Potentially sick raccoon spotted along popular NJ hiking trail

Not necessarily one of the things you look forward to on a morning walk, but here we are. A raccoon out during the day was spotted along the Bayshore portion of the Henry Hudson trail on Thursday, Mar. 5, 2026.

Since my kids have to be in school fairly early I usually like to get a short walk in somewhere before buckling down with work. Even with it being a drizzly morning, those walks just help me get a good start to the day.

Normally, my walks are only about 20 minutes since that's usually all the time I have. But this particular morning, it was extended quite a bit just so I could avoid a potentially sick raccoon that appeared on the trail.

I was on my way back to the car when I spotted the raccoon just before 9 a.m. This portion of the trail had a fence along it, and the raccoon was walking like it was a little drunk, occasionally leaning against the fence as it walked.

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It did lock its eyes on me and started walking my direction. I wasn't super close to it but decided to turnaround and head back the way I came. And for awhile, that raccoon was continuing my direction every time I turned back. I think it was about 5 or 6 minutes of walking before I finally had it out of my view.

Was the racoon sick?

I don't know for sure if the raccoon was sick or had rabies, but it was daytime and they're not usually out during those hours. And being it was walking the way it was, I wasn't about to take a chance getting bit by trying to get closer to it.

This was in the Atlantic Highlands portion of the Henry Hudson Trail, just north of the marina. And when I came across the raccoon, I immediately reported it while also making sure I was out of harms way.

But since I wasn't able to go back the way I came, I had to loop around and get to the road toward the top of the hill in order to get back to my car. Yes, it made the walk quite a bit longer, but it beats potentially fighting a sick animal.

Should I hike the trails?

Yes, you absolutely should still visit the trails our fantastic park systems maintain. It's just a matter of being smart when you come across something unusual, such as a raccoon being out during the daytime hours and acting kind of strange.

One thing you don't want to do is try to get close to it. You don't know what's happening with the animal and you could be risking your life by getting too close. It's part of the reason I didn't take any first-hand pictures of the raccoon I encountered. Especially since it started coming my direction.

Calmly walk away from the situation while remaining aware of the animals proximity to you, and report the animal right away to the local authorities (more info on who to contact can be found here).

The above post reflects the thoughts and observations of New Jersey 101.5 weekend host & content contributor Mike Brant. Any opinions expressed are his own.