Hiking the Yellow Trail at Rifle Camp Park

Located just under a mile from the increasingly popular Garret Mountain Reservation, Rifle Camp Park is an often overlooked alternative. Although the two parks offer many of the same features, Rifle Camp receives only a fraction of the foot traffic, making it an ideal choice for visitors seeking the same impressive views of New York City in a quieter, more peaceful setting. The best way to experience these views is by hiking the Yellow Trail, a 3.2-mile loop that circles the park and passes each of its notable sights. While Rifle Camp may not be as impressive overall as Garret Mountain, it is still a worthwhile stop for anyone exploring the area. Continue reading to learn more about visiting this overlooked park and how to hike the Yellow Trail.

Background

Rifle Camp Park is located on the First Watchung Mountain, along with the neighboring Garret Mountain Reservation. The Watchung Mountains are a set of three parallel ridges in northeastern New Jersey. During the breakup of Pangaea 200 million years ago, the area that would become the present-day Watchung Mountains began to rift and pull apart. This area is known as the Newark Basin. The rifting caused lava to flood the region on three separate occasions. Between the volcanic extrusions, volcanic activity was limited, allowing sediment to accumulate on top of the hardened lava (basalt). This process created an alternating geology of basalt and sedimentary rocks. During the Jurassic Period, the western end of the Newark Basin dipped into the crust, tilting the entire basin. Erosion has since eroded the sedimentary rock down, leaving the prominent, more erosion-resistant basalt Watchung Mountains.

The land that would eventually become Rifle Camp Park, along with the neighboring Garret Mountain Reservation, was initially acquired by Passaic County in the 1920s. Additional parcels were acquired over the following decades. During this period, the expanding parkland was formally divided into two areas, Garret Mountain Reservation and what would later be named Rifle Camp Park. These parks are currently only separated by Weaseldrift Road and a now-demolished bank. Development of Rifle Camp Park progressed slowly, and the park was ultimately completed in 1973 under a master plan by the Kinsey Associates.

The park takes its name from a brief Revolutionary War encampment in 1780 at Great Notch, where Continental Army troops were positioned to guard the pass. Great Notch is a natural gap in the First Watchung Mountain, approximately where Route 46 runs today. Although this site lies just south of the current park boundaries, the park was still named “Rifle Camp Park.”

The Hike

I recommend beginning at the last parking area on the main park road before it ends. This is because while the Yellow Trail can be reached by every parking area, this is the only lot that the Yellow Trail actually passes through. The other parking areas require taking other trails first to reach the Yellow Trail. Additionally, by parking here, you begin and end your hike with excellent views of New York City.

The hike is easy to moderate in difficulty, featuring rocky areas and gentle hills. The whole loop is just under 3.2 miles.

Hike Description

Begin by locating the Yellow Trail from the parking area. Since the trail is a loop and passes through the parking area, you can complete it clockwise or counterclockwise. I recommend hiking clockwise as it is more intuitive from the parking area. To do so, locate the marked trail heading up towards the cliff and away from the (closed to the public and under construction) nature center.

At the top of the cliff, you will reach the first view of the hike, an excellent view of New York City in the distance, and many of the North Jersey suburbs in the foreground. This overlook is located behind the first of many fences you will experience on the hike. Unlike many of the other fences you will later see, this one does not obstruct the view.

After the overlook, the Yellow Trail descends shortly to a small pond. The pond is honestly not very impressive. The Yellow Trail briefly joins a paved path with benches around the east side of the pond. Across the pond are some small cliffs accessible via the Red Trail.

After the pond, the trail exits what was once a paved trail (now gravel) to the left. Note that there are a few unmarked gravel trails here, but the Yellow Trail is well marked as long as you pay attention to the yellow blazes.

The trail continues a brief distance before it once again reaches the cliff edge. Unfortunately, you will once again be hiking alongside a fence. This time, however, the fence is significantly larger and more obstructive.

Below the cliff sits the Four Seasons at Great Notch, a 55 and older condominium community built on the site of a former quarry. Before the quarry’s excavation, the cliff line extended much farther east, closer to where Route 46 lies today. The condos occupy the base of the cliff and dominate a portion of the view along the hike, creating a relatively ugly stretch of the trail.

Eventually, you reach the end of the mountain, at an area known as Great Notch. Here, the trail dips down and turns to head back towards the main park area. You will also pass by the spillway for the Great Notch Reservoir. There appears to be a small waterfall here that only exists when the spillway is active.

After the spillway, the trail heads back uphill and begins a long straight portion that hugs the perimeter fence of the Great Notch Reservoir.

The trail then leaves the fence and briefly joins the Red Trail. The Red Trail is the park’s fitness trail, so you will see a few pieces of exercise equipment for the next portion of the hike. The trail still follows the perimeter of the Great Notch Reservoir, but is fortunately away from the fence. There are still no real views of the water body though.

The trail then passes behind the dog park and climbs a short but relatively steep hill to the Warming Shelter area of the park. The initial plans for Rifle Camp Park included some winter activities, which led to the name Warming Shelter. The Warming Shelter is simply a restroom today. The steep hill features a sledding clearing, but otherwise, there are no winter activities in the park.

The trail here winds its way unnecessarily around a picnic area before reaching a gravel road behind the warming shelter. You will notice many old street lights here. Until recently, there was an abandoned toboggan run here, but it was removed during the 2019 park renovation. This whole area feels abandoned and lost in time.

The trail soon leaves the former toboggan area and passes behind the new park amphitheater, which is occasionally used for concerts in the summer. After the amphitheater, the park crosses the park entrance road.

Here, the trail gently ascends along the northern perimeter of the park. Once again, you will be hiking along a fence line, this time separating the park from a large parking area for a demolished building.

Once at the top, the trail turns to the right and works its way along the cliff line. For the most part, there are no views here, but there is one excellent overlook near the end, and is a nice way to finish the hike. This overlook is very similar to the first view you encountered, displaying expansive views of New York City in the distance.

The trail then makes a short detour around the school-use-only and under-construction nature center before ending at the parking lot from where you started.

GPS Route

Review

While the park and facilities are nice, especially the amphitheater and playgrounds, the hike itself is underwhelming. Much of the trail is lined with fencing, some of which can be surprisingly distracting. Given its proximity, it’s hard not to compare Rifle Camp Park to the neighboring Garret Mountain, another Passaic County park with similar amenities but without the fencing. Unless you’re specifically seeking a quieter alternative to Garret Mountain, I’d suggest hiking the Yellow Trail there instead.