Orange Trail

Orange Trail is a short, easy hike in Watchung Reservation in New Jersey, on county land about 0.46 miles long. It rises from a low point of 292 feet to a high of 377 feet, with a total gain of 93 feet, and the steepest stretch comes at about 0.27 miles in, with a 5% grade. The trail is a point-to-point route, and the climb is gentle enough to fit into a longer walk on the reservation. The Yellow Trail and Purple Trail both start within about a tenth of a mile, and the Blue Trail is about 0.3 miles away, so it's easy to link several of these short routes together. For comfortable weather, late spring and early fall are the best bets. Typical averages from a nearby weather station in Cranford show May highs around 72°F and September highs around 77°F, while July averages about 86°F. South Mountain Reservation, a climbing area, is about 6 miles away, and Great Brook, a canoeing spot, is about 7 miles off.