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Rail trail in Monmouth County, New Jersey

The Henry Hudson Trail is a rail trail in western and northern Monmouth County, New Jersey. The trail is named for Henry Hudson, who explored the harbor at Atlantic Highlands and the Raritan Bayshore coastline in the early 1600s. The 24 mile (39 km), 10 feet (3 m) paved multi use trail is part of the Monmouth County Park System. The rail trail traverses the Raritan Bayshore region from Highlands and connects inland to Freehold Borough using the former rights of way of several rail lines. Although trees line much of the trail, it affords some views of surrounding wetlands, streams, woodlands and fields. It traverses through the municipalities of Freehold Township, Marlboro Township, Matawan, Aberdeen Township, Keyport, Union Beach, Hazlet, Keansburg, Middletown Township, and Atlantic Highlands. The Garden State Parkway, the North Jersey Coast Line, and several abandoned rail bridges in Matawan and Aberdeen is the dividing line between the northern and southern sections of the trail. The northern section runs 12 miles east from the Aberdeen Keyport border to Highlands, north of and roughly parallel to Route 36. A missing link in Atlantic Highlands requires on road travel between Avenue D and the Atlantic Highlands marina. The southern (inland) section runs south from Matawan to Freehold Borough. A long missing link between Wyncrest Road and Big Brook Park in Marlboro divides this inland section into its own north and south segments, but planning is underway to connect the segments in 2025. The property for the inland sections is currently railbanked by New Jersey Transit (NJT), which leases the line for trail usage to the Monmouth County Park System. The trail is administered by the Monmouth County Park System and is leased through 2020 for use as a trail. If future economic conditions warrant resuming operation, NJT reserves the right to restore rail service at any time. The railroad line was never officially abandoned, unlike most rail trails. The Henry Hudson Trail was the first rail trail developed in Monmouth County,
and was joined by the Union Transportation rail trail in 2010.

The southern segment of the inland section runs from County Route 537 in Freehold north to Allen Road in Marlboro (near Marlboro High School and Route 79). This section was opened in 2006. In 2013 a connecting trail was built from a point near the Allen Road terminus to the trails of the county's Big Brook Park. As of January 2024, construction has started to extend the trail further south into Freehold Borough.

The northern segment of the inland section runs from Wyncrest Road in Marlboro north to Stillwell Street in Matawan, generally paralleling Route 79 for much of the way. This section was opened in 2006, with a short additional stretch completed in 2011. This segment has an old train station which has fallen into disrepair due to no longer being used.

The Atlantic section running east west was the first to be developed, opening in 1992. The route roughly parallels Route 36 from the Garden State Parkway to Atlantic Highlands, with trail heads at Lloyd Road and Clark Street in Aberdeen/Keyport and Avenue D in Atlantic Highlands. This section suffers from many busy road crossings. The entirety of this segment is concurrent with the Bayshore Trail.

In Jan, 2024, construction started to extend the southern end of the trail further into Freehold Borough. The missing section in Marlboro Township, New Jersey, between Wyncrest Rd. and Big Brook, is also in the process of being developed, set for a trail opening in 2025.