Hike of the Week 12/15/03

WHERE: Ramapo Valley County Reservation

FEATURES : This loop hike passes attractive cascades and climbs to a panoramic viewpoint over the Manhattan skyline.

LENGTH: 7.5 miles.

DIFFICULTY: Moderate to strenuous.

TIME: About four and one-half hours.

MAP: New York-New Jersey Trail Conference North Jersey Trails Map #22 (Note: Portions of the trail routes described in this hike are not shown on this map)

DOGS: Permitted on leash.

HOW TO GET THERE: Take N.J. Route 17 to U.S. Route 202 in Mahwah. Proceed south on Route 202 for two miles, then turn right into the Ramapo Valley County Reservation parking area.

DESCRIPTION: The hike begins at a kiosk in the southwest corner of the parking area. Just ahead, you'll notice three orange blazes on a tree. They mark the start of the Schuber Trail, which you'll be following (with one detour) for the first half of the hike.

  The Schuber Trail (here co-aligned with the Silver Trail) descends a slope to join a paved park road, passing a very large sycamore tree on the right. The paved road bears left, but the trail continues ahead and crosses the Ramapo River on a steel truss bridge. In another 250 feet, the orange blazes turn left, but you should continue ahead on the Silver Trail, following the southern shore of Scarlet Oak Pond. Near the end of the pond, turn left onto the green-on-white-blazed Halifax Trail and follow it for 0.2 mile along a wide dirt road. When the Halifax Trail ends, continue ahead on the Schuber Trail.

  You'll soon cross a wooden bridge over a stream, and reach the ruins of a stone cabin, built by a camp that once operated on this property. Here, the Schuber Trail turns right and begins a rocky climb along the stream. The trail soon levels off, passing attractive cascades and pools in the stream to the right. After curving to the right, the Schuber Trail reaches a junction with the wide park road leading to the MacMillan Reservoir. Follow the Schuber Trail as it turns left and continues along a paved section of the park road. After crossing a bridge, be sure to follow the main road as it curves left (don't follow the unblazed dirt road that continues straight ahead). Soon, the trail passes to the left of the stone dam of the MacMillan Reservoir. You've gone a little over a mile from the start, and this is a good place to take a break.

  When you're ready to continue, proceed ahead on the wide road, still marked with orange blazes. The paving ends at the dam, and the route becomes rather rocky. For the next third of mile, the trail continues to climb. Several side trails (including the Yellow-Silver Trail, which will be your return route), lead to the left, but you should follow the main park road. After reaching the crest of the rise, the road begins to descend, and in 750 feet, you'll reach a fork in the road. Here, the light-blue-blazed Ridge Trail leaves to the right, but you should take the left fork, continuing to follow the orange blazes of the SchuberTrail, now on a narrower path.

  In another half a mile, just before reaching an intermittent stream, follow the orange blazes of the Schuber Trail as it turns sharply left (the route straight ahead is the Red-Silver Trail). The Schuber Trail now ascends a rocky hillside and goes along the southeastern shoulder of Rocky Mountain. After proceeding through a rocky area, it crosses a stream on rocks. Staying to the left of a prominent rocky ridge, the trail climbs steadily, then goes through a cleft in the ridge. It descends a grassy slope to reach Bear Swamp Road, about three miles from the start. The Schuber Trail now turns right along the paved road.

  In another 500 feet, the Schuber Trail turns left and crosses a wooden bridge over Bear Swamp Brook. About 150 feet beyond the bridge, the trail turns left again, leaving the paved road, and re-enters the woods. It soon approaches a particularly wild and beautiful section of the brook, featuring cascades, pools and a deep rock cut.

   A short distance beyond, the brook curves to the left as the Schuber Trail continues ahead, climbing over a rocky area. After crossing a stream on rocks, the trail passes to the right of an abandoned cabin (once part of the adjacent Camp Yaw Paw). The trail now crosses a second stream and turns left onto a woods road, joining the Yellow Trail, which comes in from the right. Follow the joint Schuber and Yellow Trails, which soon turn right, leaving the woods road, then bear left and begin a steep and rocky ascent. Reaching the crest of the ridge, the trails bear right and continue along the ridge, entering Camp Glen Gray, now owned by Bergen County.

  Soon, the Old Guard Trail, blazed with a green tulip leaf on white, leaves to the right. A short distance beyond - at the high point of the ridge (996 feet) - you'll come to an expansive viewpoint over northern Bergen County from a rock outcrop a short distance to the left of the trail. The Manhattan skyline is visible on the horizon to the right, and on a clear day, you can even see the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge in the distance. You've now gone about four miles - a little more than halfway - and this is another good place to stop and take a break.

  When you're ready to continue, return to the trail and turn left. You'll now be following the Yellow Trail (the Schuber Trail leaves to the right here). The Yellow Trail descends along the ridge and soon reaches a woods road. Turn left onto this road, marked with the yellow-and-silver blazes of the Yellow-Silver Trail, which descends on switchbacks to join a woods road that comes in from the right. Continue to follow the yellow-silver blazes along the woods road.

  In another mile - after a steady descent - the Yellow-Silver Trail turns left onto paved Bear Swamp Road and crosses Bear Swamp Brook on a wooden bridge. It then turns right, leaving the road, and climbs gradually through the ruins of a goat farm. After leveling off, the Yellow-Silver Trail curves right at an intersection with the red-blazed Marsh Loop Trail. Continue to follow the yellow-silver blazes, which soon begin to descend rather steeply through an area with a thick understory.

  The Yellow-Silver Trail ends at an intersection with the Schuber Trail. Turn right and follow the orange-blazed Schuber Trail, soon passing the dam at the eastern end of MacMillan Reservoir. About 0.2 mile beyond the dam, the Schuber Trail turns right, leaving the road, but you should continue ahead on the road, now following the route of the Silver Trail. As the road bends to the left ahead, you'll notice a beautiful waterfall on the stream in the valley to the right. The Silver Trail bears right at the base of the descent, passes to the right of Scarlet Oak Pond, and continues across the bridge over the Ramapo River to end at the parking area where you started the hike.

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