Sussex County: Skiing, Trails and Culture

In Sussex County, you can shape your stay around specific interests: Mountain Creek offers skiing and biking activities, several trails provide routes of varying lengths, and Space Farms brings live wildlife together with historical collections. If you’re looking for a hotel, this variety can help you first narrow down the themes that will shape your days.

Skiing and Biking at Mountain Creek

Mountain Creek offers skiing, snowboarding, terrain parks and family-friendly snow tubing across four peaks. The Mountain Creek Bike Park offers a different focus: lift-served downhill riding on trails for different skill levels. This lets you choose based on the activity—skiing, snowboarding and snow tubing, or downhill riding. The information about trail skill levels applies to the Bike Park; it does not mean that all activities are designed for every skill level.

Trails and Different Route Lengths

The Great Valley Trail is 3.5 miles long and connects to the Sussex Branch Trail and Paulinskill Valley Trail to form a continuous 13-mile loop. In addition, the section of the Paulinskill Valley Rail Trail located in Sussex County is about 27 miles long. These figures describe different routes: the length of the Great Valley Trail, the connected loop, and a section of the Rail Trail in the county.

The Paulinskill Valley Rail Trail is suitable for hiking, horseback riding, biking and cross-country skiing. Practical wayfinding information is also available: the trail has several parking lots and restrooms at various trailheads; some sections are partially wheelchair-accessible. If you take these options into account when making your choice, consider the specific trailhead and section you plan to use.

Nature Experiences at Wawayanda State Park and Stokes State Forest

Wawayanda State Park has more than 60 miles of marked trails. A 20-mile section of the Appalachian Trail also runs through the park. At Lake Wawayanda, visitors can canoe, boat and fish. The park offers a range of activities: trails, a named section of the Appalachian Trail, and water sports on the lake.

Tillman Ravine in Stokes State Forest offers a different natural setting, with a rushing stream and steep rock walls. The 240-acre site of the New Jersey School of Conservation is also located in Stokes State Forest in Sussex County. It is considered the oldest year-round residential environmental education center in the United States. At the county level, the landscape also includes several recognized Important Bird Areas and areas of particular significance for natural heritage.

Wildlife and Collections at Space Farms

Space Farms Zoo is home to more than 500 live wild animals. The animals listed include lions, tigers, bears, leopards, jaguars, lemurs, bison, kangaroos, monkeys, hyenas and snakes. The Space Farms museum complex comprises nine large museum buildings, with more than 50 classic cars, motorcycles, horse-drawn carriages and sleighs, as well as other historical collections.

The themes at Space Farms are distinct: the zoo focuses on live wildlife, while the museum complex features vehicles, carriages, sleighs and other historical collections. Together with outdoor activities in Sussex County, this focus on culture and wildlife offers a different way to plan your trip than skiing, downhill riding or the county’s trails.

Discover More Destinations

Discover more destinations: Stanhope, Sussex, Sparta, Vernon, Hopatcong, Ocean, Mercer, Burlington.

For the broader travel overview: New Jersey.