Path to Victory Wayside
in New Jersey · centroid 25 mi from New York
While General George Washington was in headquarters at the Ford Mansion over the winter months of 1779 and 1780, he awaited the return of the Marquis de Lafayette from a mission to France. The alliance with France had been secured, but Washington needed men and ships to mount an offensive against the British in New York. Lafayette returned in May 1780 with the news of imminent French assistance.
France sent thousands of men and a fleet of ships later that year, but opportunity eluded Washington and the French commander, Rochambeau. It was not until the summer of 1781 that French forces marched down the nearby street in front of the Ford Mansion while en route to a secret destination - Yorktown, Virginia. Today, we remember that long journey, over land and sea, by two armies united in cause with the Washington-Rochambeau Revolutionary Route National Historic Trail.
- States
- New Jersey
- Trail type
- National Historical Park trail
- Centroid nearest city
- New York, NY · 25 mi · ~45 min drive
- Centroid coords
- 40.7964°, -74.4663°
About Morristown National Historical Park
This trail is inside Morristown National Historical Park, a national historical park managed by the U.S. National Park Service. Conditions, road status, trail closures, and reservation requirements are published on the park's NPS page — check it before driving in, especially in winter or during major weather events.
Official NPS trail page: https://www.nps.gov/places/path-to-victory-wayside.htm
Park homepage: https://www.nps.gov/morr/index.htm
Plan your hike
Maps + permits: long-distance trails like this often require permits for through-hiking, backcountry camping, or specific sections (especially in National Parks). Check with the maintaining organisation listed above and the relevant land manager before booking travel.
Water + supplies: water sources vary seasonally on most U.S. trails. Carry a filter and consult current trail-condition reports — through-hiker journals (PCT-L, AT Reddit, etc.) and the maintaining organisation publish regular updates.
When to go: hiking seasons vary widely with elevation, latitude, and snowpack. Through-hikers traditionally start the AT in March-April (Springer northbound) and the PCT in late April (Campo northbound). High-elevation western trails (CDT, JMT, Wonderland) generally aren't passable until July.
If you've hiked Path to Victory Wayside and have current notes (water sources, trail closures, permit changes), tell us at /contact — we update pages as we learn.
Stay nearby
Other trails within 50 miles
Patriots' Path
6 miles from this trail's centroid
Patriots' Path
6 miles from this trail's centroid
Patriots' Path (Red)
8 miles from this trail's centroid
Long Path
11 miles from this trail's centroid
Lenape Trail
11 miles from this trail's centroid
Ogden Mine Railroad Trail
16 miles from this trail's centroid
Sources
Trail data on this page is compiled from OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), the maintaining organisation's public-facing materials, and Wikipedia (CC BY-SA where excerpts are quoted). Distance, terminus, and descriptive text for nationally-designated trails are hand-curated from federal land-manager websites and trail-association sources. We do not modify the underlying data; this page presents what is already publicly recorded. To suggest corrections, see our methodology page.