Rifle Camp Park and Garret Mountain Reservation, NJ with Paterson Great Falls

ABOUT THE PARKS: 

Rifle Camp Park - Passaic County

Garret Mountain Reservation - Passaic County

Paterson Great Falls - National Park Service

DIRECTIONS: 

GPS Coordinates 40.89226, -74.18712

I parked at this little park along Rifle Camp Road between Rifle Camp Park and Garret Mountain Reservation to break up the road walk between the two.

TRAIL MAPS: 

Rifle Camp Park Map - Passaic County

Garret Mountain Reservation Map - Passaic County

These are the trails around Paterson Great Falls but there are several closures.

HIKE DISTANCE:  11.3 miles

THE HIKE: 

I had hiked Garret Mountain Reservation almost exactly 13 years ago on December 14, 2013.  At the time I was not aware I could have walked from Garret Mountain Reservation to Paterson Great Falls so I wanted to do that with adding in Rifle Camp Park as one continuous hike.

A right on Rifle Camp Road to just past that building on the left ...

... into Rifle Camp Park.

There is a path along the entrance road ...

... to a crosswalk where the yellow trail crosses over.  We turned right and would be returning from the left.

Staying on yellow all the way around.

Red joins in briefly a couple of times.

There was nobody in the dog park so Brodie went in.

Back on the trail.

Lots of New York City skyline views along the way.

Back at that crosswalk, crossing over ...

... right out of the park then right on Rifle Camp Road for about a half mile road walk to Garret Mountain Reservation.

Passing by where I parked.

The sign says to turn right for Garret Mountain Reservation but I did not like the looks of that road when I Google Map walked it.  There was literally no space along the traffic lanes to walk.  At least there was a little bit on Rifle Camp Road and the speed limit is 25 mph although nobody was doing that.

After about half a mile there is a path to the right of the fence on the opposite side ...

... with another path to the right ...

... that leads right to the yellow trail a short distance ahead.

At the yellow trail we turned right and would be following the yellow trail for quite a while.

That green part of the road down below is a 5K paved walking loop and that is where everybody is.  I ran into nobody on the trails.

Balloon #7 of the year.

The trail goes along the stables ...

... for locking eyes with that black horse on the left.  Brodie usually ignores horses but that horse stared at him first.

Coming up on Lambert Tower it was all fenced off for construction, of which there was none.  But the yellow trail follows along the stone wall to the right and there was no indication of a detour.

There was a gap between the chain link fence and the stone wall so we went on through.

At the far end, just enough space to squeeze through right where ...

... the Morris Canal Greenway trail comes in from the right.

Four deer on a hill.

Yellow veers off to the left and white joins the Morris Canal greenway to the right; we turned right.

The auto overlook where you can drive right up to views.

The Morris Canal Greenway leaves to the right.  We would be returning to this point after Paterson Great Falls.

The Morris Canal Greenway trail ends at this dead end street.

From the dead end street, right on Caldwell then right on ...

... New Street over I-80.

Crossing over Grand Street up ahead you can either go left or right.  It's just under a mile to Paterson Great Falls either way.  We turned right and would be returning from the left.

This way is a bit longer ...

... but you really get to see Paterson in all it's littered glory.  There is garbage everywhere.

We turned left to loop around Upper Raceway Park.

Coming back out on Spruce Street, we turned left then right at the crosswalk ...

... to Paterson Great Falls directly on the other side of Spruce Street.

This was all open in 2012 and I went over that bridge.  So today it's the detour.

There is a path to the left that ends up on this grating which gave Brodie pause but he continued on slowly.

That leads to where the walking bridge is closed on the right so it's to the left then right over the Wayne Avenue bridge.

Just the other side of the bridge a paved path leads to views from the other side.

The other side of the walking bridge closure.

Before heading back we veered right ...

... then right again and right just beyond that brush pile ...

... down to views of the Passaic River.

Heading back to Wayne Avenue.

Just after crossing the Wayne Avenue bridge, right at the traffic light ...

... on McBride Avenue.  Pass the Dunkin Donuts then a dead end street then left on Hoxey Street.

Left on Grand then at Reservoir Street, right at the crosswalk on New Street.

After crossing over I-80, left at the break in the guardrail ...

... straight up Caldwell Avenue ...

... to a left at the dead end sign.

And here we are back at the Morris Canal Greenway trail.

Balloon #8 of the year

Meeting back up with white where we came in from the left, now turning right on white.

White leaves, staying with yellow the rest of the way.

Barbour Pond

Here is where we picked up yellow at the beginning, now keeping right on the gravel service road.

Then left up ahead on Rifle Camp Road.

There isn't much room to walk on this side of Rifle Camp Road but there wasn't much traffic.

Back to where I parked.