Water Tower Ruins–Ramapo Lake, 7 sights is a 3-mile out-and-back in Ramapo Mountain State Forest near Erskine, NJ. The route passes Castle Viewpoint, Wanaque Reservoir Overlook and Water Tower Ruins before reaching Ramapo Lake at the turnaround, 1.5 miles in. It climbs 565 ft, with sections as steep as 24% grade, and is mostly dirt. It scores 10/100 on the Ambleway Wildness scale: paved and peopled.
Elevation
0 mi594 – 899 ft · steepest grade: 24%3.2 mi
Getting there
Trailhead: Cannonball / Hoeferlin Memorial Trail 41.05940, -74.25053
Nearest town Erskine, NJ
Directions
AMBLEWAYwww.ambleway.com
Water Tower Ruins–Ramapo Lake, 7 sights
3 mi · ▲ 565 ft · 1 hr 17 min
Elevation 596–898 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 ftBear right onto Algonquin Gas Transmission Service Road, heading W.
- 0.1 miTurn left onto Castle Loop Trail, heading W.
- 0.2 miPass Wanaque Reservoir Overlook.
- 50 ftPass Water Tower Ruins.
- 0.3 miPass Ramapo Lake.
- 100 ftBear right onto Cannonball Trail / Castle Loop, heading W.
- 50 ftReach Water Tower Ruins, then turn around and head back the way you came.
- 50 ftBear left onto Castle Loop Trail, heading S.
- 0.5 miTurn right onto Algonquin Gas Transmission Service Road, heading N.
- 0.1 miBear left onto Algonquin Gas Transmission Service Road/Castle Loop Trail, heading E.
- 250 ftContinue straight onto Castle Loop Trail, heading E.
- 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
97% dirt3% paved
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
- 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
- Stephens Lake–Castle Viewpoint, 6 sights 4 mi · ▲ 686 ft
- Lake Tamarack–Todd Lake Loop, 10 sights 4.6 mi · ▲ 736 ft
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