The fam was looking to take advantage of this beautiful fall weather that we have been having. I…read morerecalled doing this hike a number of years ago and enjoyed it, so decided to give it another try. The parking lot was not the biggest, but there seemed to be many spots on the street. Fortunately we were able to find a spot in the lot though. It is dog friendly, so we brought our little guy too. Since the my younger son is only 7 we decided to do the hike (blue trail) to Tripod rock and back, which is about 3 miles. It does have some incline, but didn't receive any complaints about this from the fam. Also there are a bunch of stones on the hiking path, so be careful not to trip. The trail is marked well (apart from one point towards the tripod rock where it splits) so we were able to get to our destination fairly easily. It wasn't too crowded, which was nice.

Pyramid Mountain (Boonton) - Tripod Rock Blue trail - Difficulty: 4/10, Length: 3.4 Miles (2…read morehours), Payoff 7/10 (Cool rock & light view spots), Would Recommend

**We just did the boardwalk then into the woods. We did not continue on to the Stairway**…read more I've lived in NJ over 30 years and I'm still pleasantly surprised when I find new places. My NY plus size hiking group stuck to the Jersey side last weekend and hit the boardwalk. It rained 2 days before so some of the older sections were mighty slick. All Trails reviews warned of dog poop and bugs everywhere but I was doused in OFF and people were cleaning up after their pets. Highlights: The vegetation was gorgeous. NJ has so many landscapes. Loved it. The suspension bridge - very cute but once you get to the middle prepare to sway baby! The woods - the trees were singing but unfortunately one half of the loop was submerged so we called it a day early and then went for beer lmao The Boardwalk is accessible to a point. Strollers, wheelchairs, etc will be good until the suspension bridge. Lots of bench seating along the way. Loved! Things to Know: Parking rules. This is in a neighborhood so park on the main road and main road only. Get there early for a spot. There's a farm right up the street - I was counting on apple cider donuts but we opted to go to a brewery on the NY side so we skipped that. Boo. I'll be back for the stairway one day. And the donuts.

I did the Stairway to Heaven hike and let me tell you. It was a tough one. I parked in one of the…read morelots that was across the street from Heaven hill farm. If you search up this particular trail and look up its difficultly. It is listed as moderate but to me it was more hard. What made it difficult was the extremely rocky sections which there were a lot of them. The whole hike is pretty much rocky. Not only that there were steep sections during this hike. This hike definitely made me realize that I actually need to invest in proper hiking shoes and not just sneakers as well as hiking sticks. I'm not the only one who thought this hike was difficult. I went with a hiking group and we all thought it was challenging. Once we made it to the top the view was definitely beautiful. We decided to relax for a bit and enjoy the view before heading back down. I came prepared and I enjoyed my peanut butter and jelly sandwich and my iced lemon water. Both were hitting the spot after the hike up. I will admit going down was just as hard because you had to deal with steep terrain. If you aren't careful you can definitely roll an ankle. Overall a challenging hike but the view and then getting my goodies from heaven hill farm was a plus.

So beautiful. The trails are poorly marked and there aren't any maps really. But it's worth it…read more Just leave plenty of time. Lots of variety

A quiet preserve with a nice, paved path on slight grade. There are more paths through the woods…read moreand alongside the river that runs through the glen. Watch out for coyotes and bears! It's nice to see a refuge like this, and great spot for easy access to a little bit of nature when you need to kick back and dangle your feet in a cool stream..

This is one of my favorite local hikes. Its not too far of a drive if you are coming from Bergen…read moreCounty like myself. Upon arrival there is a pretty decent size lot with a good amount of parking. I have never had an issue finding a spot. The hikes are pretty calm with nothing being too strenuous. But you can still get a good hike in. There is a huge lake, a waterfall, some old foundations, a few old tanks, and a dam. So there is a lot to see here. There is even one point where you can see what appears to be an old jeep off one of the trails. This is a good hike if you want to get a good walk in without it being to tough. There is also plenty to see throughout the hikes.

