Exploring the Family-Friendly Gnome Hollow Preserve

Located along a nondescript back road in Sussex County is the little-known Gnome Hollow Preserve. The namesake of this preserve is the collection of countless small gnomes hidden throughout the park landscape. This family-friendly destination features over a hundred small gnomes (plus a few gnome homes) tucked away on rock ledges, inside tree trunks, and nestled into various secret spots along the trail, even guarding a cave. Unlike similar flat gnome or fairy trails, Gnome Hollow Preserve offers a slightly more rugged, natural hiking experience, ensuring that adults who may believe they are too cool for the gnome scavenger hunt will still enjoy the park while also getting younger children into hiking.

Hiking the Gnome Hollow Preserve

Parking

Parking for Gnome Hollow Preserve is not hard, but it is also not very obvious. Be on the lookout for a small green “Gnome Hollow Preserve” sign. The way this sign is angled, it can only be seen from the direction of Route 94; fortunately, this seems to be the more common route to take. If you do not arrive from Route 94, be on the lookout for the grassy area described below.

Behind the sign is the parking area, which has a small gravel entrance but otherwise looks more like a lawn than a parking area. The only real way to know that this is where to park is the small sign mentioned above.

The Trail

The trail is fairly easy, but unlike similar trails in the state, such as the Fairy Trail at South Mountain Reservation or the Columbia Trail in Morris and Hunterdon Counties, Gnome Hollow is more rugged and natural, featuring a few small hills and rocky sections. It is never difficult, but it is not stroller-friendly like the other two trails. Most kids who can walk should have no problem, as it is short and there are points to turn around early while still making a loop.

One annoying quirk of the park is the trail markings; every trail in the preserve is marked yellow, which can be confusing to begin with, but to make matters worse, there are many spurs to this trail. Every time the trail splits, you will see an upside-down triple blaze, typically reserved for the end of a trail. Here, the triple blaze signifies a split. The official trail map lists many of these trails, but there are a few more officially marked trails than are on the map. It is still easy to find your way through the preserve, though.

As of July 2026, paper trail maps are available at the preserve entrance and online. Although short, I recommend taking a map due to the weird markings.

While the preserve is more geared towards children, it is still a nice trail for adults. While there are no scenic views, the trail is pretty in its own right. Additionally, there is a nice, small meadow that used to be home to a Christmas tree farm.

The Gnomes

From the parking lot, there are two trail entrances. It does not matter which way you go, but I recommend taking the more obvious trail straight ahead, as there are more gnomes there. Almost immediately, you will see gnomes all over the place; basically, any clearing, ledge, rock, or stump will have a gnome. Even some tree branches feature some hanging gnomes. There are easily over a hundred gnomes hidden throughout the preserve.

These gnomes are generally on the smaller side, ranging from about an inch to up to six inches for the larger ones.

One of my favorite spots is a small cave being guarded by a few larger gnomes.

In addition to the gnomes, there are also a few gnome homes scattered throughout the preserve.

I did find that the frequency of gnomes decreased the farther into the preserve you go, though they are along the entire trail. This does make sense as it is generally kid focused. I also found that the gnomes are more visible walking away from the parking area and less visible on the return trip, likely because more kids are excited to drop their gnome off when they start the hike instead of on the return.

If you would like to add your own gnome, there is a sign inviting you to do so at the trailhead. It also lists what is and is not allowed. In summary, the requirement is for sustainable gnomes that will not break, be weathered, or damage trees or plants.

Review

This is a true hidden gem, and the fact that the parking area is completely grass (instead of dirt from repeatably being driven over) proves this park doesn’t attract as many people as it should.

While this is not a long hike by any means, it is perfect for kids thanks to the numerous gnomes. The fact that they are hidden all over, such as at a cave entrance and in tree trunks, and that the terrain is varied elevates this trail above other similar trails in the state.