Ramapo Lake and Castle Point Winter Hike

Ramapo Mountain State Forest
Bergen and Passaic Counties,
New Jersey

Hiking Trail:
Skyline Connector Trail: White/Red blaze
Cannonball Trail: Red blaze
Macevoy Trail: Blue blaze
Castle Point Trail: Red blaze

Total Time: 1:30 hour
Estimated Distance: 2.6 Miles

Pros: Scenic area, nice views, and pretty lake
Cons: Homes take away from wilderness feel at first part of trail

There was still plenty of snow here from the big storm a week and a half prior. I had hike this area in 2012, and remembered it being very scenic. I was never along these trails in the winter, and I did a reverse hike than the one I did in 2012. I parked I parked on the upper parking area on Skyline Drive, and took the short Skyline Connector Trail to the Cannonball Trail. I took the Cannonball Trail down towards Ramapo Lake as it descended the ridge, and then too a short bushwack near Ramapo Lake to the Macevoy Trail.

I took some pictures at the lake, and then continued on the Macevoy Trail along the northern shore of Ramapo Lake for a very short distance to the Castle Point Trail. I took the Castle Point Trail up the steep hill to the castle ruins, a large home built by stockbroker William Porter in 1910, and abandoned in the 1940's, and then ruined in the 1950's. At this area there is also a nice view of the Wanaque Reservoir and Wyanokies. I continued along the Castle Point Trail to the Cannonball Trail, and then back to the Skyline Connector Trail, and then back to my car.

Map of the Route

Skyline Connector Trail, Full of Snow

Ramapo Lake, Northern Part

Another View at Ramapo Lake

Me at Ramapo Lake

Ramapo Lake Islands

Ramapo Lake Facing South

Another View of Ramapo Lake

Castle Point Trail Sign

View Southwest from Castle Point

View West from Castle Point Overlooking Wanaque Reservoir

View of Rockland Lake from Castle Point

Another View of Ramapo Lake

Overlooking Castle from Across the Mountain

View from Castle Point Facing East to High Point and NYC Skyline

Zoomed in to NYC Skyline

Wanaque Reservoir from Castle Point

Selfie at Castle Point

Another NYC Skyline View

The Abandoned Castle

Another View of the Abandoned Castle

Inside the Castle

The Trail in the Castle

The Next View at Castle Point, Further Up

Another View of the Wanauqe Reservoir

And Another

And One More

Another Structure North of the Castle

A Closer View

View Right Before Descending

Frozen Ramapo Lake

Ramapo Mountain State Forest,
Bergen and Passaic Cos.,
New Jersey

Hiking Trails:
MacEvoy Trail: Blue blaze

Hiking Partner:
Shimmy Rosenberg

Total time: 2:00 hour
Estimated Distance: 3.4 miles
Level of Difficulty: Moderate
Level of Recommendation: Highly Recommended
Points of Interest: Frozen lake, scenic area, historical sites
Pros: Pretty scenery and frozen lake
Cons: Lots of people

Ramapo Lake is a scenic lake in the Ramapo Mountains of New Jersey. There is no direct road access, and it requires a short hike to get, which adds to its scenery. Nevertheless, it is still very busy here on weekends, and I was surprised how busy it was considering it was a cold winter day with snow in the forecast. The snow was expected later in the day, and we got back just in time as the snow had just started falling prior to getting home.

We hiked up the MacEvoy Trail to the lake. This part of the trail was particularly icy and very difficult, and I did not have crampons since losing my other ones several weeks prior. Once we got to the lake dam, we walked across heading northwest to the other end of lake where all the islands are. This lake has many islands, and we explored many of them. The largest island contains a ruin of some old furnace. We explored this too, though I have no idea what the purpose of this was for.

From the large island we passed a pocket of ice fisherman, and then I headed down to the southern end of the lake which gets narrow and swampy. From there I cut across to the ring road, and headed back north to the dam and the McEvoy Trail. We took the MacAvoy Trail back down to the parking area.

Map of the Route
Jersey Highlands Map

Shimmy Walking Along the MacEvoy Trail Towards Ramapo Lake

Shimmy Resting on a Large Rock on the MacEvoy Trail

Me at the Beginning of the Lake Near the Dam

Looking North Towards Castle Point

Shimmy on Ramapo Lake

Me on  Small Island at the Northern Part of the Lake

Me Between the Islands

Approaching the Large Island, with the Furnace in the Background

Abandoned Storage Depot on the Big Island, Covered in Snow

Large Furnace on the Island

Another View of the Furnance

Ice Fisherman at Ramapo Lake

Heading South 

View from the Southern End of Ramapo Lake Towards Castle Point

Castle Point and Ramapo Lake

Ramapo Mountain State Forest
Bergen and Passaic Counties,
New Jersey

Hiking Trails:
Hoeferlin Trail: Yellow blaze
Castle Point Trail: Red blaze
Cannonball Trail: Red blaze

Total Time: 1:10 hours
Estimated Distance: 3.0 miles
Level of Difficulty: Moderate
Level of Recommendation: Easy yet significant hike with good points of interest.
Points Of Interest: Mansion Ruins, View, and Pretty Lake

Google Maps of Parking:

View 2012 Hiking in a larger map

This is a popular area on weekends, though this area in the State Forest is quiet since most people hike to Ramapo Lake. I parked on the upper parking area on Skyline Drive, and crossed the street and took the Hoeferlin Trail parallel to the road. This small section has a surprising small climb. From there, took the Castle Point Trail, crossing the busy road, and continued along to the old abandoned estate with all its ruins. The first ruin is a stone tower which was once a Water cistern. As this was my first time here, I entered the structure and looked around inside. I then continued along to the ruined castle, which also has a great overlook of the Wanaque Reservoir and the Wyanokies. According to the New Jersey Walk Book (Daniel Chazin), the castle is the abandoned mansion known as Foxcroft, built around 1910 by William Porter, a stockbroker. It was occupied until 1940 and set on fire by vandals in the 1950's. The trail goes right through it, and then starts descending right after a nice view of Ramapo Lake.

From there I took a woods road down to a rocky point at the base of Ramapo Lake, and then retraced myself back to the Cannonball Trail, and took this trail north. This part of the Cannonball Trail is under erosion control and has been rerouted as annoying switchback loops which make it take much longer than it should. After hitting the road, I took a shortcut path to the Hoeferlin Trail which I took back to the parking area.

Map of the Route

Wanaque Reservoir and the Wyanokies, from the View. Facing Southwest.

Wyanokie High Point, from the View. Facing Southwest.

Water Tower Ruin

Inside the Water Tower Ruin

Old Swimming Pool from the Estate.

Trail as it enters the Estate Ruin

Inside the Abandoned Estate Ruin

Ramapo Lake Before Descending. Facing Southeast.

View from the Descent, facing South-Southwest.

Closer View Approaching Ramapo Lake

At the Shore of Ramapo Lake