The Bayshore Path Is Closed, and the Hills Behind Atlantic Highlands Are on a Deadline

The Henry Hudson Trail's Bayshore section in Atlantic Highlands has been closed for debris and erosion since the September 26–27 nor'easter. Monmouth County announced the closure in a September 28 storm update, and the Two River Times repeated it on October 3. No reopening date has been published.

The closest substitutes are a short drive up the hill. They are Mount Mitchill Scenic Overlook, Hartshorne Woods Park and, a little farther out, Huber Woods Park. The Bayshore path is an everyday walk that feels about the same in November as in October. These parks are different. Each one follows a fall schedule that winds down in stages, and the first change comes tomorrow. The best of what they offer this season ends well before Thanksgiving.

What Is Closed and What Is Still Open

The county's description of the trail explains where the closure sits. The northern Henry Hudson Trail runs 12 miles from the Aberdeen/Keyport border to the Leonardo/Atlantic Highlands border. From there, a shared-road link leads to the marina, and a Bayshore trail continues to Popamora Point. The storm reports place the closure along the Bayshore in Atlantic Highlands. They give no endpoints and no detour.

Cyclists heading west on the trail face a second, unrelated closure. The Park System said the Wilson Avenue–Church Street section in Port Monmouth would close on or about August 10, 2026, for about two years of Army Corps construction. The detour uses Wilson Avenue, Main Street, Broadway and Church Street.

The county's September 28 update said every other park was open, though crews were still checking trails for downed trees. It pointed residents to monmouthcountyparks.com or 732-842-4000 for current conditions. That update describes conditions as of late September, so call or check the site before a visit.

The Fall Calendar Starts Tomorrow

These dates come from the Park System's own listings, a local event preview and a recent county news item. In order:

1. October 5. Hartshorne Woods and Mount Mitchill both move their closing time from 8 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
2. October 9–24. Huber Woods runs its Creatures of the Night hayrides on Friday and Saturday evenings.
3. October 10. The Fall Taste of Highlands runs from noon to 5 p.m. in the borough next to Rocky Point.
4. October 11. Free weekend tours of Battery Lewis end for the season.
5. November 1. Closing time at Hartshorne and Mount Mitchill moves to 5:30 p.m. and stays there through January 18.
6. November 15. Tours of Historic Portland Place end.
7. November 18. The free, naturalist-led Awesome Autumn Amble meets at Hartshorne's Rocky Point lot at 10 a.m.
8. November 24. Hartshorne is closed to all outdoor activity until noon for antlerless deer hunting. More hunting closures follow on December 8, 10, 16 and 18.

Put together, the dates show a clear pattern. By the middle of November, both Hartshorne tour programs have ended. Any after-work walk has to be finished by 5:30. The park also has scheduled hunting closures on top of that. The six weekends between now and mid-November hold most of what these parks offer this season.

Rocky Point Has the Earliest Deadline

Hartshorne Woods has about 16 miles of trails for walking, biking and horseback riding. The Rocky Point entrance at 1402 Portland Road is the one tied to this month's calendar. This is where the Battery Lewis tours run, on Saturdays and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Next weekend is the last one this year.

The park brochure lists these trails at each entrance:

The Buttermilk Valley entrance at 307 Navesink Avenue has no tours ending this month, so it can wait until later in the season. Historic Portland Place, at 200 Hartshorne Road, keeps a longer tour season. Tours run Wednesday through Sunday at 10:30 a.m., 11:30 a.m., 1:30 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. until November 15. If you only have one free weekend this month, Battery Lewis is the one that needs it.

Mount Mitchill for a Short Walk

Mount Mitchill Scenic Overlook, at 460 Ocean Boulevard, covers 12 acres. It has the view, a 9/11 memorial timeline path and a playground. It opens at 7 a.m. every day and follows the same closing schedule as Hartshorne. The park page gives no trail mileage, so think of it as a place to stop and look rather than a workout. It stays useful after November 1. On a weekday when you get home at 5, a lap of the memorial path still fits before the 5:30 close. A full Hartshorne loop does not.

Huber Woods Has Evening Hayrides for Two More Weeks

Huber Woods Park, at 25 Brown's Dock Road, lists 8.5 miles of multi-use trails on its park page, with both short and long loops and grades from gentle to steep. The county's general trail directory gives a lower total, so the named loops are a better guide. Fox Hollow is 1 mile, Valley View 1.5, Many Log Run 1.3, Meadow Ramble 0.7, Claypit Run 0.5, and the Nature Loop, for foot traffic only, is 0.5.

The Creatures of the Night hayrides are back on Friday and Saturday evenings from October 9 to 24. Departures are staggered between 4 and 7:30 p.m., admission is $16, and you have to register in advance. That makes six evenings in all. The park page also says parts of Huber will be open for deer hunting during the 2026/2027 season and links to the dates and boundaries. Check that page before a late-fall walk.

A Flat Option Is Sandy Hook

Hartshorne and Huber are hilly, and some riders want something closer to the flat Bayshore path. The nearest match is the paved Multi-Use Pathway on Sandy Hook. TrailLink lists it as 8.7 miles, running from Atlantic Drive on Sandy Hook to 798 Ocean Avenue North in Sea Bright, with parking at Lots A, C and G. The National Park Service says the path works for walking, inline skating and biking. Park hours are 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily. That NPS page was last updated in June, before the storm. Patch reported that the bridge onto Sandy Hook closed on the morning of September 26. Check the NPS alerts page before you load the bikes.

Coffee Before and Lunch After

Walking the Bayshore path meant ending up near First Avenue or the harbor. Driving up to the parks changes where you stop afterward. Two routes make sense.

Through Atlantic Highlands. First Avenue has 1st Cup at 96 First Avenue, Atlantic Bagel Co. at 74 First Avenue and Fair Mountain Coffee Roasters at 171 First Avenue. Cozy Corner Bakery is at 1 West Avenue. At the harbor, On the Deck Restaurant & Bar sits at 10 Simon Lake Drive.

Through Highlands, on the way to Rocky Point. Highlands Café opened at its new location, 300 Bay Avenue, in April 2025 and serves breakfast, lunch and pastries. Inlet Cafe, at 3 Cornwall Street, reopened in spring 2026 after about three years closed. The Lentz family's original ownership group is back, and the restaurant serves lunch and dinner Wednesday through Sunday.

Saturday, October 10, lines up well with the parks calendar. The Highlands Business Partnership holds its 7th Annual Fall Taste of Highlands from noon to 5 p.m., rain or shine. Tickets are $50 and include tastings, an event map, free parking and the Seastreak Courtesy Shuttle. Check-in is at Huddy Park, at Bay and Waterwitch avenues. The 17 participants include Bahrs Landing Restaurant, Farmacie by the French Market, Fresh, Highlands Café, Hinlickity's Ice Cream Parlor, Moby's, Off the Hook, Proving Ground and Waterwitch Neighborhood Grocer and Gourmet. Battery Lewis tours start at 10 a.m. that morning at 1402 Portland Road, just up the hill from Huddy Park. That makes October 10 one of the last days you can do a fort tour in the morning and the tasting in the afternoon.

Living near these trailheads means planning around a fall calendar that changes by the week, from park hours to tour seasons to hunting days. That kind of local timing is part of how Sodeli Michelle helps clients judge how a home fits the life around it. If you're weighing an address near Hartshorne, Mount Mitchill or the harbor, Let's Connect.