This is our first hike that we took in NJ and although we did not see any bears (thankfully!!) - my…read morehusband did pull out a huge dog tick which was making its way into my skin!! This was absolutely my nightmare come true and I am partially to blame for because I did not spray an insect repellant. I also did not wear clothing that covered my stomach (it was hot!). Anyways, apart from that little scare, it was a beautiful hike. There are a few different trails (based on difficulty) which are detailed on a billboard at the entrance. There are a ton of squirrels and chipmunks running around...like A TON! So don't get scared and think it's a bear. The Butler Reservoir is a beautiful scenery and you can take some awesome pictures! Also, the trail itself is pretty rocky. TIPS: *Wear good hiking shoes, there are some steep/slippery areas and it's rocky most of the way. *Spray insect repellant, inspect your exposed skin for ticks AND take a shower right after you get home. Remove the tick very slowly to prevent the head from breaking off. *If you see a bear - DO NOT RUN! Scream and make yourself appear bigger/more scary by waving hands. *Take a lot of beautiful pictures! *Plan and follow the trail. The trail is available on google maps if you ever get lost and there are color coded markings on the trees throughout the hike. And most importantly - HAVE FUN!

Great place, peaceful. I love go there Almost every…read moreSaturday morning Helping me found my self together...

I love wild cat trail!! Seeing the old mining cave is cool. The closer you get to it the colder it…read moregets. The only negative thing I have to say is that the paths are poorly maintained.

I visited this trail for the first time and was actually quite surprised at how good of a hike it…read morewas. I haven't heard much about it so I didn't expect much. Upon arrival there is a small parking lot, with a kiosk and the usual map of the trails. I used primarily the red and yellow trails to reach the top of the mountain. The view is nice, with a little bit of obstruction due to the trees. On a clear day you can easily see New York City. At the top of the mountain there is also a star with lights on it that I believe was donated. In addition to this, there is a large rock with the American flag painted on it. These are two little interesting things to see in addition to the view. The hike itself was fairly easy, with one steep section before reaching the top. I would say it is definitely a good hike if you live nearby and want to go for a hike without taking a longer drive. The one negative, is that in some areas the trails are not properly marked and can be a little confusing. This doesn't seem to be too big of an issue because it seems they all end meeting back together at some point.

In high school we used to have keg parties on top of the mountain. In college fraternities and…read moresororities would have events in these woods too. You can follow the trails or there's other ways up the mountain. You can ride your mountain to the top of the mountain or through to the Franklin lakes preserve but there's a lot of area where trees are down or there is too much water. There's a great view and plenty of space once you get to the top of the mountain. You can find "buttermilk falls" by the North Haledon entrance to the college.

A nice area for hiking with castle ruins and a lake and changing elevations. There are some paved…read moreroads but also trails off that path. You can hear the sound of cars on the highway both at the end and beginning of the hikes. Lots of dogs off leash even though there are signs that say to leash all dogs. The parking lot can get crowded later in the afternoon especially in the spring and summer, but there were plenty of spots on a Sunday morning at 9:30.

My 350th Yelp review is a banger…read more I try to stop by Ramapo at least once a year, usually at the beginning of hiking season; there's a nice 5- or 6-mile route I do in there that helps me build up for the more hardcore hikes later in the year, and it's unusual for me to do this one so late into the actual summer. Boy, is this a different hike in June. Ask the gazillion bears I saw. Yesterday I did about 6 miles, starting at the Ramapo Lake Trailhead parking lot, going on the blue trail to the aforementioned lake and then turning left onto N Shore Drive. I then veered off toward the castle ruins but made a pretty quick right before the path up to said ruins onto Cannonball to Skyline Drive, joining up with the Castle Point Trail back to and through the castle ruins, before heading down back to the lakefront and continuing all the way around the lake until getting back to the blue trail and the parking lot. The official hike in my book says it's 6.6 miles when you include an additional loop to the south of the lake that gets you very close to 287, but i bypassed that today. One of the big issues with this section of Ramapo is the parking situation. I can't tell you how many times I've had to pivot and do a different hike because this Ramapo Lake parking lot was completely full by mid-morning, and the powers that be insist on plastering no parking signs in every other conceivable area going literally miles down Skyline Drive. I get that Skyline is a busy road but there ARE sections where you can theoretically park safely on the shoulder without bothering anyone else - I think there's a compromise here somewhere, but because they don't have one, this lot is usually full by 8:30am on a nice day, and then you have vulture cars just lurking in the middle of the lot for ages waiting for hikers to come back so they can immediately grab the new spot. You can't tell me that's much safer than the alternative. Anyway. The other mild annoyance for me is that you can often hear car traffic, especially in the southern section by 287, but it is what it is. The lake and the castle are the real selling points here, especially the castle. Ruins are one of my all-time favorite hiking kinks, and this adventure has them in droves. The one drawback (again, because of the time of year) is that it gets overgrown with foliage very quickly, so this is a rare instance where I would recommend exploring it in the early spring before you're bushwhacking to get through. Very cool optics though, and a definite must at some point if you're in the area. The wildlife situation? Man. This was one for the books. I usually see one or two bears a year, but I saw that many today, and numerous hikers told me they'd encountered others as well. It was insane and I've never seen anything like it. I got a picture of the biggest one I saw (attached) as I was slowly backing away, and I'd guess this was a 700 pounder? Big boy, and wasn't particularly fazed by my bear horn (though he did ultimately wander off after a few toots on it). Absolutely would not do this hike without a bear horn. I don't even want to ponder what would have happened otherwise. Neither of the bears seemed aggressive but you just never know, and if cubs had been around? Ugh. I encountered a park ranger toward the end of the hike who said it had been insane bear-wise the entire summer and they're just getting more comfortable with humans so again, be careful, use common sense, etc. The trail conditions were pretty decent. Some of the blazes/markers were not the best, and a few sections of Cannonball were one way (meaning you had to keep turning around to confirm the markers because they were only on one side of the trees/poles). As mentioned, the trail section by the castle is overgrown right now but I'm not crazy about advocating for maintenance in an area that by definition should probably be preserved and as authentic as possible. To me there aren't too many significant inclines on the trail (there's one small section very close to the parking lot where you have to take a minute for footing on the rocks, as well as the climb up to the castle if you're going on that trail) but it's definitely rocky and not particularly flat except by the lake. This is one of the better hikes in the area but it's not my absolute favorite - it's crowded and a little too close to civilization. But arguably the bears cancel some of that out. Memorable day.

