Stephens Lake–Castle Viewpoint, 6 sights is a 4-mile out-and-back in Ramapo Mountain State Forest near Erskine, NJ. The route passes Castle Viewpoint before reaching Stephens Lake at the turnaround, 2 miles in. It climbs 686 ft, with sections as steep as 28% grade, and is mostly dirt. It scores 29/100 on the Ambleway Wildness scale: green fringe.
Elevation
0 mi440 – 899 ft · steepest grade: 28%4.2 mi
Getting there
Trailhead: Cannonball / Hoeferlin Memorial Trail 41.05940, -74.25053
Nearest town Erskine, NJ
Directions
AMBLEWAYwww.ambleway.com
Stephens Lake–Castle Viewpoint, 6 sights
4 mi · ▲ 686 ft · 1 hr 41 min
Elevation 441–898 ft
Out & Back · Ramapo Mountain State Forest
Trailhead: Cannonball / Hoeferlin Memorial Trail · 41.05940, -74.25053
Weather Sep 7: sunrise 6:30 AM · sunset 7:22 PM
Parking lot at the trailhead
- Start on Cannonball / Hoeferlin Memorial Trail, heading S.
- 0.6 miBear right onto Cannonball Trail, heading SW.
- 0.1 miTurn right onto Castle Loop Trail, heading W.
- 50 ftPass Castle Viewpoint.
- 0.2 miContinue straight onto Algonquin Gas Transmission Service Road/Castle Loop Trail, heading SW.
- 250 ftContinue straight onto Castle Loop Trail, heading SW.
- 0.1 miContinue straight onto Algonquin Gas Transmission Service Road, heading NW.
- 0.4 miTurn right onto Wanaque Ridge Trail, heading SW.
- 0.3 miBear right, heading NW.
- 0.2 miBear right, heading N.
- 0.2 miReach Stephens Lake, then turn around and head back the way you came.
- 0.2 miBear left, heading S.
- 0.5 miTurn left onto Algonquin Gas Transmission Service Road, heading S.
- 0.4 miContinue straight onto Castle Loop Trail, heading NE.
- 0.1 miContinue straight onto Algonquin Gas Transmission Service Road/Castle Loop Trail, heading SE.
- 250 ftContinue straight onto Castle Loop Trail, heading SE.
- 0.2 miTurn left onto Cannonball Trail, heading NE.
- 0.1 miBear left onto Cannonball / Hoeferlin Memorial Trail, heading NE.
- 0.5 miArrive back at the trailhead.
Each distance is the walk from the previous step. Tap a step for a map of its junction.
Trail surface
83% dirt2% paved15% unspecified
Weather
Sunrise 6:30 AMSunset 7:22 PM
Good to know
- Parking lot at the trailhead
More from Cannonball / Hoeferlin Memorial Trail Trailhead
- Lake Vreeland–Algonquin Gas Service Road, 5 sights 2.2 mi · ▲ 391 ft
- Tamarack Viewpoint–Lake Tamarack, 5 sights 3 mi · ▲ 347 ft
- Water Tower Ruins–Ramapo Lake, 7 sights 3 mi · ▲ 565 ft
- Suzi's Rock–Middle Valley Lookout Loop, 6 sights 3.3 mi · ▲ 399 ft
- Castle Viewpoint–Lake Tamarack Loop, 8 sights 3.4 mi · ▲ 490 ft
- Lake Tamarack–Todd Lake Loop, 10 sights 4.6 mi · ▲ 736 ft
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