Ramapo Lake–North Shore Drive/Ramapo Lake Loop/Cannonball Viewpoint, 6 sights is a 5.1-mile out-and-back in Ramapo Mountain State Forest near Oakland, NJ. The route passes Ramapo Lake, North Shore Drive/Ramapo Lake Loop/Cannonball Viewpoint and Ramapo Lake Loop/Cannonball Viewpoint. It climbs 797 ft, with sections as steep as 17% grade, and is mostly dirt. It scores 27/100 on the Ambleway Wildness scale: green fringe.
Elevation
0 mi210 – 840 ft · steepest grade: 17%5.6 mi
Getting there
Trailhead: Castle Loop Trail 41.04703, -74.25168
Nearest town Oakland, NJ
Directions
AMBLEWAYwww.ambleway.com
Ramapo Lake–North Shore Drive/Ramapo Lake Loop/Cannonball Viewpoint, 6 sights
5.1 mi · ▲ 797 ft · 2 hr 6 min
Elevation 210–841 ft
Out & Back · Ramapo Mountain State Forest
Trailhead: Castle Loop Trail · 41.04703, -74.25168
Weather Sep 7: sunrise 6:30 AM · sunset 7:22 PM
Parking lot at the trailhead
- Start on Castle Loop Trail, heading SW.
- 300 ftContinue straight onto Ramapo Park, heading W.
- 450 ftBear left, heading SW.
- 0.1 miSharp left, heading W.
- 450 ftContinue straight onto Cannonball Trail, heading SW.
- 0.6 miPass Ramapo Lake.
- 50 ftBear left onto Foxcroft Road, heading S.
- 50 ftTurn right onto Cannonball Trail, heading S.
- 200 ftTurn left onto Cannonball Trail / Castle Loop, heading W.
- 50 ftContinue straight onto Cannonball Trail, heading W.
- 0.1 miTurn left onto Wanaque Ridge/Cannonball Trail, heading SW.
- 450 ftTurn right onto North Shore Drive/Ramapo Lake Loop/Cannonball Trail, heading SW.
- 0.1 miPass North Shore Drive/Ramapo Lake Loop/Cannonball Viewpoint.
- 50 ftPass Ramapo Lake Loop/Cannonball Viewpoint.
- 150 ftBear left onto North Shore Drive, heading SW.
- 0.3 miSharp right, heading SW.
- 250 ftTurn left, heading SW.
- 0.1 miTurn left onto Algonquin Gas Transmission Service Road, heading NW.
- 0.3 miContinue straight onto Wanaque Ridge Trail, heading SW.
- 50 ftContinue straight onto Algonquin Gas Transmission Service Road, heading SW.
- 0.4 miBear right onto Cresent, heading SW.
- 100 ftBear left, heading SW.
- 100 ftContinue straight onto Algonquin Gas Transmission Service Road, heading SW.
- 150 ftReach Ramapo Lake, then turn around and head back the way you came.
- 250 ftBear right onto Cresent, heading W.
- 100 ftBear left onto Algonquin Gas Transmission Service Road, heading W.
- 0.4 miContinue straight onto Wanaque Ridge Trail, heading NE.
- 50 ftContinue straight onto Algonquin Gas Transmission Service Road, heading NE.
- 0.3 miTurn right, heading NE.
- 0.1 miTurn right, heading NE.
- 250 ftSharp left onto North Shore Drive, heading NE.
- 0.3 miBear right onto North Shore Drive/Ramapo Lake Loop/Cannonball Trail, heading SE.
- 0.2 miTurn left onto Wanaque Ridge/Cannonball Trail, heading N.
- 450 ftTurn right onto Cannonball Trail, heading N.
- 0.1 miContinue straight onto Cannonball Trail / Castle Loop, heading NE.
- 50 ftTurn right onto Cannonball Trail, heading NE.
- 250 ftTurn left onto Foxcroft Road, heading NE.
- 50 ftBear right onto Cannonball Trail, heading N.
- 0.7 miSharp right, heading SE.
- 0.1 miBear right onto Rye Cliff Road, heading S.
- 450 ftContinue straight onto Castle Loop Trail, heading E.
- 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 surface
92% dirt8% unspecified
Weather
Sunrise 6:30 AMSunset 7:22 PM
Good to know
- Parking lot at the trailhead
More from Castle Loop Trail Trailhead
- Castle Viewpoint & Hoeferlin Memorial Trail via Castle Loop Trail 1 mi · ▲ 96 ft
- Lake Tamarack & Schuber Trail via Castle Loop Trail 1 mi · ▲ 120 ft
- Todd Hill–Todd Lookout Loop, 6 viewpoints 1.7 mi · ▲ 320 ft
- Water Tower Ruins–Ramapo Lake Loop, 8 sights 2.3 mi · ▲ 431 ft
- Matapan Rock–Algonquin Gas Service Road, 4 sights 2.7 mi · ▲ 252 ft
- Lake Tamarack–Lake Vreeland, 3 lakes 2.9 mi · ▲ 447 ft
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