Woods · Wanaque

Ramapo Mountain State Forest

AT A GLANCE

Why go?

Ramapo Mountain State Forest is a wooded ridge country in northwestern New Jersey where hiking and mountain-bike trails, a clearwater mountain lake and the crumbling walls of an early-1900s stone mansion sit within easy reach of the New York metro area. Spread across Bergen and Passaic counties near Wanaque and Oakland, the forest centers on the 120-acre Ramapo Lake, a small but scenic reservoir ringed by rock ledges that drop away toward the lake. On a clear day the ledges here reveal the Manhattan skyline far to the southeast, making this one of the most rewarding short escapes in the region.↗↗

The signature outing is the Castle Loop Trail, a roughly three-mile circuit that follows the lake shore, climbs a rocky ridge and passes the ruins of a once-elegant mansion and its water tower. Anglers, paddlers, birders and mountain bikers all find their own version of a visit here, and the gate stays open daily from sunrise to sunset with no entrance fee—though the forest keeps a deliberately rustic, low-amenity character that rewards hikers more than casual picnickers.↗↗

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Woods · Wanaque

Ramapo Mountain State Forest

Wanaque, US 4.6 (45 Google reviews)

Photo: Google Maps

AT A GLANCE

Why go?

Ramapo Mountain State Forest is a wooded ridge country in northwestern New Jersey where hiking and mountain-bike trails, a clearwater mountain lake and the crumbling walls of an early-1900s stone mansion sit within easy reach of the New York metro area. Spread across Bergen and Passaic counties near Wanaque and Oakland, the forest centers on the 120-acre Ramapo Lake, a small but scenic reservoir ringed by rock ledges that drop away toward the lake. On a clear day the ledges here reveal the Manhattan skyline far to the southeast, making this one of the most rewarding short escapes in the region.↗↗

The signature outing is the Castle Loop Trail, a roughly three-mile circuit that follows the lake shore, climbs a rocky ridge and passes the ruins of a once-elegant mansion and its water tower. Anglers, paddlers, birders and mountain bikers all find their own version of a visit here, and the gate stays open daily from sunrise to sunset with no entrance fee—though the forest keeps a deliberately rustic, low-amenity character that rewards hikers more than casual picnickers.↗↗

A castle on the lake ridge

Most visitors come for the ruins known today as the Van Slyke Castle. Historically named Foxcroft, the stone mansion was built around 1910 by William Porter, a New York stockbroker, and his widow lived there until 1940; by the late 1950s the house had fallen into the skeletal, ivy-tangled state you can still walk among today. The trail also passes the collapsed shell of a concrete swimming pool and, at the top of the ridge, a stone tower that looks like a lookout but actually held a water cistern for the estate—rusted pipes leading down toward the house still lie nearby.↗↗

The setting earns the ruins their popularity. Just below the castle site, a rock ledge throws open a view of Ramapo Lake with the Wanaque Mountains rising to the west; another clearing farther along the loop looks out over the Wanaque Reservoir, and on exceptionally clear days the New York City and Jersey City skylines hang on the eastern horizon. The white-blazed Castle Loop ties the lake shore, the mansion ruins and these ledges together into a moderate, family-friendly circuit of about 3 to 4 miles, with a roughly 700- to 900-foot climb from the lower parking area.↗↗

Trails for hikers and bikers

Beyond the Castle Loop, the forest is laced with a network of marked, multi-use trails suited to a range of appetites. The 2.6-mile Ramapo Lake Loop and the short Ramapo Lake Spur hug the shoreline, while the Wanaque Ridge and South Ridge trails run along higher ground to the west. More ambitious walkers can string together the 6.5-mile Hoeferlin Memorial Trail or the 6-mile Cannonball Trail, and there are easier, strolling-distance options like the Tamarack and Todd loops and the little Indian Rock and Matapan Rock trails that reward a short detour with a rocky overlook.↗

