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 Reporter |
Summary: This hike follows the entire length of the Stonetown Circular trail. The eastern part of the trail takes you over the rugged summits of Windbeam, Bear and Board Mountains. From the top of the summits you get views of the Wanaque and Monksville Reservoirs, the Wyanokies and Ringwood State Park. The Summit themselves are not very High in elevation around 800-1000ft but the climbs to them make the summits look and feel higher. The eastern section of the Stonetown Trail takes you over Harrison Mt and the famous Tory Rocks. This is the area the Tory Soldiers used as hideouts during the American revolutionary War. After passing the Tory Rocks you come to Signal Rocks were you get views of Windbeam Mt. Then the trail makes its decent back towards the parking lot. Be careful on this trail because some sections are confusing due to the lack of use. Trailhead: From Hamburg take rt. 23 South to Echo Lake Rd in West Milford. Make left on Echo Lake Rd. Take to light. Make left onto Macopin Rd. Take past school and then make right onto West Brook Rd. Take West Brook Rd to Stonetown Rd. Make left onto Stonetown Rd. Take to Stonetown baseball Field. Park in lot. (Lat:41.08137 Lon:-74.30778) Trail Guides for Stonetown Circular, Norvin Green SF, NJ: North Jersey Trails map by NY/NJ Trail Conference (NY/NJ trail conference) Best Seasons: Year-Round User Groups: Hikers, Ranger Contact: Ringwood SP: 973-962-7031 Localhikes Reporter: This hike was submitted by Shawn Viggiano, who has posted 44 other hikes on this site Trail Reviews Page 1 of 3 Submit your own review 
Reviewed by daniel on 4/5/2012 the actual miles are 10.37 miles total.
Reviewed by Ken on 6/19/2011 Sunday, June 19, 2011. This hike is well marked but it does require constant attention to the blazes in order not to go off in the wrong direction. Only had to turn around a few times in order to find the last blaze and get reoriented. We went counterclockwise (up the 3 peaks on the east side first. The first climb is the toughest as it gets you up the mountain from street level. Other peaks are not as long a climb as you are already high up. The stretch between Windbeam and Bear Mountains is not steep as others have said and is very pleasant. The hike covers very diverse settings from steep uphills to swamps. Best spot is the rock scramble at Signal Rock. It was very unexpected but a good, short, scramble. Finished in 7 hours.
Reviewed by Cory on 5/1/2011 There are some nice views and, while not too technically challenging and not any really long climbs, it requires solid endurance, at 9.6 miles. It took some of our group about 5 hours at a very, very fast pace, and some of the group did it in about 6.5. As other reviews mention, the trail is very poorly cut. While there are many blazes marking the correct trail in certain spots, some are misleading, some turns definitely need more marking, and often the trail quietly diverges from the well worn path that it appeared to be following. As a very experienced hiker, I found myself backtracking to find the trail on more than a handfull of occasions.
Reviewed by Limey on 6/1/2010 May 31 2010. Very hot day - approaching 90F - with 3 of us starting off at 10.30 am from the parking lot at the Athletic Field on Stonetown Rd. Hiked clockwise around the SC and found the red and white blazes to be be vastly improved from doing the same hike a year ago. Trail was very easy to follow but about 2 miles longer since the route was changed at the northern end. My wife bailed out and hiked backed down the Stonetown Rd from the dam at the top end to our car which only took her an hour. The remaining 2 of us then took another 4 hours to complete the 3 "peaks" on the Eastern side and get back to the car. About 7 1/2 hours in all including a 30 min lunch break. The most strenuous hike in NJ?
Reviewed by Jeremy on 10/13/2009 This trial is very nice, I went from the parking lot clockwise (northwest on the map). I agree with Ross I successfully made it about 1/3 around and then lost the proper trail with a different one that let me to a section of the AT. By the time I hit what should have been my next mark I was about a half mile too far north. I did some off trail navigating to try and find the trail again with no success. I ended up finding another trail that took me back to the road and I walked to my car. I am going to try this again going counter clock wise and see if I have any better luck staying on the correct trial. Great views from the hill tops that I did make it too. 
Reviewed by Ross on 9/14/2009 I enjoyed the ascent and views on the first part of the hike. I appreciated that initially the trail was particularly well marked. Unfortunately, though I am a reasonably experienced hiker, I found the trail to be very poorly marked starting about one quarter to one third of the way through. To make matters worse, there are several well worn paths that are not the correct trail path. In seeking out the next set of trail markers I lost my way and could not make it back to the trail. I used my compass and tracked back southeast, though not on the actual trail. I eventually made my way back to the road and hiked back to my car. I believe this trail presents a real danger to inexperienced hikers and should me marked much better.
Reviewed by H-O-T-M-C on 6/19/2009 Hiked 6/7 with Boy Scouts. Saw lots of denizens, including a bald eagle in flight as we took a water break on Windbeam (cool!). Trail markers have been changed after Board MT. Hiked through some wet section and came out on the road very close to the dam on Monksville Reservoir. Trail continued on the other side through tick-infested tall grass, so we bailed and took the road back to Stonetown Baseball Fields. Registered 11.125 official BSA miles.
Reviewed by RobJ on 4/30/2009 Hiked 4/25. Did entire loop in 7 hours including 1 hour for lunch and relaxation on top of Harrison Mountain. Saw only 1 human being the entire time. Views on east side great, but I enjoyed solitude and quiet on west side. Agree with previous posts, this is a good challenge physically. 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 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
