Harriman Hiker: Harriman State Park and Beyond: wawayanda

Sunday, April 25, 2021

Appalachian Trail to Wawayanda State Park

Appalachian Trail National Scenic Area /
Wawayanda State Park
Sussex and Passaic Counties.,
New Jersey

Hiking Trails:
Appalachian Trail (AT): White blaze
William Hoeferlin Trail: Blue blaze

Total Time: 2:05 hour
Estimated Distance: 4.4 Miles

Pros: Very quiet and remote area
Cons: No good mountain views
Hike Type: In and out same route with slight lollipop
Level of Difficulty: Easy

Google Maps of Parking:
https://goo.gl/maps/ecAQv48ybEx3Po9d9

Now on my westernmost portion of the Appalachian Trail in my region, this hike connected the Bearfort Mountain area with Wawayanda State Park on the Appalachian. It had just rained hard on the morning, and was cloudy, windy, and unseasonably cold. However, despite the prediction of rain until later in the day, the rain pulled out in the morning and my hike was entirely dry, so I couldn't really complain about the weather.

The first part of the hike connected Longhouse Road, near Upper Greenwood Lake, to Warwick Turnpike. This is a very sparsely traversed trail, and full of boardwalks crossing swampy areas and streams. With the very wet terrain and sprouting greens, it felt a bit like I was hiking through the rainforest. I captured many of the short boardwalk hikes in the pictures below.

I parked on Longhouse Road, and took the Appalachian Train westward, and then crossed Warwick Turnpike. After crossing the road, I passed the outlet of Parker Lake, a small, natural, beaver-dammed lake that is very scenic. I then took the William Hoeferlin Trail for a short distance, then bushwacked briefly to the shelter. I then took the short Shelter Connector Trail back to the Appalachian Trail, and then took the William Hoeferlin Trail south to the park entrance area. I then turned back around on the William Hoeferlin Trail, took the short connector trail to the Appalachian Trail, and then took that trail back along the same route that I came from.

Map of the Route

Longhouse Road at the Roadside Trail Parking

AT at the beginning of the hike

The First Boardwalk and Stream Crossing

Next Pair of Boardwalks Through a Wet Marshy Area

Crossing the Stream

Trail Bridge on the AT

Another View of the Bridge with the Vivid Greenery

Another Boardwalk

AT with Sprouting Greenery

The Longest Boardwalk, Approaching Warwick Turnpike

Through the Swamp Approaching Warwick Turnpike

AT after Warwick Turnpike Crossing

Blooming Forsythias on the AT

Another Forsythia

Dam at Parker Lake

Parker Lake from the AT

Another View of Parker Lake

Trail Bridge at the Outlet of Parker Lake

Me at Parker Lake

Beaver Dam at Parker Lake

Me at the Parker Lake Outlet

Intersection of the AT and Hoeferlin Trail

Hoeferlin Trail Marker

Hiking Shelter

A Single Daffodil Near the Shelter

Sign on the Outhouse Near the Shelter

Hoeferlin Trail Trailhead Sign

Sunday, March 11, 2018

Bearfort Mountain in Wawayanda in Snow

Wawayanda State Park,
West Milford
Passaic Co.,
New Jersey

Hiking Trail:
Terrace Pond North Trail: Blue blaze

Total Time: 1:40 hour
Estimated Distance: 1.6 Miles

Pros: Very scenic area and excellent views
Cons: None

This was my first hike since the very large snowstorm, with two feet of snow. The snowstorm was on Wednesday, and this hike was on the following Sunday, and although very cold, featured a bright blue sky.

Bearfort Mountain is a long ridge in Northwestern New Jersey, extending north of Route 23 to to New York State Line near Greenwood Lake, where its name changes to Bellvale Mountain. It features large rock exposures of puddingstone conglomerate, associated with dwarf pine trees, and many sweeping views. This area is among the most scenic areas in all of New Jersey.

I had parked in the notch on Warwick Turnpike known as Woodruff Gap, where the trailhead begins. I took the Terrace Pond North Trail on its southern route, climbing the mountain first in an evergreen rhododendron forest, and then asceding to the ridgline where there are many sweeping views.

I had gone with my snowshoes due to the deep snow, and I noticed there were recent snowshoe footsteps ahead of me. I actually met up with that person who started hiking shortly before me, and it turns out he is a trail maintenance blazer and was doing maintenance on the trail to clean up after the storm. I met him trimming some small trees that had fallen across the trail, and he was sawing them clean. We chatted for a little bit, and then I ascended ahead of him, leaving the first footsteps in very deep snow. This, combined with the ascent, made this hike particularly difficult. I met this nice chap again on my return route where he was successfully sawing a large Pine Tree that had fallen straight across the trail.

I took the Terrace Pond North Trail about 3/4 of a mile, to the point where it passes a large rock promenade and turns further up to main ridge of the mountain. At this point, due to the difficulty of the hike, I turned around and went back the same route towards my car.