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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 2 Submit your own review 
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.
Reviewed by DZales on 4/19/2009 Hiked this yesterday. 2 people, 6 hours (including lunch and breaks). Like everyone else has said here, the first half (eastern section) is infinitely better than the 2nd half (western section). Steep and challenging!! I was really shocked to be this challenged by a Jersey hike. So far I haven't found a more challenging hike in NJ. I would abolsutely recommend hiking this before heading up to the Catskills.
Reviewed by DoaC on 3/6/2009 This was quite the work out. The constant elevation will really test your legs. The Stonetown Circular Trail has apparently been changed. With the extra distance, add an hour or so on to the amount of time you think it'd take you to finish this one. The first half of the hike was amazing, but that goes without saying. The latter half of the hike had some really nice spots, too, if you could ignore the mile or so of gravel road and the two miles of ATV tracks you walk along. 
Reviewed by Judy on 7/13/2008 Thanks to Shawn for telling us about this great hike. If you look at the topo map and compare it to the 2007 NY/NJ Trails Conference map, you will se that the trail does not go on the roads at all in the middle and instead goes all the way to the Monksville Reservoir. It adds another 2+ miles to the hike.
Reviewed by Alan on 5/7/2007 I was really impressed with the rigorousness of a hike so close by. An easy reach from anywhere in northern NJ or NYC. Sure I was disappointed to see some of the trash, however, this was confined to a relatively small section on the southeastern portion of the loop. Hiked with a group of about 15 others of varying strengths. All were finished after 6hrs 45 min on the trail, including a lunch stop. Great day. Will do again. Good climbs with rewarding views. Found that the trail could benefit from some additional blazes. 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 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||