If you like long hikes in the park, there's a 34-mile trek ready for you on Monday.

The FreeWalkers have organized a hike for Monday starting at 7 a.m. along the Lenape Trail, which will take people from Millburn through South Mountain Reservation to as far north as Cedar Grove and back to Newark. The 34-mile hike, called Lenape 34, also comes as county officials and the New York New Jersey Trail Conference work together to revitalize the trail.

Paul Kiczek, FreeWalkers project leader, said the walk is in part to raise awareness to the revitalization, but it's also it's an opportunity for an inclusive exercise activity. The group strives to have long walks such as Monday's in order to create an experience where a lot of people can participate together.

"We want to give people a chance for physical exercise that also is challenging," he said.

The group has been practicing by tackling segments of the hike. They walked three segments of the trail over the course of three different weekends. Kiczek said it was an opportunity to give people a chance to try the walk, but it also gave them a chance to see how the trail works so there aren't any surprises come Monday.

But if you want to take part, you don't need to walk the entire 34 miles. The hike is broken into several segments with a specific timetable available on the Lenape 34 website to allow people to join or drop off the hike at specific points.

"We don't expect everyone to do the whole thing," Kiczek said of the mapped out timetable.

The hike starts at the Lenape Trail's head at Glen Avenue and Lackawanna Place at 7 a.m. Participants are to meet at the Millburn Train Station for the start of the hike, and Kiczek said the hike will start promptly in order to meet the schedule. It travels through West Orange to Verona and on to Montclair before heading into Newark. The entire hike is expected to end at 8:30 p.m. at Newark Penn Station.

If you plan to go, Kiczek recommends wearing sturdy footwear and bringing food, drink and a cell phone. There will be a stop for lunch, but you must bring your own. Kiczek said the cell phone is a good idea in case someone wants to end the hike early and needs someone to give them transportation.

Created in 1979 by West Orange resident Al Kent, the Lenape Trail is a 40-mile greenway that includes stops at 19 county and municipal parks, community gardens, museums and local downtowns. It links urban and suburban areas of Essex County starting in Newark's Ironbound neighborhood at the new Essex County Riverfront Park that is being developed and concludes at the Essex County Environmental Center in Roseland. There is also an extension that provides an alternate route to Essex County Turtle Back Zoo, Essex County South Mountain Reservation and Millburn's downtown district. It was named for the Lenni-Lenape Indians who populated the Essex County area and developed extensive trail systems in what are now Essex County Brookdale, Yanticaw and Branch Brook Parks. Kent, who also serves as a part-time Trail Coordinator in Morris County, has singlehandedly maintained the Lenape Trail for over 30 years and is still active in his 80s.

Steve Marano, who Kiczek said recommended the walk, is working with county officials and environmental groups to oversee the revitalization of the trail. County officials announced its support for the project a week ago in a press conference in Nutley.

"I estimate that about one million people live within five miles of the Lenape Trail. It is a unique asset that people should know about and enjoy because it connects parkland, historic sites, cultural attractions, restaurants and more," said Marano in the county's press release. "The point of the revitalization is to create signage and enhance promotion. People don't have to go out of their way to enjoy nature and history. We have that right here in Essex County."

Volunteers already have completed the first phase of the project by refreshing and improving the 40 miles of rectangular yellow paint blazes that mark the location of the trail throughout the county. A thorough effort has been made to eliminate any gaps or confusing sections, and some portions of the trail have been entirely rerouted to encompass additional parklands and more scenic locations.

The second phase of the project includes supplementing the paint blazes with new rectangular yellow and black printed medallions that include an arrowhead that signifies the Lenape Trail, the trail's name, Essex County seal and the website www.lenapetrail.org where maps and other information can be found. New sign posts and kiosks along the trail route also are being installed.