlock-shaded corridor with boulders stacked on both sides. The trail follows the gorge floor for roughly the first mile, and this is where you'll spend most of your time. Every 50 feet there's another pile of boulders, another pool, another place to scramble or splash. Let the kids lead here. They'll set the pace, and that pace will be slow.
After the gorge floor levels out, pick up the blue trail to climb back up onto the ridge. The ridge walk is pleasant — open views through the trees, a moderate but short climb — before descending back to the trailhead. The loop is roughly 3 miles total with about 500 feet of gain spread across the whole thing. There's no single brutal pitch; the hardest part is the rocky footing in the gorge itself. Sturdy sneakers matter more than trekking poles on this one.
For very young kids (ages 5–6), the first half-mile of gorge and back out is already a complete experience. No need to push the full loop if anyone's flagging.
Ten minutes south on Route 206, Chester's Victorian-era Main Street is small, walkable, and exactly the right length for a post-hike wind-down.
Water (1.5L per person — it's going to be warm), old sneakers or water shoes for the kids, dry socks for the ride home, sunscreen, snacks, sunglasses. Cell service is generally fine at the trailhead; download the map offline before entering the gorge in case it drops.
Not feeling the drive this week? Here's where to take the kids instead — in the city and across the river. (No connection to this week's hike.)