goat hill overlook

Goat Hill Overlook Hike

A short, easy hike with great views of New Hope, Lambertville, and the Delaware RIver. The hike to Goat Hill Overlook takes you to the spot where George Washington and once stood.

Rating:

4.5 / 5

Distance:

1 miles (1.6 km)

Time:

1 hour

Difficulty:

Easy

Climbing:

70 ft (21 m)

Trail Condition:

Wide trail

Challenges:

None

People:

Minimal

Known For:

Great Views

Best Time:

Any time

Dogs:

Leashed

Bathrooms:

No

Parking:

Free

Trailhead:

21 George Washington Rd, Lambertville, NJ, 08530, USA

Park Website:

Washington Crossing State Park

Phone:

Hike Weather:

Lambertville, NJ

In this Guide:

→ Trail Maps
→ Gear Recommendations
→ Turn-by-Turn Directions
→ Hike Video

Goat Hill Overlook Hike Trail Maps

Google Maps trailhead:
21 George Washington Rd, Lambertville, NJ, 08530, USA

Goat Hill Overlook hike location — The Goat Hill Overlook hike is is about an hour north of Philadelphia and an hour west of New York City.

The hike winds around Goat Hill to reach the overlook, where you get views of the Delaware River, New Hope, and Lambertville.

goat hill overlook elevation — The hike is short and only climbs about 70ft.

Interactive Map

Click Here To Load Map

Goat Hill Overlook Hike Map Downloads

hiking map on garmin fenix 3

If you have GPS device (I use this one by Garmin and I love it) for your hike, load the GPX file below into your device to navigate the hike. For help on loading the GPX file, read this article on converting and transferring to a Garmin GPS.

Also, don't rely on electronics as your sole means of navigation. There's a basic printable PDF map below, and I strongly picking up a good topo map too.

View a Printable PDF Hike Map Download the Hike GPX File

Gear for the Goat Hill Overlook Hike

camelback fourteener 24

The best hydration daypack out there. The CamelBak Fourteener has been perfect on hikes of all distances (including Mt Whitney and Cactus to Clouds). It's light, has plenty of room for snacks, extra layers, hiking gear, and comes with a 3 liter water bladder. I also like the raised sweat pads on the back that keep your back dry. It's the perfect blend of high-tech, durability, and simplicity. I've got hundreds of hours on it and still love it.

CamelBak Fourteener Reviews

recommended hiking boot

My favorite hiking boot of all time. The La Sportiva Synthesis (for women and men) are waterproof, super-light, have incredible grip, and won a Backpacker Magazine Editor's Choice Award (my review here). I've gone through a lot of boots and these are my favorite. They feel like comfortable sneakers with the protection of hiking boots.

La Sportiva Hiking Boot Reviews

Don't hike without this in your backpack. It's a GPS emergency beacon and can save your life (more on that here). On the trail, you're often out of cell phone range, and even something as simple as a twisted ankle could become a life and death situation. This beacon works where cell phones don't and is the size of a fist. Just press a button and help is on the way. Your life is worth every penny.

ACR GPS Beacon Reviews

Be prepared! My complete list of hiking gear and survival kit contents is here, check it out!

Help support this site by checking out REI outlet for great gear for a fraction of the full price.

Goat Hill Overlook Hike Directions

What to Expect

Goat Hill Overlook was used by both George Washington and British General Charles Cornwallis to view opposing forces up and down the river. Goat Hill is also known as Washington’s Rock.
Goat Hill Overlook is a 213-acre scenic preserve, administered as part of nearby Washington Crossing State Park. It opened in 2009. Before becoming a park it was going to be a quarry, and before that it was owned by the Boy Scouts.
You can walk to the trailhead from the center of Lambertville (or New Hope). It’s about a 1.5 mile hike (45 minutes) to the trailhead from central Lambertville on lightly trafficked streets. It’s a nice walk if you have more time.

Turn by Turn Hike Directions

goat hill overlook trailhead — Follow the trailhead address until you get to this turn off to the left. Head left up the dirt road. There’s no Google Maps address for the actual trailhead parking lot.

goat hill overlook trailhead — There’s a small parking lot at the trailhead. Parking is free.

goat hill overlook trailhead — Check the hiking board for any information. On this day, not much is going on.

goat hill overlook trail — At the end of the parking lot is a gate where the trail starts.

goat hill overlook trail — The trail is wide and easy to follow.

goat hill overlook trail — Shortly after the start, there’s a trail off to the left. Keep straight, heading uphill.

goat hill overlook trail — Stay on the wider path, avoiding any small paths off to the side as you reach the ridge.

goat hill overlook trail — As you hike closer to Goat Hill Overlook, there’s some small trails to the left. Again, stay on the larger trail.

goat hill overlook — Eventually you come to a clearing. This is Goat Hill Overlook.

goat hill overlook — Enjoy the views, take your selfies, and then walk back the way you came. You can explore the smaller trails off the picnic area too. Most of them lead back to the main trail. Enjoy the hike!

Goat Hill Overlook Hike Video

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Washington Crossing State Park Hike to Bowmans Tower

This easy hike takes you to Bowman’s Tower, through Bowman’s Hill Wildflower Preserve, and then ends at historic soldier graves from 1776 at Washington Crossing State Park. It’s a great hike with tons to see in a short distance.

Bulls Island State Park – Delaware River Trail

This hike from Stockton, NJ to Bulls Island State Park takes you on a loop through NJ and PA along the Delaware River Trail, with great river views. Although it’s a little long, it’s very flat and a great hike for beginners.

The Modern Hiking Essentials

The 10 hiking essentials are the recommended key survival tools that hikers should bring with them on every hike. The original 10 essentials date back the 1930s. Here’s my take on the modern hiking essentials and how to use them.

About Hiking Guy (aka Cris Hazzard)

I’m Hiking Guy, aka Cris Hazzard. I like to get outdoors, walk, and then write about it. It wasn’t always like that though.

Hiking Near Philadelphia

I spent a lot of my childhood enjoying the hiking near Philadelphia. There are not a ton of options in Philadelphia itself, but head about 30 minutes out of the city and you have a ton of options. The hiking near Philadelphia tends to be full of wildlife, lush vegetation, and have easy to follow trails.

A quick note. These directions are meant as a guide for the hike, and not a definitive source. Conditions change, and the information here can be different based on time of day, weather, season, etc. There can be small side trails that you might see but I missed. I have made every effort to include all the information you need to complete the hike successfully. I recommend using this guide in conjunction with a map, GPX file, common sense, and call to the ranger station or park office. If you do the hike and notice something has changed, please contact me and I will update the guide.