Such a wonderful experience. Such a peaceful lake, trails and beach. So well kept and beautifully…read morepreserved.

Hermoso muy lindo y agradable . Todo à la perfection la naturaleza lo es todo . Para compartir en…read morefamilia

I love the outdoors , but this hike was not my favorite :( it has an absurd amount of insects…read moreand YES I know it's a forest , but it not even well kept when it comes to markers on the trees for hikers . You can easily get lost because there's barely any markers or directions . The view from the summit is ok but even that doesn't have a sign either . They have bathroom signs to bathrooms that don't exist . Parking to a lot that says private lot .. nature is beautiful . But I wouldn't recommend this place , the pictures posted here are the ONLY thing to see . DO NOT RECOMMEND !!! There are other beautiful hiking places ..

Norvin Green is one of my absolute favorite places in NJ to hike. It has a tremendous variety of…read moretrails with different terrain, difficulty level and unique environments; if the mood strikes you, it's possible to hike up and down a few mountains with gorgeous 360-degree views, or something much easier that involves exploring some of the mines on the eastern side of the forest, closer to the reservoir. There's something for virtually any type of hiker, and because so much of the area is rugged, you're not likely to find too many ignorant young hiking pups wandering aimlessly without water or a map. I usually get out here at least a few times every year, and most recently stopped by with one of my chums two Saturdays ago for an 8.1-mile hike. If you're approaching Norvin Green from 287, I would strongly recommend stopping by the Quick Chek on 511 - the bathroom options are pretty much non-existent in the forest (apart from strategically placed foliage), the employees there are always very pleasant and you have a lot of hiking snack options if you haven't had time to preplan that aspect of the adventure. We did a circuitous route beginning at the Weis parking lot up the green trail, past the natural pool to the kiosk, then up blue to Wyanokie High Point, back down and continuing on the blue trail to Carris Hill, then taking the yellow trail from there down into the wetlands, turning west onto the blue trail, past Chik Falls and over to Otter Hole. At that point, you can either take the green Otter Hole trail back to the kiosk (I think that's about 6 miles), or turn west again in .2 miles onto yellow and up Buck Mountain, meandering along the ridge until you hit the woods road (subjective term) and can follow it back to the green trail/kiosk. Deciding to incorporate Buck Mountain adds about two miles to the trip, so if your haunches aren't up to it, just keep going north on green. You'll still get a workout in, regardless. The climb up to Wyanokie is fairly strenuous. I'm in very good hiking shape and can do it without any breaks if needed, but you're definitely earning the views once you ascend past the main tree line. The view on top has to be one of the top two or three in the state; on a clear day, you can see the NYC skyline (that's true as well for the top of Buck Mountain and several points along the yellow trail before it descends), as well as the mountainous regions to the north and west. It's gorgeous, and the only damper on this particular day was the obvious effects of the seasonal drought - tons of brown foliage and several of the water features were dried up or close to it. Especially down in the wetlands, you're usually hopping over a small stream or two. Not on this day, and Chik Falls was a barely discernable trickle. The Buck Mountain climb is one of the toughest in the area - if you can do it without taking a breather, god bless. It's something like an 800-foot ascent in .1 miles; it doesn't require actual rock scrambling or climbing, but it's probably in the tier right below that. But as with Wyanokie, you're getting amazing views for the sweat expended on the incline, and because it's a nastier section of the forest, there isn't nearly as much foot traffic. It's not unusual to get some solid wildlife sightings up on the ridge. This particular hike certainly had its share of wildlife. We saw either a garter or ribbon snake with Pittsburgh Steelers coloring, a skink, AKA the corgi of lizards, oodles of small frogs (presumably panicking over the lack of water), and met two canine chums, Nala and Argo. A very solid crop, and not out of the ordinary for this area. I couldn't recommend this place more highly. Nearby Wanaque doesn't have a lot of great eating options, so given that you've more than earned your calories from tromping around in the woods, I'd venture a little further south to sup on scrumptiousness.

