New Jersey trails · Sussex Branch Trail
Sussex Branch Trail
A 8.2-mile out-and-back in New Jersey, with 203 ft of climbing. Reaches Drakes Pond and other lake/viewpoint destinations. Managed by the state.
Elevation profile
Most of the climbing sits in the middle third — 55% of the ascent, between mile 2.7 and mile 5.4. It gives back about 132 ft along the way, so it rolls rather than climbing steadily.
3-D terrain
USGS 3DEP ELEVATION × ESRI WORLD IMAGERY · VERTICAL ×1.5
Reaches
- Drakes Pond (lake)
- Whites Pond (lake)
- Cranberry Lake (lake)
- Scenic View - Whites Pond (viewpoint)
Getting there
Sussex Branch Trail access. 41.04591, -74.74133 · directions
Daylight at the trailhead
On August 31, 2026 — the day this page was generated — first light reaches this trailhead at 5:55 a.m., the sun rises at 6:24 a.m. and sets at 7:33 p.m., and the last usable light fades about 8:01 p.m. (EDT) — 13 h 09 min of daylight. At about 2.7 mph plus 30 minutes per 1,000 feet of climbing, the 16.3-mile round trip takes roughly 6 h 14 min, so leaving the trailhead at sunrise puts you back around 12:38 p.m. — 6 h 55 min before sunset.
Loop options
- Hicks Avenue + Sussex Branch + Sussex Branch Trail — 3.1 mi loop, 164 ft gain
- Sussex Branch Trail + Highlands Trail + Iron Mine Trail — 2.8 mi loop, 305 ft gain
- Byram Trail + Highlands Trail + Sussex Branch Trail — 3.6 mi loop, 361 ft gain
Nearby trails
- Lehigh and Hudson Trail — 1.6 mi
- Highlands Trail — 4.5 mi
- Highlands; Lake Hopatcong Trail — 7.7 mi
- Edison — 9.0 mi