New Jersey · Hiking · Near Hackettstown

Passage Trail

0.4 mi
round trip
108 ft
climb
576 ft
high point
Out and back
route
Apr–Oct
best months

Passage Trail is a short, easy hike in Swartswood State Park in New Jersey, managed by the State Department of Natural Resources. The town of Swartswood lies about a mile away. The trail is an out-and-back of roughly 0.8 miles, with a total climb of about 108 feet. The route is mostly flat, and the steepest stretch comes at about 0.35 miles in, with a grade of about 3 percent. The trail starts and ends at nearly the same elevation, so the round trip is a gentle walk with little change in height. For comfortable weather, aim for late spring or early fall. Typical averages from a nearby weather station in Newton put May highs around 70°F and September highs around 75°F, with July the warmest month at about 84°F. Several other trails sit close by. Spring Lake Trail and Sinkhole Trail are each about 0.2 miles away, and Emmons Path Trail is about 0.4 miles off. Climbers can find bouldering Northwest NJ about 5 miles away.

Around this trail

Add any of these when you start a trip
  • Sleep close

    Swartswood Day Use Area

    Campground

    Campground · 0.4 mi from the trail
  • Eat after

    Kathy's Restaurant

    Restaurant

    On your way back · 2 mi
  • If it rainsZeete, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

    Sterling Hill Mining Museum

    Museum

    Museum · 11 mi from Hackettstown

    Zinc mine and museum in Ogdensburg, New Jersey

Places © OpenStreetMap contributors · Photos: Zeete, CC BY-SA 4.0 (commons)

More in Hackettstown

Local outfitters

Not on Roamze yet. Their page has how to reach them.

  • Best time to go · Apr–Oct

    Best time to visit Passage Trail

    Best months: April–October. Best months have typical highs of 55–85 °F, lows of 30 °F or warmer (32 °F where the station doesn't record snow), at most one snowy day and no more than 12 wet days.

    1. Jan

      37° / 17°

    2. Feb

      40° / 19°

    3. Mar

      48° / 28°

    4. Apr

      61° / 38°

    5. May

      70° / 48°

    6. Jun

      80° / 56°

    7. Jul

      84° / 62°

    8. Aug

      83° / 60°

    9. Sep

      75° / 52°

    10. Oct

      64° / 41°

    11. Nov

      52° / 32°

    12. Dec

      41° / 24°

    Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Newton, NJ, 3.2 mi away at 605 ft. This station doesn't record snowfall. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.

Map and trail data © OpenStreetMap contributors