I usually have to pump myself up to go over to Abram Hewitt; even for legit North Jersey hikes,…read moreit's super out of the way (at least 20 minutes from Route 23, with minimal post-hike eating options) and there's no way to avoid having to walk on the shoulder of a busy state highway for at least 15 seconds - and often significantly more if you don't get there before literally two other cars. This particular hike I did on Saturday IS one of my favorites though and a strong recommend. You can see in the attached pictures that despite a dreary day, the optics here are pretty fantastic. You have to earn the view, and when the sun actually decides to show up, it's arguably a top two or three optic in NJ. Yesterday I did about a 7-mile hike along the Bearfort RIdge, from the trailhead on the Warwick Turnpike, up the western side of the Bearfort Ridge Trail before making a left onto the Ernest Walter Trail before connecting up with the almighty AT for a few moments, then hopping onto the blue State Line Trail before reconnecting with Ernest Walter to the Greenwood Lake overlook before going south to hook up again with the Bearfort Ridge Trail (this time on its eastern side) back to the trailhead. The whole journey took about 4 1/2 hours for me, which includes moseying along for a while and a snack break at the overlook. The parking situation is rough; it's a huge reason you can't say this is an unequivocally positive hiking experience. There's a very small parking area on the shoulder of the Warwick Turnpike that can fit three cars. That's it. There's no signage to speak of, so unless you see one or two other cars there for context, it's not even clear you're allowed to park there for a few hours. Further down Warwick going toward Greenwood Lake, there's a bigger shoulder on the other side of the road that can probably fit 10 more cars but again, no signage and parking there requires you to walk alongside Warwick for a solid few minutes with not a lot of space to avoid vehicular traffic. Not pleasant, and I think they probably could figure out a way to make this much more hospitable for hikers. There's also no port-a-potty at any point in this hike, so I'd stop at the Dunkin or something in the downtown West Milford area beforehand. This is definitely not an easy hike, but the toughest part to me is the first half hour, where you're scaling up the ridge. I prefer to get the rough stuff over at the beginning as a warmup, but it's a fairly steep climb. Once up on the ridge, you're not really doing much more in the way of significant inclines (though there is more up and down, especially on the yellow trail where you have some legit scrambling), but the terrain is VERY rocky/rough, which is to be expected. It's a lot of outcroppings and hopping from one rock formation to the next. The final 2.5 miles or so on the Bearfort is comparatively easy; it's basically just a woods road, and the most annoying part of it was the bug situation, which was nastier than usual with some recent rain. I had some sweat-resistant Off, but it barely made a dent. By far the best part of this hike is the overlook area on yellow that has viewpoints going up and down the length of Greenwood Lake. The eastern side where Sterling State Forest is has some decent eye candy as well, but this is the gold standard because there's minimal foliage on the rock outcroppings; you can just on the boulders and see everything in front of you. There's no way to get up there without doing the work so it tends not to be as crowded as some of the nearby vistas in the area; an added bonus. The trail maintenance and markings are very solid and easy to find for the most part; they were either freshly painted on rocks/trees or actual physical markers nailed down (there's probably an official term for those). The blue trail has a few issues where it's super easy to lose your way because there's more than one possible option to turn onto; an extra rock cairn or two could go a long way here. Unfortunately due to the weather the canine chum situation was nonexistent, and so were the wildlife sightings. I saw/heard a few squirrels, but nothing to write home about. If this one is on your list, I'd recommend getting there early so you're literally one of the first three cars. Otherwise, your warmup is going to consist of exhaust fumes and sadness. Very cool hike though if you can make the time.

