No, not that kind of high. I guess when we think of New Jersey, we don’t typically think of mountainous terrain, but at 1,803 feet above sea level, the views from High Point State Park are worth the trip!
Where is it?
Located between three states – New Jersey, Pennsylvania and New York, High Point State Park is on the Kittatinny Ridge, which is the product of a continental collision. If you’re looking at the map, it’s in the northwestern most part of New Jersey in Sussex County.
A bit about High Point State Park History
The Park is situated on more than 16,000 acres. The land was gifted by Anthony and Susie Dryden Kuser in 1923.
Did you know?
The same architectural landscape firm that designed Central Park, also designed High Point State Park. Yup, it was the Olmstead Brothers in Boston. The brothers were the sons of Fredrick Law Olmstead, the guy who designed Central Park.
How much does it cost to get into High Point State Park?
From Memorial Day weekend to Labor Day: $5.00 per car on weekdays and $10.00 per car on weekends. There’s no fee difference for in-state versus out-of-state, but if you’re a New Jersey resident with a Vax Pass, you can get in for free. The Vax Pass was a program established by the state giving free entry to COVID-19 vaccinated New Jersey residents to New Jersey’s state parks, forests and recreation areas through the end of 2021. The program ended on July 4, but the pass is still good until the end of 2021.
What’s there to do?
With 16,000 acres of lands, there’s a ton of stuff to do
Hike: There are more than 50 miles of hiking trails, but try the hike to the High Point Monument, the highest point in the state.
Cool Fact: The park is part of the Appalachian Trail.
The hike to the monument is a 3.5-mile monument loop trail. It’s the red and green trail. I’m not gonna lie – it was difficult – lots of rocky sections and steep climbs. The trail elevation is 515 feet and it took us about 2 hours to do the loop. We used AllTrails to find out the hike details. You can also drive to the monument.
The High Point Monument: Is an obelisk dedicated to New Jersey’s veterans. Built between 1928 and 1930, the monument is 220 feet tall. The views are pretty incredible - you can see he Pocono Mountains (Pennsylvania) to the west, the Catskill Mountains (New York) to the north and the Wallkill River Valley (New Jersey) in the southeast.
You can climb 291 steps to the top of the monument, It's open on weekends and holidays from Memorial Day weekend until Columbus Day, but it wasn’t open the day we visited.
Water sports: You can swim, boat, canoe kayak and fish
Mountain biking: BYOB – Bring Your Own Bike
Camping: While you can’t bring your trailer, there are tent sites available and even furnished cabins for rent.
Picnicking: There are picnic tables and the most important thing, a visitor center - with restrooms! There were ALOT of people picnicking when we were there.
Winter sports: There are places to cross country ski, ice skate, snowmobile and even ice fish
So, if you want to get high in New Jersey, check out High Point State Park!
