Pyramid Mountain is a large Morris County park spanning Boonton Township, Kinnelon, and Montville. The park is best known for the rock formation known as Tripod Rock, which was created about 18,000 years ago by glaciers. Pyramid Mountain is perfect for families with a visitors center and many shorter hikes, including a 3.3-mile loop to Tripod Rock. For those wanting something longer, Pyramid Mountain is perfect with about 19 miles of trails.
Explore North Jersey Review: Excellent park with great hiking trails and unique rock formations
Basic Information
Parking:
- Main: 472 Boonton Ave, Montville, NJ 07045
- Boonton Ave Fields: 180 Boonton Ave, Kinnelon, NJ 07405
- Kincaid Woods: 2 Kincaid Rd, Boonton Township, NJ 07005
Visitors Center: Open Thursday-Sunday 10-4 at 472 Boonton Ave, Montville, NJ 07045
Restrooms: Yes-in the visitors center, and portable toilets in the main parking lot when the visitors center is closed
Activities:
- Hiking
Points of Interest
Pyramid Mountain Section
The Pyramid Mountain area is the main section of the park, featuring the three named Glacial Erratics: Tripod Rock, Bear Rock and Whale Head Rock, which are easily the highlights of the park. For those wanting a longer hike, the Orange Trail passes along the Taylortown Reservoir, offering a handful of views. In addition, there are a handful of somewhat unremarkable overlooks: an unnamed one of New York City along the Blue Trail partially obscured by power lines, and the overgrown Lucy’s Overlook of nearby mountains.
The majority of the trails here are rocky and feature moderately steep sections at times. These steep sections are not too long, but are required to reach Tripod Rock, which is located on top of Pyramid Mountain itself.
Most people choose to only hike to Tripod Rock. The Blue Trail to Tripod Rock is frequently busy, but visitors can experience a little more solitude when not on the Blue Trail.
Turkey Mountain Section
Turkey Mountain is the second major area of Pyramid Mountain. This is located directly across the street from the main Pyramid Mountain area. The main sites on Turkey Mountain include Valhalla Falls, the Lake Valhalla Overlook, and 100 Steps. The best of these sites being Valhalla Falls.
The trails on Turkey Mountain are generally not as rocky as Pyramid Mountain, and there are some steeper sections while climbing to the top of Turkey Mountain itself. These sections are not as steep as Pyramid Mountain, but are slightly longer.
Turkey Mountain tends to be less busy than Pyramid Mountain, especially the further away from the visitors center you go.
Kincaid Woods Section
Kincaid Woods is the smallest of the three main sections of the park. Aside from a small loop near the parking area, the trails here are best served as a avenue to a longer hike connecting to the main Pyramid Mountain Area.
The trails are Kincaid Woods are rocky and pass by a few former mine sites and through a handful of large boulder gardens. Kincaid Woods is easily the least busy area of the park.
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