I did the Surprise Lake loop in Abram S. Hewitt State Forest this past weekend. I would say this…read morewas a intermediate level hike, there was a lot of rock scrambling. Nothing too crazy, but a few spots were a little tricky. The hike offered some challenges because of the torrential rains the previous day. The rocks were extremely slippery at some points. We carpooled to the parking lot opposite the marina. The parking lot can accommodate probably 10 cars. There was one porta potty at the parking lot, no other facilities. We started with the blue trail, followed it up to the yellow trail on the left. From yellow, we moved on to a portion of the Appalachian trail then backtracked to reach the blue all the way to the parking lot. The hike offers some great views of the Greenwood lake and the surrounding peaks and valleys from the top of the Bearfort mountain. We traversed the ridge line and arrived at the Surprise Lake where we took a break for lunch. Total distance covered was about 5 miles. We didn't spot any bears or snakes while hiking, but kept an eye out just the same as they are supposed to be common in the area. A good pair of hiking shoes will be useful on this hike, be careful while scrambling over the rocks if you're wearing sneakers. As always, carry sunscreen and map of the trail. Hiking map:http://www.nynjtc.org/files/u1/PettyHJH_chp24-SurpriseLakeLoop.pdf

For an inexperienced party of hikers, this trail might not be the best choice, but we had a…read moregrueling and fulfilling hike. With ample breaks (~10 short water breaks and 3-4 longer breaks to admire scenery), we finished in 5.5 hours. If a short but rough bit of rock scrambling will be a challenge, make sure to bring gloves and proper hiking footwear, and durable fitted clothing. The path we took had varied terrain and tended to go up and down in elevation. Definitely download a hiking app that works without good phone service since there are multiple trails and we had multiple instances where we had to choose the correct direction. We brought 2 bottles of ice water each, but decidedly towards the end we should have really brought 4-5. Didn't see any wildlife except a hawk/falcon, plenty of millipedes, and a weird alien-like squirming worm sticking straight out of a tree looking like a stubby branch. Pathing: we started at the parking lot and followed the blue state line trail (which apparently leads to Maine, informed fellow hikers). We probably missed any views until we changed to the yellow trail (the beginning is denoted by three yellow squares, as well soon learned). On the yellow trail, we were soon treated with a small, private feeling view of a pond next to a campfire pit. The next viewing area consisted of a closeup experience of the same pond from the ground level. After another hour of hiking, we had our best view yet, a canopy high view of the river and small houses across, with trees as far as the eye can see. Seemed worth it after four hours of rocks and mud. Terrain: Short easy walking portions are split between rocky paths with the occasional climb up or down. Having a stick really helped during both parts. Watch out for slick mossy rocks. Weather: matters! We luckily came on a cloudy cool summer day (70-80F) and with shade and breeze it was very pleasant. I could imagine running out of water in the first two hours if it was sunny and hotter. Unluckily, it rained during the last hour as it became afternoon. It will be very hard to hike this trail without sunlight. It also became frigidly cold. Crowdiness: crossed about 10 hikers during the five hours, could be due to the rain warning, but still much less crowded compared to any other spots I've been to. Also saw almost no trash, thumbs up to all the hikers here. Danger: heard about snakes, never saw any. Most dangerous thing on the trail is probably the dwarves that surely live in the trees with the little doors, and slick rocks along with unsure footing. Few scrapes and bruised backsides can be expected for amateur hikers like us, especially when it rains. Feels amazing after we finished, my last hour of the journey nearly blank with desperation to reach the end. Good meal and foot massage ahead! tl;dr fairly difficult trail with ups and downs and rock scrambling, bring more water than you think you need, a hat, gloves, sunscreen if you like, a stick, good shoes, and a tested hiking app. Views depend on the trail you take, we got the best views on the yellow trail. Be careful and enjoy being nearly alone on the trail. Don't stay til dark, and run from the rain.

Medium level hike with great scenery. Not much elevation but part of the trail is rocky. Wear your…read morehiking shoes instead of sneakers, otherwise you will get a foot massage like I did today =) It's a good 3-4hours hike. Parking lot is 50 meters away from the entrance. Hiking might require hands at some points but overall it's smooth and agreeable. Following white trail, then at the crossing of white trail and yellow trail (2.5hours hike), you will enjoy the great view from the top of the mountain. Then follow the yellow trial for 30mins, surprise lake is right in front of you. It's surrounded by the forests with the branches of the trees touching the water. A soft breeze from the lake is very refreshing after a long hot hike. Follow the orange trail, you will get to the entrance nicely and easily. Def worth a visit if you like hiking.

