Ramapo Mountain State Forest is a large state forest located in both Bergen and Passaic counties. Located in the Ramapo Mountains of the New Jersey Highlands, Ramapo Mountain State Forest is a rugged park primarily used for hiking. Ramapo State Forest is easily accessible for most people in the northern part of the state, as it is located right off Interstate 287. Ramapo State Forest is home to multiple destinations, most notably Van Slyke Castle: the ruins of an early 1900s mansion. Other sites include Ramapo Lake and a handful of overlooks.
Explore North Jersey Review: Excellent but highly popular park highlighted by Van Slyke Castle
Ramapo Mountain State Forest Information
Parking:
- Lower Skyline Drive: 67 Skyline Dr, Oakland, NJ 07436
- About 40 parking spaces
- Upper Skyline Drive: 265 Skyline Dr, Oakland, NJ 07436
- About 15 parking spaces
- Back Beach Park: End of 4th Ave, Wanaque, NJ 07420
- About 40 parking spaces. Municipal park with a trail connection to Ramapo State Forest. The trail connection is not passable in high water.
- Pool Hollow Road: Pool Hollow Road, Oakland, NJ 07436
- Gravel pull-off for about 2 cars. This is a thin residential street.
Restrooms: No
Price: Free
Activities
Hiking
There are about 26 miles of hiking trails in Ramapo State Forest. Many trails connect to the neighboring Ringwood State Park and Ramapo Valley County Reservation
Mountain Biking
Mountain Biking is allowed on many (but not all) of the trails. See which trails allow mountain biking here. Mountain biking is not permitted from the Lower Skyline Drive parking area, as the only trail there is designated as hiking only.
Boating
Boating is allowed at Ramapo Lake, but there is no vehicle access. It is about a 1.2-mile moderate hike to reach the lake.
Fishing and Hunting
Fishing is allowed in the park. Ramapo Lake is the primary fishing destination and is accessible via a moderate 1.2-mile hike.
Hunting is permitted in the northern section of the park, following New Jersey Fish and Wildlife regulations. Hunting is not allowed in the area south of Skyline Drive.
Points of Interest
- Van Slyke Castle Ruins
- Ramapo Lake
- Matapan Rock
Alerts
- The parking areas on Skyline Drive fill up very quickly on nice days. There is no parking on Skyline Drive itself if the parking areas are full.
- Some old maps label a parking area on Barbara Drive. This is no longer a parking area as the property owner (DuPont) has blocked access. There are currently many signs warning against trespassing there.
Ramapo Lake
Ramapo Lake is a large, scenic lake in the middle of Ramapo State Forest. A woods road takes you around the perimeter. Ramapo Lake can be accessed from all parking areas, but beginning at either of the two Skyline Drive lots is recommended.
Ramapo Lake is open to boating and fishing, but you will rarely see people doing either (especially boating) due to the 1.2-mile hike to reach the lake.
Oddly, there are a few very nice houses located along the northeastern shoreline of the lake. They are all private property, and they do take away from the solitude of the lake. Fortunately, there are only a handful of these houses.
Van Slyke Castle
Atop one of the highest points in the park (802 feet) are the stone ruins of Van Slyke Castle (formerly known as Foxcroft). Van Slyke Castle was built in the early 1900s, abandoned in the early 1950s, and burned down in 1959. Today, much of the foundation, supports, and even some walls are still intact. Near the tower are also the ruins of a pool and a water tower.
Van Slyke Castle, the pool, and water tower can all be visited by taking the moderately difficult 3.1-mile White Castle Loop Trail. This is easily the most popular hike in the park.
Southern Park
The area south of Skyline Drive is the most popular area of the park. This area includes both Ramapo Lake and the Van Slyke Castle. All parking areas access this area, but I recommend parking at the Lower Skyline Drive parking area, as the trail from there is the most scenic.
When driving on Interstate 287, you may notice a footbridge over the highway labeled “Cannonball Trail.” This bridge was installed when the highway was built, as its construction would have otherwise separated a small section of the park. The easiest access to the Cannonball Trail is from Pool Hollow Road. A few years ago, most of the park was re-blazed, and the bridge carries the Yellow Pool Hollow Trail instead. The trail itself is not too exciting.
Northern Park
To the north of Skyline Drive is the significantly less busy area of the park. Access is easily reached from the Upper Skyline Drive parking area. Unfortunately, even though not many people hike in this area, you may have trouble parking on a nice day, due to the popularity of other park areas that share the same parking lot.
The northern area of the park features easy access to relatively unknown areas of Ramapo Valley County Reservation, such as those going to the camp Tamarack and Camp Todd ruins, and the current Camp Glen Gray. The park trail map does not show most trails in this area, as many are technically out of the park boundaries. I recommend using a GPS map or the New York-New Jersey Trail Conference Northern New Jersey Highlands Trails Map in this area.
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