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

Middle Valley Lookout–Castle Viewpoint, 13 sights

15.8 mi · ▲ 1,905 ft · 6 hr 13 min

Middle Valley Lookout–Castle Viewpoint, 13 sights is a 15.8-mile out-and-back in Ramapo Mountain State Forest near Oakland, NJ. The route passes Castle Viewpoint, Laurel Hollow, Middle Valley Lookout and 4 more before reaching Gatun Pond at the turnaround, 7.9 miles in. It climbs 1,905 ft, with sections as steep as 20% grade, and is mostly dirt. It scores 49/100 on the Ambleway Wildness scale: green fringe.

Elevation

0 mi240 – 945 ft · steepest grade: 20%17.0 mi

Getting there

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

AMBLEWAYwww.ambleway.com

Middle Valley Lookout–Castle Viewpoint, 13 sights

15.8 mi · ▲ 1,905 ft · 6 hr 13 min

Elevation 240–946 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. 0.4 miBear right onto Matapan Rock Trail, heading NE.
  21. 0.1 miContinue straight onto Hilltop Road, heading NE.
  22. 0.2 miSharp left onto Mary Post Road/Schuber Trail, heading NE.
  23. 0.3 miContinue straight onto Old Guard/Schuber Trail, heading N.
  24. 0.2 miBear left onto Old Guard Trail, heading N.
  25. 0.1 miPass Laurel Hollow.
  26. 0.2 miPass Middle Valley Lookout.
  27. 250 ftBear left, heading NE.
  28. 350 ftBear right onto Old Guard/Cannonball Trail, heading N.
  29. 0.3 miContinue straight onto Cannonball Trail, heading NW.
  30. 0.3 miPass Cannonball Lake.
  31. 0.2 miPass Iaoapogh Lake.
  32. 250 ftTurn left onto Erskine Connector Trail, heading NE.
  33. 1 miSharp right onto Ringwood-Ramapo Trail, heading NW.
  34. 200 ftTurn right onto Catnest Swamp Road, heading N.
  35. 0.2 miBear right, heading NW.
  36. 50 ftTurn right onto Ringwood-Ramapo Trail, heading NW.
  37. 50 ftBear left onto Catnest Swamp Road, heading NW.
  38. 0.2 miPass Brushwood Pond.
  39. 0.1 miBear right onto Five Ponds Loop Trail, heading N.
  40. 350 ftPass Gatun Pond.
  41. 300 ftContinue straight onto Ice Pond Road, heading NE.
  42. 0.1 miContinue straight onto Five Ponds Loop Trail, heading NE.
  43. 0.1 miPass Gatun Pond.
  44. 450 ftBear right onto Crossover Trail, heading NE.
  45. 50 ftReach Middle Valley Lookout, then turn around and head back the way you came.
  46. 50 ftBear left onto Five Ponds Loop Trail, heading NE.
  47. 0.2 miContinue straight onto Ice Pond Road, heading SE.
  48. 0.1 miContinue straight onto Five Ponds Loop Trail, heading NE.
  49. 0.1 miBear left, heading NE.
  50. 350 ftContinue straight onto Catnest Swamp Road, heading N.
  51. 0.3 miBear right onto Ringwood-Ramapo Trail, heading NW.
  52. 50 ftTurn left, heading NW.
  53. 50 ftBear left onto Catnest Swamp Road, heading NW.
  54. 0.2 miTurn left onto Ringwood-Ramapo Trail, heading S.
  55. 200 ftSharp left onto Erskine Connector Trail, heading SW.
  56. 1 miTurn right onto Cannonball Trail, heading S.
  57. 0.5 miContinue straight onto Old Guard/Cannonball Trail, heading SE.
  58. 0.3 miBear left onto Old Guard Trail, heading S.
  59. 300 ftTurn right, heading SW.
  60. 0.4 miBear right onto Old Guard/Schuber Trail, heading S.
  61. 0.2 miContinue straight onto Mary Post Road/Schuber Trail, heading SW.
  62. 0.3 miSharp right onto Hilltop Road, heading S.
  63. 0.2 miContinue straight onto Matapan Rock Trail, heading SW.
  64. 0.1 miBear left onto Algonquin Gas Service Road, heading S.
  65. 0.4 miBear left onto Cannonball / Hoeferlin Memorial Trail, heading SW.
  66. 0.6 miBear right onto Cannonball Trail, heading SW.
  67. 0.1 miTurn right onto Castle Loop Trail, heading S.
  68. 0.2 miContinue straight onto Algonquin Gas Transmission Service Road/Castle Loop Trail, heading S.
  69. 250 ftBear right onto Algonquin Gas Transmission Service Road, heading S.
  70. 0.5 miContinue straight onto Algonquin Gas Transmission Service Road/Wanaque Ridge Trail, heading S.
  71. 250 ftContinue straight onto Algonquin Gas Transmission Service Road, heading S.
  72. 0.6 miTurn left, heading S.
  73. 0.2 miTurn right, heading SW.
  74. 0.3 miTurn right onto Indian Rock Trail, heading SW.
  75. 400 ftBear left, heading SW.
  76. 0.3 miContinue straight onto Pool Hollow Trail, heading SW.
  77. 0.2 miContinue straight onto South Ridge Trail, heading SE.
  78. 150 ftTurn left onto Pool Hollow Bypass, heading SE.
  79. 0.2 miContinue straight onto South Ridge Trail, heading S.
  80. 50 ftBear right onto Pool Hollow Trail, heading S.
  81. 0.1 miBear left onto Pool Hollow Bypass, heading S.
  82. 300 ftTurn left, heading W.
  83. 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/middle-valley-lookout-castle-viewpoint-out-back-22-lakes

Trail surface

87% dirt1% paved12% 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