It's a great place for me to run. It's flatter than most areas around here. It's also very…read moretranquil, and beautiful to watch as you run along the path.The path around the large pond is wide, which is great for the amount of people that are coming through there and many of the areas around the paths have shade, which makes it great for running as well. There's a large parking area with lots of parking space which is a convenient. When you come into the reserve it's off of the highway. The an entrance which is one way in and then the exit on the opposite end of the lot which is one way out. The only drawback from me was that there were a number of people in the park with their dogs unleashed and the dog should be leashed . Which makes it difficult and unnerving for a runner to see a dog come out and not see the owner close by.

Nice park for the beginner or more experienced hiker or just someone who wants to have some peace…read moreand quiet outdoors for a couple of hours. The parking lot is big and there is a bathroom, which is appreciated. I took a look at the trail map before I left to find one of a decent length, so check out options, but the trails are well-marked. Once you get past the main train next to the lake, you can find yourself pretty alone except for another occasional hiker, but you can vibe with nature, see a waterfall, and just breathe in the fresh air. Some of the trails are long, but I paced one that was only a couple of miles and still got some nice scenery and a lot of steps in. It's great this park isn't too far from the urban areas of Northern NJ and there are many trail options so you can visit again and experience something new. There's also a sign for trout fishing if that's your thing. Check it out if you want to get away for the day.

I visited Ringwood State Park for a hike with a hiking group I'm apart of. This park has a lot of…read morecool sights to see as you go along the trail. When you first arrive, you arrive at a big house/mansion. I didn't get to read much on the history of this house, but the grounds were beautiful. They also gave a bit of a creepy vibe at times. The trail was fairly easy to hike. However, there was a part where you have to walk across a river. You have to be careful because some of rocks are slippery. I think this would be a good place to hike in the fall around Halloween just because of the creepy vibes.

Maybe not as well known but Ringwood State Park is a pleasure to walk with a lot of trails! The…read morearea around Shepherd Lake is beautiful and a perfect place to walk around with a cup of coffee. Also no fees for admission or parking! Follow my Instagram and TikTok @thephotographerfoodie for more! :)

I loved my hike 5 mile hike in Sterling Forest State Park. We did the Doris Duke loop which was…read morejust under 5 miles. We started the hike going clockwise, and in so doing did most of the elevation gain at the start of the hike. I found the path to be very comfortable to walk on, with less rocks and exposed tree roots than typical for NYS. I was also very surprised at how peace full it was, we did not see another living soul until we were 2/3s of the way through the hike, and then didn't see anyone else until we got to the parking lot. I was all set to only hike in this park going forward, because Harriman can get way too busy for me, and then the ticks started. SO MANY Ticks. I hike frequently and ticks are a fact of life in the north east, but this was next level tick infestation. I tuck my pant bottoms into my boots and spray tick repellent on my clothes, boots, and arms. We were pulling them off ourselves in the car on the drive home, and then off ourselves at home. Thank god they were the large size kind of tick and easy to see. I have never seen so many ticks at one time. 100% avoid Sterling Forest.

We've hiked in Sterling Forest several times and have enjoyed the experience! Typically less…read morecrowded than Harriman State Park and others in the area, Sterling has a very nice visitor center with clean bathrooms, a helpful light up model of the forest, a store, and friendly staff to help with any questions. The parking lot is decent sized too. They have some varied hikes but most aren't too difficult. Whether you want lakes, forests or views you can get them here. Many of the trails also connect if you want to make them longer or shorter. Some of the hikes like Mckeags in the summer can be very tick ridden so do all the usual precautions. There's spotty reception in this area so if you're using All Trails or other app, you'll want offline view.