The terrain is the point: old logging roads, root-strewn footpaths, exposed rock ledges and a few genuine scrambles run through mixed hardwood and hemlock forest, with mountain laurel brightening the slopes in early summer. The same multi-use trails welcome mountain bikers, who tend to favor the ridge routes and the long, rolling trails that connect Skyline Drive to the reservoir overlooks. The forest borders the larger Ramapo Mountain Reservation on the Bergen County side, so a full day's route can easily take you across both parks.↗

Water: fishing, paddling and birding

Ramapo Lake is the heart of the park and the easiest reason to come outside of hiking season. It is a clearwater mountain lake, open to fishing year-round, with ice fishing permitted in winter when conditions allow. Anglers sixteen and older need a valid New Jersey fishing license; the shoreline ledges above the lake double as a quiet perch, though the lake itself has no swimming, no ice skating and no boat launch with vehicle access.↗↗

Paddlers who don't mind a portage can take a canoe or kayak out on the lake, but boats have to be carried in about 1.2 miles from the parking area—so this is a quiet, deliberate form of access rather than a busy boat-launch scene. The ponds, streams and marshes around the lake and along the Wanaque River corridor are good birding habitat, and the open ledges above Ramapo Lake are a natural vantage for watching the smaller wildlife that moves through the forest edges.↗

Good to know before you go

The forest is managed as a working state forest, not a developed park, so it has no trash receptacles and very little staffed infrastructure—whatever you carry in, carry out. The gate is open daily from sunrise to sunset, there is no entrance fee, and the public phone and email listed by the New Jersey Division of Parks and Forecasts (973-962-2240, Ringwood@dep.nj.gov) are the place to ask about special-use permits or accessibility questions. Pets must be kept on a leash no longer than six feet; ATVs, alcohol and smoking or vaping are all prohibited under state park rules.↗

Plan around the parking. The lower trailhead lot on Skyline Drive is the closest access to the Castle Loop and Ramapo Lake and fills early on fall-foliage weekends and spring weekends; the hike out and back to the ruins is short enough that many families stop there, while through-hikers use the loop to extend the day toward the reservoir overlooks. In tick season wear long pants, light colors and repellent, and remember that the forest sits in black-bear country—keep food packed away and never feed a bear.↗↗

Highlights

The white-blazed Castle Loop ties Ramapo Lake, the ruins of the Van Slyke / Foxcroft mansion, a 1910s swimming-pool shell and the cistern tower into one scenic ridge walk.↗↗

From ledges above the lake you can look east to the New York City skyline on a clear day, with the Wanaque Mountains and reservoir opening to the west.↗

The 120-acre Ramapo Lake supports fishing year-round and ice fishing in winter, plus a quiet 1.2-mile carry-in for canoes and kayaks.↗

Practical tips

Arrive before mid-morning on weekends in foliage season or spring bloom—Skyline Drive trailhead lots near Ramapo Lake fill fast.↗

Bring water and a trash bag; the forest has no trash receptacles and very few services, by design.↗

Use the 2020 blaze-color scheme (white for the Castle Loop, black-square-on-blue for the Ramapo Lake Spur, white-on-red "C" for the Cannonball Trail)—older maps still circulating use different markings.↗

A New Jersey fishing license is required for anglers 16 and older; hunting is allowed only in specific posted sections during state seasons, so check the hunting map before a backcountry walk in season.↗

About this guide

Compiled with AI assistance from the sources below; this is not a first-hand visit. Place details collected October 5, 2026. Hours, access and ratings can change; confirm with the venue before visiting.

Finding your next place…

Ramapo Mountain State Forest

Why go?

More of United States: New York

Finding your next place…

Ramapo Mountain State Forest

Why go?

More of United States: New York

A castle on the lake ridge

Trails for hikers and bikers

Water: fishing, paddling and birding

Good to know before you go

Highlights

Practical tips

About this guide