Sourland Mountain is a ridge which straddles the borders of Somerset, Hunterdon and Mercer Counties. Due to the harshness of the land and its unsuitability for farming, large portions of the ridge have remained undeveloped. The largest protected portion of the ridge is in Somerset County, where about 3,000 acres have been set aside as a preserve, administered by the Somerset County Park Commission.

The preserve offers three loop trails, marked with white blazes with the logo of the Somerset County Park Commission. The white-triangle-blazed Maple Flats Trail and the white-circle-blazed Pondside Trail are short, easy loop hikes. The five-mile-long white-square-blazed Ridge Trail is more challenging, and it permits one to spend several hours exploring this beautiful preserve. In addition, trails blazed with red circles and red squares connect with the Ridge Trail and extend into adjacent private property. Finally, there are several short connecting trails, marked with "C" blazes on a white background. This hike follows the Ridge Trail and the Red Circle Trail (none of the short connecting trails are included in the route of this hike).