Morris County is home to many runners, including hundreds who run in the New York City Marathon every year. I'm not a marathon runner, but I do run around 5 miles a day some 330 days a year. Many of my running friends have run the NYC Marathon, and together we have run and trained along the places listed here.
Running tracks in Morris County, New Jersey
Included is one indoor running track, and a number of outdoor tracks, trails and paths where many people run in Morris County.
Indoor Track at Morris Center YMCA
For winter running, or for those who simply prefer to run indoors all year in Morris County, the Morris Center YMCA in Cedar Knolls, N.J., has an indoor running track. When I used to work in Morristown, I joined the Morris Center YMCA and ran many laps on the track during lunch hours and after work. The Morris Center YMCA is located at 79 Horsehill Road, right off Hanover Road down the street from the Mennen Arena, just north of Morristown.
Chubb Park Paved Running Path
There is a nice 1/4 of a mile paved running/walking path located around the pond in Chubb Park in Chester, N.J. Many runners, including myself, run laps around this track. There is a lot to like here for runners. The track is plenty wide enough to accommodate many people, dogs are not allowed on the track, and though there are usually a few people here, it tends to never get really crowded.
As an added bonus, along the backside of the track is a path that leads to some nice running/hiking trails through Chubb Park. Sometimes when I tire of running in circles, I'll take the path and run for a bit on the trails through the woods before returning to the paved track. Chubb Park is located right along Route 24, about 1/2 mile west past the Route 206/Main Street traffic light in Chester.
Flanders Park Paved Running Path
There is another 1/4 mile paved running/walking path located in Flanders Park in Flanders, N.J. Though not as nice as the paved path in Chubb Park, the Flanders Park track is much more heavily used by runners and walkers. Flanders Park is located at 40 Flanders Bartley Road about 1/4 mile east of Route 206, just before the Flanders Valley Golf Course.
Columbia Trail Running Path
The Columbia Trail runs along an old railway line stretching from Flanders through Long Valley in Morris County, and on into Califon and High Bridge in Hunterdon County. The trail is smooth dirt and is ideal for long training runs as it stretches for 16.2 miles, and runs mainly along the South Branch of the Raritan River.
There are numerous parking lots and entrance points to the trail along Bartley Road and Route 513. The most popular entry point and parking lot is located right in the heart of Long Valley on Schooley's Mountain Road.
The Columbia Trail is mostly flat and quite scenic in places. At various points it crosses over the river along footbridges, including a very high one south of Califon where a major train wreck occurred in the late 1800's.
The trail also goes through the beautiful Ken Lockwood Gorge before reaching that high footbridge. Many runners, including myself, use the Columbia Trail, and sometimes charity runs take place along the path.
Patriots Path Running Trails
Patriots Path is an interconnected series of trails stretching for well over 20 miles through Morris County. Trails run from Morristown west to Mendham, and from Morristown south to Bernardsville. Parts of the trails go through Lewis Morris County Park and Morristown National Historic Park, where George Washington's soldiers spent a couple of cold winters.
There is a 2-mile paved section of Patriots Path that runs from Lake Road to Washington Valley Road in Morris Township. The rest of the many Patriots Path trails are dirt. Many runners, including myself on occasion, run along the many different trails that make up Patriots Path. Visit the Morris County Park Page for detailed maps showing access points for Patriots Path runs.
Local High Schools in Morris County
When not in use for school events, almost every high school in Morris County has a well maintained track available for running laps. I'm not a big fan of running laps on a track, but have used a handful of local high school tracks in Morris County on occasion.
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