Abram S. Hewitt State Forest Guide

Abram S. Hewitt State Forest is a rugged state forest at the northern end of the state along the New York border in Passaic County. The park is located along Bearfort Mountain, a long ridgeline. As such, the park features multiple steep and rocky trails to reach the top. Atop Bearfort Mountains, hikers are greeted with some excellent views and a few small lakes.

Basic Information

Parking:

Warwick Turnpike pull-offs: Warwick Turnpike, Hewitt, NJ 07421
- Multiple paved pull-off parking areas holding about 4-6 cars each. Access to the Bearfort Ridge Loop and Terrace Pond.
Highlands Preserve: 22 Warwick Turnpike, Hewitt, NJ 07421
- A large lot holding about 15 cars. This lot is a Passaic County Park lot but is commonly used as an overflow lot if the Warwick Turnpike parking areas are full
State Line: 538 Lakeside Rd, Hewitt, NJ 07421
- A very hidden parking lot across the street from, and in the boat storage area for the Greenwood Lake Marina. About 10-15 tight parking spots. Quickest access to Surprise Lake
Clinton Road (P7): 1575 Clinton Rd, Hewitt, NJ 07421 (~20-30 spots):
- A large 20-30 car lot off Clinton Road. This area provides the quickest access to Terrace Pond. Note: There are multiple other parking areas along Clinton Road. This is the only one visitors can park at without a Newark Watershed Permit

Website

Trail Map

Restrooms: No

Price: Free

Activities

Hiking

There are about 20 miles of rugged trails in the park, including 6 miles of the Appalachian Trail. Many trails connect to other areas including Wawayanda State Park, the Newark Watershed and New York State

Points of Interest

Alerts

Terrace Pond is a popular cliff jumping location. Cliff jumping is not permitted, and the area is regularly patrolled

Disclaimer

The area south of Warwick Turnpike (Terrace Pond) is technically Wawayanda State Park. Due to the park layouts, it makes more sense for this region to be in Abram S. Hewitt State Forest. Even the state park service maps exclude this area from the Wawayanda maps and include it in Abram S. Hewitt maps.

Bearfort Mountain

Abram S. Hewitt State Forest features many steep and rocky trails along Bearfort Mountain, which is a long ridgeline extending from the area of the Clinton Reservoir into New York. The trails along Bearfort Ridge are steep and rocky, generally running along the ridgeline itself.

The geology of the ridgeline is much different than that of the surrounding area, with its bedrock appearing purple with white quartz pebbles, often referred to as puddingstone (as opposed to granite and gneiss, as is standard of Northern Passaic County). Additionally, while most parks in the area, such as Norvin Green State Forest, feature rolling hills, Bearfort Mountain is a long, thin ridgeline.

Terrace Pond

Terrace Pond is the main site in the southern section of the park. Terrace Pond is a small scenic pond atop Bearfort Ridge in the Bearfort Mountain Natural Area. Terrace Pond features cliffs overlooking the water on two sides, attracting (illegal) cliff jumping. A hike to Terrace Pond requires a steep ascent up the ridge featuring multiple rock scrambles. A trip around the lake requires climbing a steep wooden ladder, making this not an ideal hike for those with young kids or pets.

Terrace Pond is extremely popular, and you will likely not be alone.

Surprise Lake and Greenwood Lake

The northern end of the park features a similar lake to Terrace Pond in Surprise Lake. Surprise Lake is another small lake atop Bearfort Mountain. A hike to the lake is steep and rocky. While popular, this area does not attract as many people as Terrace Pond.

Near Surprise Lake is an excellent view of Greenwood Lake and New York City.