AMBLEWAY Wildest hikes
2013-05-12 14 26 11 View south along the MacEvoy Trail in the gas line clearing near the Wanaque Ridge Trail in Ramapo Mountain State Forest.jpg
Famartin · CC BY-SA 3.0
Ramapo Mountain State Forest

Matapan Rock–Castle Viewpoint, 6 sights

7.8 mi · ▲ 1,050 ft · 3 hr 8 min

Matapan Rock–Castle Viewpoint, 6 sights is a 7.8-mile out-and-back in Ramapo Mountain State Forest near Oakland, NJ. The route passes Castle Viewpoint before reaching Matapan Rock at the turnaround, 3.9 miles in. It climbs 1,050 ft, with sections as steep as 21% grade, and is mostly dirt. It scores 23/100 on the Ambleway Wildness scale: paved and peopled.

Elevation

0 mi240 – 988 ft · steepest grade: 21%8.4 mi

Getting there

Trailhead: Pool Hollow Trailhead 41.01887, -74.26758
Nearest town Oakland, NJ
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Directions

AMBLEWAYwww.ambleway.com

Matapan Rock–Castle Viewpoint, 6 sights

7.8 mi · ▲ 1,050 ft · 3 hr 8 min

Elevation 240–989 ft

Out & Back · Ramapo Mountain State Forest

Trailhead: Pool Hollow Trailhead · 41.01887, -74.26758

Weather Sep 7: Overcast, high 76°F / low 55° · precip 0% · wind 5 mph · sunrise 6:30 AM · sunset 7:22 PM

Parking lot at the trailhead

  1. Start at the trailhead, heading SW.
  2. 300 ftTurn right onto Pool Hollow Bypass, heading NW.
  3. 250 ftBear right onto Pool Hollow Trail, heading NW.
  4. 0.1 miBear left onto South Ridge Trail, heading N.
  5. 50 ftContinue straight onto Pool Hollow Bypass, heading N.
  6. 0.2 miTurn right onto South Ridge Trail, heading NW.
  7. 150 ftContinue straight onto Pool Hollow Trail, heading NW.
  8. 0.4 miBear right onto Indian Rock Trail, heading N.
  9. 400 ftTurn left, heading N.
  10. 0.4 miTurn left, heading N.
  11. 0.2 miTurn right onto Algonquin Gas Transmission Service Road, heading NW.
  12. 0.6 miContinue straight onto Algonquin Gas Transmission Service Road/Wanaque Ridge Trail, heading NE.
  13. 250 ftContinue straight onto Algonquin Gas Transmission Service Road, heading NE.
  14. 0.5 miBear left onto Algonquin Gas Transmission Service Road/Castle Loop Trail, heading E.
  15. 250 ftContinue straight onto Castle Loop Trail, heading E.
  16. 0.1 miPass Castle Viewpoint.
  17. 200 ftTurn left onto Cannonball Trail, heading NE.
  18. 0.1 miBear left onto Cannonball / Hoeferlin Memorial Trail, heading E.
  19. 0.6 miBear right onto Algonquin Gas Service Road, heading NE.
  20. 0.2 miBear left, heading N.
  21. 0.1 miTurn left onto Matapan Rock Trail, heading N.
  22. 50 ftTurn right onto Cannonball / Hoeferlin Memorial Trail, heading N.
  23. 50 ftBear left, heading N.
  24. 300 ftReach Matapan Rock, then turn around and head back the way you came.
  25. 350 ftTurn left onto Matapan Rock Trail, heading N.
  26. 50 ftTurn right, heading N.
  27. 0.1 miBear right onto Algonquin Gas Service Road, heading N.
  28. 0.2 miBear left onto Cannonball / Hoeferlin Memorial Trail, heading S.
  29. 0.6 miBear right onto Cannonball Trail, heading SW.
  30. 0.1 miTurn right onto Castle Loop Trail, heading SW.
  31. 0.2 miContinue straight onto Algonquin Gas Transmission Service Road/Castle Loop Trail, heading SW.
  32. 250 ftBear right onto Algonquin Gas Transmission Service Road, heading S.
  33. 0.5 miContinue straight onto Algonquin Gas Transmission Service Road/Wanaque Ridge Trail, heading SW.
  34. 200 ftContinue straight onto Algonquin Gas Transmission Service Road, heading SW.
  35. 0.6 miTurn left, heading SW.
  36. 0.2 miTurn right, heading SW.
  37. 0.4 miTurn right onto Indian Rock Trail, heading SW.
  38. 400 ftBear left, heading S.
  39. 0.3 miContinue straight onto Pool Hollow Trail, heading S.
  40. 0.2 miContinue straight onto South Ridge Trail, heading S.
  41. 150 ftTurn left onto Pool Hollow Bypass, heading S.
  42. 0.2 miContinue straight onto South Ridge Trail, heading S.
  43. 50 ftBear right onto Pool Hollow Trail, heading S.
  44. 0.1 miBear left onto Pool Hollow Bypass, heading S.
  45. 250 ftTurn left, heading S.
  46. 50 ftArrive back at the trailhead.

Each distance is the walk from the previous step. Tap a step for a map of its junction.

Trail map, photos and weather for this hike: www.ambleway.com/hikes/matapan-rock-castle-viewpoint-out-back-7-sights-13-km-6578

Trail surface

88% dirt2% paved10% unspecified

Weather

OvercastTemperature 76°F55°
Precip0%Wind5 mphUV6Humidity74%
Rained 0.4″ 4 days ago (0.7″ over the last week)
Hourly temperature
80°55°
Sunrise 6:30 AM12 AM3 AM9 AM12 PM3 PMSunset 7:22 PM
Tue 79°58°
Wed 84°61°
Thu 79°66° 30%
Fri 75°56° 22%
Sat 79°55°
Sun 83°58°

Good to know

  • Parking lot at the trailhead

More from Pool Hollow Trailhead Trailhead

Hikes near Oakland, New Jersey