Hike Reviews

October 16, 2022
4
Beautiful Hike With Limited Views
Michael K7
I did this hike on 10-9-22, except I went counter-clockwise, and used the pink blazed West Ridge Trail instead of the west side of the Bearfort Ridge Loop. The area is immaculately clean, and the trails are very well maintained. With the drought we had over the summer, there are no water issues, but I have been on these trails at other times when your feet will absolutely get wet without waterproof footwear. I found just about all of the views to be somewhat obscured and limited, especially on the West Ridge Trail. Perhaps in winter, with no leaves on the trees, the views would be better. The stop at Surprise Lake was actually the nicest view of the hike for me, and i agree with the the person that said the detour off the yellow trail to West Pond is a nice view as well. One thing to be aware of is that the section of the yellow trail in between the Bearfort Ridge Trial and the West Ridge Trail has a couple of steep ascents/descents which will require the use of your hands for climbing/descending. I found this section to be very hard on my knees. Lastly, while the parking area has room for about 4 cars and is safely off the road, trying to get back on the road after your hike is dangerous, as there is limited visibility in both directions and cars are traveling at a good rate of speed. The next time i head to this area, i think I will just park in the Highlands Preserve lot and use the short path from the Green trail to access the Bearfort Ridge Trail.
December 01, 2019
4
Enjoyable hike
Bacchusboo
We did this hike yesterday, on Thanksgiving weekend and really enjoyed it. We did it in 3 hours plus a 15 minute lunch break overlooking the Manhattan skyline, waaayyyy off in the distance but very cool to see from here. The trails were very well blazed, clean and scenic. We passed just a few hikers and a dog walker, so it wasn’t particularly over crowded. We had several water crossings which made it even more fun to do, skipping over stones to get to the other side. We did comment on the possibility of needing gaiters during a wet Spring. After the hike, you’re a short drive from Warwick, a really cute town with some great dining and bar options. We will definitely do this one again.
June 21, 2017
5
Great hike
bromli
Views were pretty good, and on a clear day I could just about make out the tops of the Empire State Building and Freetom Tower. I did this hike and was able to finish it in about 3 and a half hours. I was walking a bit fast though, maybe a slower hiker could complete it in about 4. If you want to do this hike as a lollipop loop around Surprise Lake and West Pond, there are more views through that route. There is a detailed description of that route here: https://www.nynjtc.org/hike/abram-s-hewitt-state-forest#dialog-hike-description
October 16, 2016
0
Great Hike, 2 easy add on Viewpoints!
thomaspinnick
<p>Great Hike! &nbsp;After the initial ascent I found it a moderate hike. &nbsp;I would suggest when you get to the intersection of the Bearfort (white) &amp; Earnest Walter (yellow) trails to hang a left on the Earnest Walter (yellow) trail and head to the West Pond viewpoint. After making the left in .2 miles you will come to a tree were the yellow trail will turn to the left but you will see a painted yellow arrow pointing to the right. Turn right and follow this trail a short distance to an amazing viewpoint! &nbsp;For another easy viewpoint when you get to the intersection of the Earnest Walter (yellow) &amp; Quail (orange) trails you can walk about .3 miles past Suprise Lake on the Earnest Walter (yellow) trail and climb a small rock outcropping to anohter great view point. &nbsp;Amazing hike, will defintely be back! &nbsp;&nbsp;</p>
January 07, 2016
0
Thanks for the response,
Ed Zachary
<p>Thanks for the response, Jeremy.&nbsp; I use a Garmin Edge 500.&nbsp; I've been using it for several years for bike rides and hikes.&nbsp; It has been fairly accurate with regards to distance traveled, altitude, speed, etc.&nbsp; Just to compare, here is more of the data I recorded on this hike:</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>--Minimum elevation (at the lower parking turnout on Warwick Tpk by White Rd): 577 ft</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>--Maximum elevation: 1371 ft</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>--Total elevation gain/loss: 1327 ft</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>I did take a short break for lunch along the Bearfort Ridge Trail but I shut my Garmin off when I was stationary.&nbsp; I did the whole thing in a moving time of 2:17:44.&nbsp;The cold weather sure helped me keep a movin'.</p>
January 06, 2016
0
GPS Mileage Difference
Jeremy Apgar
<p>Glad you enjoyed the hike, and I hope you were able to stay warm out there!</p> <p>The mileage of this particular hike is about 5.85 miles based on our accurate GIS-based track of the route.&nbsp; A straight-line measurement of the trails is about 5.45 miles, but an additional 0.4 mile is added when elevation and fine trail wiggles are accounted for.&nbsp; So the mileage is almost halfway between the stated mileage here and your GPS mileage.</p> <p>Often, GPS readings can be fairly reliable, but there can be times where they are not quite correct due to a variety of potential errors.&nbsp; A GPS distance can sometimes differ based on the type of device, the collection interval on the device, or even within different apps in a smartphone device.&nbsp; Other errors can also creep in, such as poor GPS statellite configurations and GPS wandering if you are stationary for a while.&nbsp; In this case, however, it appears that your Garmin mileage was actually fairly close to actual.</p> <p>If you are interested, here are some other statistics about this hike:</p> <p>--Minimum elevation:&nbsp; 700 ft</p> <p>--Maximum elevation:&nbsp; 1375 ft</p> <p>--Total elevation gain/loss:&nbsp; 1400 ft</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>~Jeremy, TC Cartographer</p>
January 05, 2016
0
Not quite 6 miles, but great hike nonetheless
Ed Zachary
<p>I hiked this loop for the first time today.&nbsp; The trails were well marked for the most part with a few spots on the Quail Trail missing markers due to downed trees.&nbsp; My Garmin indicated the total loop was 5.6 miles, including the short trail to and from&nbsp;the parking turnoff on Warwick Tpk to the official trailhead(s) of the Bearfort Ridge Trail and Quail Trail.</p>
April 17, 2013
0
Excellent hike - and public transit available!
