Starting 2026 on the Right Foot Trenton Walks! to Partner with NJDEP to Host First Day Hike Celebrating History
Trenton Walks! will celebrate the past and present significance of New Jersey’s capital city with two walks in January, first travelling back through 250 years of history on a walk from the Battle Monument through the D&R Canal State Park and on to Cadwalader Park, on New Year’s Day, Thursday, January 1. The second walk will take place on Wednesday, January 21, when participants will visit a number of the downtown sites that make Trenton a great place to live, work, and visit: the Old Barracks, Masonic Temple, and the War Memorial, and travel on through Mill Hill Park to the Passage Theatre and the Douglass House.
New Year’s Day Walk
The N.J. Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) and Trenton Walks! will host a walk along the Delaware River on January 1, 2026, the first day of the Celebration of the American Revolutionary War. The 3.5-mile walk will start at the Trenton Battle Monument at 1 p.m. and will continue along the Delaware & Raritan Canal to Cadwalader Park and back. The hike will be led by Mackenzie Piggott, state trails coordinator for DEP’s Green Acres Program, as well as Tim Brill and Becky Taylor, co-chairs of Trenton Walks!. Participants will travel back through time to explore both the past and the present significance of this area of New Jersey’s capital city. The hike will start at the Battle Monument and will follow D&R Canal State Park, touching on the area’s role in the Revolutionary War, the historic canal and railroad that helped earn Trenton’s motto “Trenton Makes, the World Takes,” and the notable final urban park designed by famed Central Park landscape architect, Frederick Law Olmstead.
“From the Battles of Trenton to today, the area around D&R Canal State Park has played a monumental role in shaping who we are as a nation and how we connect to one another,” said Piggott, who noted that D&R Canal State Park is a pivotal segment of many regional and national trails, such as the Circuit Trail Network, the September 11th National Memorial Trail, and the East Coast Greenway. The 3.5-mile hike will begin at the Trenton Battle Monument statue and will follow D&R Canal State Park through the city to famous Cadwalader Park and back to the Battle Monument. This event is the 2026 version of First Day Hikes, an initiative led by America’s State Parks that NJDEP’s State Parks, Forests, and Historic Sites embraces each year,
“The DEP staff and their community partners lead hikes throughout the state on January 1st each year to help everyone start off the new year on the right foot by being active and getting outside,” Piggott added. This walk will be limited to 35 walkers. Participants are asked to email Trails@dep.nj.gov to register, including their name, the number of participants registering in their party, and the best phone number to reach them if poor weather conditions force cancellation of the hike.
Second Walk in January, Focusing on Downtown
On January 21st at noon, Trenton Walks! will explore some of the places that make downtown Trenton a great place to live, work, and visit: the Old Barracks, Masonic Temple, and the War Memorial, Mill Hill Park, the Passage Theatre, and the Douglass House. This shorter hike will celebrate the unique mix of history, business, government, performance venues, and open spaces that make Trenton special.
“Since June of 2024, Trenton Walks has hosted 63 walks, completing 1,671 person-miles—the distance from Trenton to Key West, FL, plus the distance from Trenton to Boston, MA,” Brill noted. “Walks have been organized around a variety of themes and interests, from fitness, mental and physical health, nature, history, and redevelopment.”
“Our goal is to connect, celebrate, and collaborate around Trenton’s contributions to our shared experiences as residents of New Jersey’s capital city,” said Taylor, Trenton Walks! other co-chair. “We appreciate opportunities to get together, to learn about our place in the country and the world, and to enjoy the outdoors and our shared environment.”
The Trenton Green Team is Trenton Walks! executive sponsor, and the other key supporter of the walking program is the Mercer County Action Team of the Circuit Coalition. To learn more about the walks, view maps, and get the latest updates, please visit the Greater Mercer Transportation Management Association’s “Trail Happenings” webpage: https://gmtma.org/trail-happenings/.
