Staten Island Marathon Walk: XNJ

The most pleasant walking route from Union County to Manhattan, with miles of trail, beach, boardwalk and great views. Part of the 100-mile Cross-Jersey Challenge.

Start: Elizabeth Public Library 11 S Broad St Elizabeth NJ 07202

Finish: NY Penn Station

Distance: 22-26mi

Where to find us: In front of the library

Optional endpoints: World Trade Center PATH

Terrain: flat but rugged dirt trails, pavement, beach, boardwalk

Transit: NJ Transit to Elizabeth Station, walk three blocks south on Broad St

Return: NJ Transit or Path train

Difficulty: Advanced

Category: nature, urban, seashore

Coordinator: Charles Updike, 916-225-0569.

Join us on this scenic and colorful marathon walk to complete our trek across New Jersey. We start three blocks from the train station, where parking is available. Walk along the Elizabeth River and across the Goethals Bridge with views of Manhattan. A rambling trail with easy terrain, which can have a few muddy spots, takes us to the beachfront of Staten Island. A walk along the beach and through the park leads us under the Verrazano Narrows Bridge and into the fascinating relic that is Fort Wadsworth. A trip up Bay Avenue ends at the Staten Island Ferry and a free ride into Lower Manhattan. A walk along the Hudson River, with optional visits to the World Trade Center and the High Line, finishes at Midtown and Penn Station.

This is a beautiful walk for those not able to complete the 50-mile Big Walk beyond Elizabeth or Newark. If you are unable to complete this one, you can finish three miles early at the PATH station. There are also many bus stops along the way on Staten Island with buses to the ferry.

The FreeWalkers are again offering the Cross-Jersey Walking Challenge, with a goal of walking the 100 miles of the East Coast Greenway across the entire state at any time during the year. This walk is part of the ECG trail from Trenton to New York City. You have the option of completing the challenge over three to five days. Option 1: Complete the 40-mile Great Canal Walk from Trenton to New Brunswick in one day, or walk the Spring Ahead to Princeton and do the 28-mile Great Canal Walk from. Princeton. Option 2: Complete the 50-mile Big Walk in one day, or walk 24 miles of the Big Walk to Elizabeth and complete the remaining 26 miles on the Staten Island Marathon Walk.

Highlights

- Elizabeth River Parkway

- Goethals Bridge

- Willowbrook Park

- Staten Island Greenbelt

- Cedar Grove Beach

- FDR Boardwalk and Beach

- Midland Beach

- South Beach

- Fort Wadsworth

- Verrazano Narrows Bridge

- Bay Avenue shops

- Staten Island Ferry

- Battery Park

- World Trade Center

- Hudson River Greenway

- High Line

Spring 2025 Cross Jersey Challenge

Mar 22 Spring Ahead Walk (optional) 14mi

Apr 5 Great Canal Walk 28/40mi

Apr 26 Kruimer Walk 13mi

May 17 Big Walk 24/50mi

May 31 Staten Island Marathon Walk (optional) 22/26mi

Partners:

The East Coast Greenway Alliance is a non-profit organization developing a public multi-use 3,000 mile trail from Canada to Key West through New Jersey and New York. Donations and memberships help make this dream trail a reality.

Circuit Trails is 800 miles of interconnected trails in Greater Philadelphia in the making, already one of America's largest trail networks. Once connected, the Circuit Trails will be one of the nation's premier urban trail networks and it will provide multiple benefits to neighborhoods, communities and the region as a whole.

The FreeWalkers are again offering the Cross-Jersey Walking Challenge, with a goal of walking the 100 miles of the East Coast Greenway across the entire state at any time during the year. This walk is part of the ECG trail from Trenton to New York City.

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Host or Publisher FreeWalkers.org