New Jersey trails · Ernest Walter
Ernest Walter
A 1.7-mile out-and-back in New Jersey, with 223 ft of climbing. Reaches Surprise Lake and other lake destinations. Managed by the state.
Elevation profile
The climbing leans toward the middle third: 54% of the ascent falls between mile 0.6 and mile 1.2. It gives back about 136 ft along the way, so it rolls rather than climbing steadily.
3-D terrain
USGS 3DEP ELEVATION × ESRI WORLD IMAGERY · VERTICAL ×1.5
Reaches
- Surprise Lake (lake)
- West Pond (lake)
Heads up
Daylight at the trailhead
On August 31, 2026 — the day this page was generated — first light reaches this trailhead at 5:54 a.m., the sun rises at 6:22 a.m. and sets at 7:32 p.m., and the last usable light fades about 8:00 p.m. (EDT) — 13 h 10 min of daylight. At about 2.7 mph plus 30 minutes per 1,000 feet of climbing, the 3.5-mile round trip takes roughly 1 h 31 min, so leaving the trailhead at sunrise puts you back around 7:53 a.m. — 11 h 39 min before sunset.
Loop options
- Ernest Walter + Appalachian National Scenic Trail + State Line Trail — 3.8 mi loop, 637 ft gain
- Quail Trail + Ernest Walter + Bearfort Ridge — 5.6 mi loop, 1,177 ft gain
- Bearfort Ridge + Ernest Walter + West Ridge — 6.0 mi loop, 659 ft gain
Nearby trails
- Terrace Pond North Trail — 2.4 mi
- Terrace Pond South Trail — 4.5 mi
- Appalachian Trail — 5.1 mi
- Manaticut Point Trail — 6.9 mi