Ringwood State Park, NJ - Unmarked Trails from Ryerson School

ABOUT THE PARK: 

Ringwood State Park - NJ Department of Environmental Protection

 

DIRECTIONS: 

GPS Coordinates 41.10797, -74.24447

Parking at Ryerson Middle School

TRAIL MAP:

Northern New Jersey Highlands Trail Map 150 - NYNJ Trail Conference

HIKE DISTANCE:  8.3 miles

THE HIKE:

This hike is on mostly unmarked trails.  It really requires planning a route with an app and following that closely as sometimes there are 3-4 different ways to go at intersections and with no trail markers, you have to know which way to go or you either go in circles or way off track.

To access the trails, walk back towards the parking lot entrance to the end of the fence ...

... then left around the end of the fence.

This follows back along the parking lot ...

... to the trails.

We turned right to access unmarked single track trails through Catnest Swamp.

Not something you would expect to see in the middle of the woods.

Pileated Woodpecker

The woods road climbs to the ridge with winter views.

But heading north the gunfire from the shooting range farther north is very loud and that starts at 9 AM on weekends.

I had to alter my planned route as it would have headed south them north again and Brodie's gunfire anxiety had kicked in.  Not to mention hiking to the sound of incessant gunfire is not my idea of a good time.  It's a shame because it's a beautiful area otherwise.

Pierson Ridge

Having descended into the valley and heading south we could no longer hear the gunfire.

Following the marked Five Ponds Trail for a bit.

On white ...

... then red to ...

Warm Puppy Rock

Descending on red ...

... to an unmarked woods road.

I was just thinking that the wide open gate was probably the source of illegal ORV riding which had destroyed sections of woods road we had hiked when ...

... well, here you go, enter the illegal dirt bike heading straight for the sign that says NO MOTORIZED VEHICLES.  I think a closed gate would have worked better than the sign.

Coming back up on Ryerson Middle School.

Hansenclever Iron Trail, NJ

ABOUT THE PARK: 

Long Pond Ironworks State Park - New Jersey State Park Service

Reopening of the Hansenclever Iron Trail - New York New Jersey Trail Conference

The Friends of Long Pond Ironworks

One of the brochures available outside the visitor center.  It describes all of the interpretive signs along the way.

DIRECTIONS: 

GPS Coordinates 41.141066, -74.308869

Parking at the Long Pond Ironworks visitor center.

TRAIL MAP: 

Northern New Jersey Highlands Trail Map 151 - New York New Jersey Trail Conference

The 2021 edition above shows the Hansenclever Iron Trail reroute, previous editions show the original route as closed with no reroute.

PEAK BAGGING: 

Hansenclever Hill - NJ1K

HIKE DISTANCE: 

14.1 miles - Hansenclever Iron Trail about 6 miles each way plus Hansenclever Hill

THE HIKE: 

Facing the visitor center head to the left towards the historic buildings.

We started out with looping around the historic district waiting for the sun to come up.  It was still a tad dark out.

Sun starting to rise over Monksville Reservoir.

The Hansenclever Iron Trail starts at the bridge joining in with the blue trail and Highlands Trail.

Start of the yellow-blazed Hansenclever Iron Trail.

Wanaque River

The Hansenclever Iron Trail leaves the Highlands Trail and blue trail to the right.

Many interesting interpretive signs along the way.

Coming up on Monksville Reservoir.

A bridge over ...

Beech Brook

The Hansenclever Trail leaves the gravel road to the left and the green Monk's Connector Trail continues straight.

The interpretive sign states the this tree is 200 years old.

The old road becomes very rutted and wet from ATV damage although fortunately there were no ATVs present during this hike.

Crossing over an old bridge.

This is the one spot that was not rock hoppable but I was able to rock hop around off trail to the right.

The trail bypasses some severely flooded parts.

Hope Mountain up ahead.

Hansenclever Hill on the left where we would be heading next.

The Drink Brook crossing was doable via a rock hop.  It is shortly after this crossing that I needed to watch for ...

... a woods road to the left which would head towards Hansenclever Hill which is a New Jersey 1K high point.  That triangular boulder marks the spot.

At first the woods road is easy to follow even when it becomes a foot path.

Then we lost it.  Even Brodie is looking around for it.

I decided a better way up might be to head east a bit and circle around and up that way since the topo looked less steep.  I was sooooo wrong.  It was rocky, steep, thorny, absolutely treacherous.

Brodie had to go off leash because it was just too steep and he kept getting tangled.  He followed me most of the way then made it up just before I did but he waited patiently for me.

We made it to the boulder that marks the summit! Even though we hiked on a Sunday when no hunting is allowed in New Jersey, this is feet from Sterling Forest in New York where hunting is allowed and hunters tend to spill over into New Jersey so blaze orange clothing was called for.  Fortunately, I did not see any hunters at all.

This is right on the New York state line where there is supposed to be an overlook into New Jersey on the New York side.  I was all over the top of that mountain and could not find it but there were nice winter views nonetheless.  Looking back at my track I see where I probably should have keep curving around to the west from where I turned back.  Oh well, maybe another time.

There was a gunshot heard from the NY side (although it is bow only in Sterling Forest) and Brodie freaked and almost bolted.  I got him to stop by yelling "BRODIE!  COOKIES!" and hooked him back up.  I was shocked that he listened because gunfire sends him into a panic putting him into every man for himself mode.

From the summit I had noticed a faint path and there was even a ribbon on a tree.  Brodie picked up on this path and I just followed him.

Fortunately there was no more gunfire and Brodie calmed down so I had to let him back off leash since it was very steep going down but so much easier than the way I had come up.  So if you are using my track to bag this peak, ignore what is to the east and use the southern approach straight on to the summit.  Although it looks steeper, it is definitely the way to go.

Who would have thought that a stray from Jersey City would become adept at following virtually invisible trails?

Brodie was hooked back up once things started to level out.  Not worth taking a chance at more gunfire but fortunately there was none.

Back at that triangular boulder and heading left on the Hansenclever Iron Trail towards Ringwood State Park.

Nearing the end of the Hansenclever Iron Trail in Ringwood State Park.

A break at the bench 8 miles into the hike.

The end of the trail ...

... where we turned around to retrace 6 miles back.

Passing by that boulder marking the way up Hansenclever Hill.

Other than one hiker on the Hansenclever Iron Trail during the return route, we saw no people other than at Ringwood State Park and when we returned to Long Pond Ironworks Historic District.

Monksville Reservoir