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 Reporter |
Summary: This has to be my favorite loop hike in NJ. The trail starts out as a steep climb to some of the best views around. You can see the Wyanokies, Greenwood Lake, Bearfort ridge N and S, as well as Sterling Forest. Once on the ridge you get to walk on top of sandstone/Quarts Conglomerate rock. The rocks have a red/Gray/white colors to them with pebbles. It is really neat to walk on because it is smooth and goes on for long distances. At times you dip down into narrow Valleys that have streams, swamps and hemlock forest. There is even a rare white Atlantic Cedar swamp and a northern Spruce bog. You also pass a beautiful secluded surprise lake. For those who are like me there are plenty of rock scrambles that involve the hands to get you up. Don’t worry they are easy ways around them. These are the trails to take, Blue state line tr, left on orange quail tr, right on white bearfort Ridge tr, right on yellow Ernest Walter tr, left on orange quail, back to PA. Trailhead: From town of Warwick take route 17A east to town of Greenwood Lake. Then follow signs for 210. Take rt 210 until you cross over NY/NJ state line. Parking is on right. Next to "Welcome to West Milford sign. (Lat:41.18574 Lon:-74.33132) Trail Guides for Abram S Hewitt SF, Bearfort Ridge Loop, NJ: North Jersey Trails map by NY/NJ Trail Conference (NY/NJ trail conference) Best Seasons: Year-Round User Groups: Hikers, Ranger Contact: Wawayanda State Park 973-853-4462 Localhikes Reporter: This hike was submitted by Shawn Viggiano, who has posted 44 other hikes on this site Trail Reviews Page 1 of 5 Submit your own review 
Reviewed by RobJ on 8/3/2009 Excellent hike. Came across rattlesnake(black) on a ridge of yellow trail heading south before you get to Surprise lake. I added the Prospect Rock/Grand View destination on the AT to my hike and it is well worth it...the views are spectacular. Only negative to this hike is the LOUD road noise you hear from route 511 at the southern end of the loop, where the orange trail meets the Bearfort trail. Good wilderness for being so close to the rat race.
Reviewed by T56 on 7/19/2009 I would like to clarify a few trail blaze issues. When reading reviews of the Bearfort Ridge Loop it is important to note from which parking area the reviewer is referring. From Greenwood Marina back parking lot, the State Line trail (Blue) climbs to intersect with the yellow (Y) trail - take the (Y) trail to the left. Once at Surprise lake, determine if you would like to complete the Bearfort Ridge loop in either a CW or CCW direction.If continuing from Surprise Lake in a COUNTER CLOCKWISE direction, follow the (Y) trail until it meets up with the WHITE (W)blazes of the Bearfort Ridge Trail. Stay on (W) until it turns back North near Warwick Parking area on the Orange Quail Trail - meeting up with (Y) at Surprise Lake. Follow Y back to B 
Reviewed by jim on 7/19/2009 Favorite hike in nj... Geology, and views outsanding... Do it again in a heartbeat!
Reviewed by David on 7/11/2009 Second time I took this terrific hike. I had to come back on a sunny day when the WILD Rhododendrons were in bloom. Today I hit paydirt. I had never seen such a large forest of wild Rhodos before. This was so cool as the Rhodos form a tunel that you hike through. Unlike nursery Rhodos which bloom in May, these wild verieties bloom in July!
Reviewed by JJ on 11/10/2008 This hike has it all - scenic views, cool rock formations (including a few scrambles up and down those rocks), mountain streams, hidden lakes and wildlife. I hiked it on 11/10/08 north up the white (Glick) trail to the Yello loop trail to the white AT to the blue State Line trail and back home south on the yellow trail and the orange Quail trail. Be warned that we had plenty of rain before our hike and some of the Quail trail had turned into a gentle stream. To make matters worse, the trail is very poorly blazed in its northern section. Don't get lost, but this 7-mile hike took us about 5.5-6 hrs.
Reviewed by R H on 8/10/2008 ATT: parking for the trailhead is directly across from the boat marina it can be easy to pass by the entrance as it looks like a lot for the marina, but the parking is in the back up a small hill. Great hike!!! steep at first but the views are awesome, deffinitly pay off for the hard work on the way up. Suprise lake is nice and very seculded, its pretty easy to go off the trail and find your way back on, but pick up a map from Wawayanda State Park. The free one they give out doest have these trails so you have to buy a better map for $10 but its worth it b/c it covers a few state parks in that area
Reviewed by TS on 6/15/2008 I did this hike on Memorial Day. I picked up a trail map from the neigboring state park (Wawayanda) which was very helpful. I started on the State Line Trail (blue), then switched to the yellow for a stunning view!!!! I had to pull myself away. I ended up continuing on the yellow until it met up with the AT -white - (which btw was marked purple on the Wawayand trail map) back to the State Line Trail. The views are gorgeous, Surprise Lake is peaceful and calm, and the rhodenderon bushes, although not in bloom when I went, should be stunning too. A great workout, not to rigorous, but definitely not easy. I'd definitely do it again. Beware that things take longer than you think! Leave time so you don't get stuck in the dark.
Reviewed by Andy on 6.11.08 on 6/11/2008 Between this hike and terrace pond are easily at the top of my favorites in the Highlands section of NJ. The view from west pond is awesome. You can cut down the hike by going around west pond to the AT and then back to State Line Trail. Either way the rock scrambling makes it a great workout. Notice: Traveling in the backcountry can be hazardous. You are responsible for informing yourself about these hazards and taking necessary precautions. Information on this web site comes from volunteer reporters and may contain errors or omissions. A current guidebook and proper equipment are essential for safe enjoyment of the hikes posted on this site. Keys: New Jersey Hiking, New Jersey Trails, New Jersey Hikes, Passaic County Hiking, Passaic County Trails, Passaic County Hikes | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||