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 Reporter |
Summary: I began at the main entrance and took the Halifax Trail around Scarlet Oak Pond. Here the park has an urban feel, paved roads and many dog walkers & joggers. The trail enters the woods, becomes more rugged & begins to climb towards Hawk Rock. Here you can clearly see all the way to NYC. The HF trail leads down to Havemeyer Rd, and old mine rd, and meets a pipe line road. I followed this up over Drag Hill to the Cannonball Trail. This area became park property in the 70's & many houses & foundations can be found intact around Bear Swamp Lake. The Cannonball Trail led me through the BSA's Camp Yaw Paw & to the Yellow trail. I climbed steeply, crossing the pipeline road again to wonderful views of the Ramapo Valley below. I encountered many deer and pheasant. I descended to meet the Bear Swamp Creek which was bursting with all the recent rains. The falls were incredible! After that I passed the ruins of the Darlington Estate and soon reached the parking area. Trailhead: Parked at the Ramapo Valley Reservation parking lot whihc is located on New Jersey Rt 202, 2 miles south of Nj 17 in Mahwah, justs outh of the NY/NJ Trail Confrence Office (Lat:41.0779603157915 Lon:-74.1886505065807) Trail Guides for Ramapo Reservation Loop: Iron Mine Trails Of NY & NJ by Edward Lenik (NY/NJ Trail Confrence) Best Seasons: Fall, Spring, Summer, User Groups: Hikers, Ranger Contact: Bergen County Parks Dept - 201-336-7275 Localhikes Reporter: This hike was submitted by Brian Walter, who has posted 10 other hikes on this site Trail Reviews Page 2 of 3 Submit your own review 
Reviewed by EP on 3/12/2006 this was such a great trail. I can not wait to do it again. There is so much to see, and such great scenery.
Reviewed by Danny on 9/4/2005 good work out if yoor looking to burn a few pounds off makes for a good day hike and close bye for Passaic Co. People 
Reviewed by JAM on 8/29/2005 Great hike. Walking through the deserted Camp Yaw Paw was weird. The ruins were interesting and in amazingly good shape. It took us 6.5 hours to do this hike. Guess we are slow. No recent rain, so everything was dry. A few words of advice - the yellow trail markers through Yaw Paw are difficult to read. Most of the color is gone. According to the NY/NJ TC map, the yellow silver, yellow, and orange trails all meet in one place. However, coming up the yellow, you will see the orange going off to the right and need to continue on for about five minutes before the yellow/silver goes off to the left.
Reviewed by New Hiker on 6/24/2005 Great site, I recently moved near here, and found this site and wanted to hike to Bear Swamp Lake. I even printed out your map, but forgot to take it with me. Started out ok, but then took a wrong turn and ended up by the reservoir, which cut the hike short by more than half I reckon. Nevermind, hopefully I'll find my way next time. Some trails are better marked than others.
Reviewed by Mandu on 6/3/2005 Nice and good to visit oftenly.
Reviewed by Gary on 5/29/2005 I have done this hike many times, I have climbed to bear swamp lake, and then onto the tower and beyond. I have dogs, and I bring them there. I pick up after them all of the time. I like bear swamp lake as not that many people go there.
Reviewed by Lauren on 5/10/2005 Come Spring, I am jogging at Ramapo Reservation at least 3 times a week. It was quite challenging in the beginning, but a great work out now. My only complaint and dog owners get offended by this, because they know they are guilty, "Too many dog droppings everywhere". It's gross. Pick up after your mutt.
Reviewed by GG on 4/18/2005 Great Hike..close to home....I LOVE BRINGING MY DOG THERE...she loves it....she doesn't bother anyone and I pick up her droppings...stop complaining and enjoy the outdoors.... 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, Bergen County Hiking, Bergen County Trails, Bergen County Hikes | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||