sjriley
<p>I took the 197 NJ bus from the Port Authority Building in NYC and got off after West Milford (about 1.5 hours). The bus travels along Union valley road and getting off at the White Road intersection (not an actual stop, you jsut have to ask) puts you a two minute walk from the trail head. At the fork where White Road takes off from Union Valley Road, keep left. Walk along the road until it joins another - Warwick Turnpike. Turn right on Warwick Turnpike, and the trail head is maybe 100 feet down, on your left. On the way back, I walked to West Milford, but this is a long hike on pavement. On Saturday afternoon, a NY bound bus went by every two hours.</p> <p>The trail was beautiful - great views - and these directions were very helpful. It's possible to explore a lot more loops in this area and I plan on heading back once the trees are budding!</p>
July 16, 2011
0
Bearfort Trail - July 2011
sph001
<p>This is a brutal yet beautiful trail - I lost count on the number of rock scambles. When you view my photos ( http://www.flickr.com/photos/sph001/sets/72157627082919637/show/ ) you will see some of the scrambles. BUT don't let this stop you from trying this trail...&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <p>I recommend taking the yellow trail past Surprise Lake to the blue State Line Trail - magnificent views of GreenwoodLake.&nbsp; I was going to complete the yellow circle from there (touching the Appalachian) - but it was too warm and I was beated by all the scrambles...&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; I doubled back and then walked the Orange trail to the car. That is an easy route back.&nbsp; My trip (see last photo) was 7 miles.&nbsp; Great hike!</p> <p>Also - there appears to be a parking area just before you reach the trail after leaving 511 and entering Warwick TP - and then another right over the bridge just past the trail.</p>
July 29, 2009
0
Hike here if you don't think New Jersey is beautiful
kleepet
<p> This is a gorgeous loop hike, and pretty easy to follow. (Don't be intimidated by the length of the description--for some reason, it is copied twice.)  [Note:  The duplication has been removed -- the hike now appears only once! DC] </p> <p> The views at the end of the Bearfort Ridge Trail have been described as the most beautiful in all of New Jersey. <a href="#mce_temp_url#">Some Bearfort Ridge Trail photos posted here</a>. </p> <p> At the very first viewpoint mentioned, on your left at the top of the ridge, note that the trail continues on to the right. We enjoyed the view and the rest as suggested, then continued &quot;straight&quot; from where we had left off...into the woods. The trail follows the ridge, which is to your right if you hadn't rested at the view, or behind you if you had. </p> <p> Note also that the Quail Trail has some water crossings if there have been a lot of rain. <a href="#mce_temp_url#">Quail Trail water crossing photo here</a>. </p>
March 15, 2009
0
Thanks for your comments
Estelle
<p> Thanks for your comments about the hike.   </p> <p> The trail is still Quail Trail on Trail Conference map and in the hiking books.   The renaming by the Town Council is just that, a local name.  </p>
January 22, 2009
0
Jeremy Glick Trail
Bearfort
<p> Good description. It's a great hike whether you do it from Warwick Tpk, Jersey Ave or Longhouse Road. Note: a few years after 9-11, the old Quail Trail was renamed the &quot;Jeremy Glick Trail&quot; by the West Milford Town Council. Not sure if the new name is recognized yet by the TC, but the locals refer to it by its new name.  </p> <p> Don </p> <p> <a href="http://www.weishike.com/">www.weishike.com</a> </p> <p> &nbsp; </p>