6.0 miles | 614 ft gain | Difficulty: Easy | Rating ★★★★

I’m not a beach person, but somehow being near the beach on a 90 degree day felt like the right hike option. We ventured down to Atlantic Highlands, a mile or so from Sandy Hook. Starting from the Rocky Point entrance, we followed the black diamond trail for most of the hike resulting in a long loop around the park.

The trails were easy to follow but a bit challenging when you really considered its navigation. There are three trail markers within the park – black diamond, green circle and blue square. The black diamond actually represents 2 separate trails – the Rocky Point trail which we started on, then followed mainly the Grand Tour. The green trail maps 4 different trails and the blue trail maps 7! Some of these trails overlap and intersect. So yeah, if you don’t have a solid route down, it can get a bit confusing.

Going clockwise, we first dipped down into the woods on soft earth. The humidity brought out a range of scents – decay blended with spice and earth. After 10 minutes or so we got our first views of the Navesink River and behind it, the Atlantic. Our forest scents now mixed with brininess.

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After winding through the woods along the shore line for a bit, we continued around and up, back into the woods. The trail wasn’t too crowded, but it was a shared mountain bike and hiking trail, so occasionally we’d have to step aside as bikes passed.

After passing through the forest for a bit, it opened up to a clearing that was beautifully wild. Trees were 30+ feet, completely covered in ivy and vines. Back in the forest, we found a cottage by the maintenance area. It wasn’t clear if it was rentable cottage or a caretaker’s home. It was horribly dusty and completely bare inside except for a small wooden table with benches.

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The six mile loop offered variety and a bit of a breeze but not much shelter from the humidity.