I asked a local if there were any good hikes or trails in the area and they recommended the James…read moreLeach boardwalk trail. While boating on the lake, I saw the bridge of the trail and thought it would be worth checking out. At first we didn't see the entrance for the trail, until we saw somebody coming out. The entrance was in the back of this little park. The park has basketball courts, tennis courts, a jungle gym and a Porto-potty in addition to the trail. The trail was gravel, easy to follow and very clean. Because it was named James Leach boardwalk trail, I assumed that it would be a boardwalk. Only the bridge was boarded. It is a nice trail, and if you are a local and would like to take a little hike, then you probably aren't reading my review and it is worthwhile. But if you are visiting and looking to take a hike, I don't think this will satisfy you. The bridge is nice and view to the lake is nice but that's about it.

Short beginner level 1 to 1-1/2 mile well marked trails. 4 trails in all: 2 lead to Glenwild…read moreAvenue and 2 lead to Reeve Avenue. We enjoy going on this hike with ourselves or our dog. For those who have dogs, there is a dog park at the Glenwild Avenue entrance, before heading into the trail.

Very nice hiking trails in the forest. But watch out for bears! Very quiet tranquil placeread more

Happy Sunday my fellow Adventurers!…read more This is a relatively new hidden gem that I just found. From what I know it was a swimming hole back in 1989 however they closed it down when it was used for a water resource until recently they decided to bring it back to its original roots. (Please fat check this) It has the brand new man made beach complete with what seems to be quarry sand that is course and not like beach sand. Its a beautiful white and lovely when the sun hits its crystalline in texture. The beach itself is small relatively compared to say a lake community beach. There are two lifeguard stations and several rotating guards. The small beach has four areas with noodle ropes in order for you to make sure you are swimming in the right spots. They offer swimming lessons which is really good for the local communities. They also have a platform in the middle which is about 11 feet deep which is reminiscent of the 'Blob' Movie. I half expected that the Blob would come especially if you sneak in after hours. (I don't recommend this lol) You basically pull in and park either on the grass or follow the road to the concession stand. You can purchase a day pass for $10 with no residential requirement for the area. I believe you can purchase an annual badge which I think runs $25-35 per person. You fill out a form that is all legalities and liabilities in order to get the badge or wristband for a day pass. The staff are really helpful and accommodating for any questions you may have. They have very clean porta-potties that are frequently serviced. As well as a concession stand that offered hotdogs, hang burgers, and various other carnival like foods. They sometimes run out of items like sauerkraut with no compensation of any sort which I get they can't help but it's a small area and was open at 11 am, we got there by 12. Always purchase back ups in order to provide for your customers. The hot dogs are pre-grilled and wrapped in aluminum so don't expect a fresh dirty water dog. The overall experience is a really nice one considering you battle tons of traffic going the shore versus the short ten minute drive from Hamburg and $10 fee. It's also really brand new and still working itself out.

Nice, clean park. Dog friendly place to walk. Fun local events. Very nice children's area.read more