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

Old Guard Viewpoint–Old Guard/Ringwood-Ramapo Viewpoint, 11 sights

12.1 mi · ▲ 1,670 ft · 4 hr 52 min

Old Guard Viewpoint–Old Guard/Ringwood-Ramapo Viewpoint, 11 sights is a 12.1-mile out-and-back in Ramapo Mountain State Forest near Oakland, NJ. The route passes Castle Viewpoint, Laurel Hollow, Middle Valley Lookout and Old Guard/Ringwood-Ramapo Viewpoint before reaching Old Guard Viewpoint at the turnaround, 6 miles in. It climbs 1,670 ft, with sections as steep as 19% grade, and is mostly dirt. It scores 39/100 on the Ambleway Wildness scale: green fringe.

Elevation

0 mi240 – 1,040 ft · steepest grade: 19%13.0 mi

Getting there

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

AMBLEWAYwww.ambleway.com

Old Guard Viewpoint–Old Guard/Ringwood-Ramapo Viewpoint, 11 sights

12.1 mi · ▲ 1,670 ft · 4 hr 52 min

Elevation 240–1,040 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 miTurn left onto Old Guard Trail, heading NW.
  30. 0.5 miPass Old Guard/Ringwood-Ramapo Viewpoint.
  31. 250 ftTurn left onto Ringwood-Ramapo Trail, heading W.
  32. 50 ftBear left onto Old Guard/Ringwood-Ramapo Trail, heading W.
  33. 400 ftContinue straight onto Ringwood-Ramapo Trail, heading NW.
  34. 50 ftReach Old Guard Viewpoint, then turn around and head back the way you came.
  35. 50 ftContinue straight onto Old Guard/Ringwood-Ramapo Trail, heading NW.
  36. 450 ftBear right onto Ringwood-Ramapo Trail, heading NE.
  37. 50 ftTurn right onto Old Guard Trail, heading N.
  38. 0.5 miTurn right onto Old Guard/Cannonball Trail, heading SE.
  39. 0.3 miBear left onto Old Guard Trail, heading E.
  40. 300 ftTurn right, heading E.
  41. 0.4 miBear right onto Old Guard/Schuber Trail, heading SW.
  42. 0.2 miContinue straight onto Mary Post Road/Schuber Trail, heading S.
  43. 0.3 miSharp right onto Hilltop Road, heading SW.
  44. 0.2 miContinue straight onto Matapan Rock Trail, heading SW.
  45. 0.1 miBear left onto Algonquin Gas Service Road, heading S.
  46. 0.4 miBear left onto Cannonball / Hoeferlin Memorial Trail, heading SW.
  47. 0.6 miBear right onto Cannonball Trail, heading S.
  48. 0.1 miTurn right onto Castle Loop Trail, heading S.
  49. 0.2 miContinue straight onto Algonquin Gas Transmission Service Road/Castle Loop Trail, heading SW.
  50. 250 ftBear right onto Algonquin Gas Transmission Service Road, heading SW.
  51. 0.5 miContinue straight onto Algonquin Gas Transmission Service Road/Wanaque Ridge Trail, heading W.
  52. 250 ftContinue straight onto Algonquin Gas Transmission Service Road, heading S.
  53. 0.6 miTurn left, heading SW.
  54. 0.2 miTurn right, heading SW.
  55. 0.3 miTurn right onto Indian Rock Trail, heading SW.
  56. 400 ftBear left, heading SW.
  57. 0.3 miContinue straight onto Pool Hollow Trail, heading SW.
  58. 0.2 miContinue straight onto South Ridge Trail, heading S.
  59. 150 ftTurn left onto Pool Hollow Bypass, heading S.
  60. 0.2 miContinue straight onto South Ridge Trail, heading W.
  61. 50 ftBear right onto Pool Hollow Trail, heading S.
  62. 0.1 miBear left onto Pool Hollow Bypass, heading S.
  63. 300 ftTurn left, heading S.
  64. 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/old-guard-viewpoint-out-back

Trail surface

84% dirt1% paved15% 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