A Trail Encircling Lake Hopatcong
The trail, when completed, will traverse approximately 40 miles through 4 towns eventually encircling the lake.
The first phase of the Lake Hopatcong Trail, funded by the Federal Highway Administration’s Recreational Trails Program, through the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, stretches about 11 miles beginning on the Morris Canal Towpath across from Hopatcong State Park in Landing. It winds through Hopatcong Borough, with several spurs to access the trail, all the way to the Prospect Point Preserve in Jefferson.
An extension of the trail is now blazed from Prospect Point Preserve to Liffy (Lify) Island. This approximately 2-mile section of the trail aligns with the James Leech Trail and includes a footbridge to the Island and a loop around the island. This new section is not currently shown on the Lake Hopatcong Trail map, however, the trail entrance at Prospect Point Preserve is behind the basketball courts and is clearly marked with a kiosk and blazes.
An NJDEP grant application has been submitted to support the second phase of the trail, through Jefferson Township. Work will proceed, pending further funding.
An official trail guide is available in brochure boxes at various points on the trail, at our office, and below.
While hiking the Lake Hopatcong Trail you can use your mobile device to find your exact location on the trail map through the free Avenza Maps app. The above geo-referenced PDF can be imported into the Avenza Maps app directly from its URL.
In addition, you can view your location on the trail from open street maps data on such apps as All Trails, Strava, and Gaia GPS.
Please note, several miles of the Lake Hopatcong Trail align with the Highlands Trail, which runs for 182 miles connecting the Delaware River to the Hudson River. The trail is maintained by the New York-New Jersey Trail Conference.
Volunteers are needed to maintain this local trail. If you would like to adopt a section of the trail to maintain, CLICK HERE for more information.
#KindnessForChristopher Rocks – Leave an inspirational message on the Lake Hopatcong Trail
We are proud to announce that we will be sharing the inspirational message of the Kindness for Christopher movement as part of the LHF recreational trail initiative – the Lake Hopatcong Trail.
Young Christopher was killed in a tragic boating accident on Lake Hopatcong in 2015. The Kindness for Christopher community was created in an effort to keep his memory alive and inspire people to spread kindness and laughter in Christopher’s memory.
One of the ways in which people are spreading kindness is by leaving painted rocks with inspirational messages in public places for people to find. Since the Lake Hopatcong Trail will one day encircle the lake that Christopher loved, the trail is a wonderful place to leave small messages of inspiration for others hiking the area. To join in the movement, simply paint a colorful and inspirational message on a rock, be sure to include #KindnessForChristopher and #LHTrail to keep spreading the word. When you place a rock or find a rock, post a photo or video on social media with #KindnessForChristopher and #LHTrail so we can all share. Amazing things that can happen with just a little bit of kindness.
