Best Trails in Wawayanda State Park

Beautiful hike !! Go weekdays to avoid the crowd!

if you are ONLY hiking, cost to park in lot is burdensome. it is a beautiful park. with beach and paddleboats.

The endless amount of people are ruining this trail! Nobody respects Leave no trace and nobody respects the towns people who live here, people are parking all over the place blocking the locals in their own driveways. I'm not a local to this town but still we need to respect the environment and the towns people who support this trail or it will be gone soon. Please if it's full find another trail, there's plenty in NJ and this shouldn't even have to be said but please pack out your trash, I feel like I'm preaching to the choir but it needs to be said I guess. I wish the police/rangers would enforce littering laws more strictly, maybe that would knock some sense into people. The views are great and it's what makes this one of NJ most popular trail, but if you're looking for peace and quiet go on an off day.

This was a difficult trait and definitely not for first time hikers unless you are quite athletic and used to moderate intensity cardio workouts. You start on one side of the park and hike across a flat boardwalk which is the easy part. Then you climb up what almost looks like a nature playground and across a field with cows and fences. At the end of the field you have to cross a semi-busy street to get to the actual mountain you bike up. This was by far the hardest part as the incline is steep and the pathway is narrow. I did this hike with 5 people and it was difficult to stay at the same pace. However, while the hike was difficult the view at the top was incredible! There’s a rock people sit on to look out at the view and eat lunch on, which is what we did. The walk down was better, and the pictures made it worth it. If you’re an experienced hiker or feel like taking on the challenge I would definitely say this trail was worth the view and sweat!!!

Hard but the view is worth it

Great hike. A little slippery.

I completed a variation of this hike which included the Laurel Pond Trail to the Pumphouse Trail and the Boulder Garden Trail. The forest is beautiful and lush, but the lack of views on the route I took results in the hike being somewhat anti-climatic. My father used to bring my brother and I fishing at Laurel Pond and Wawayanda Lake when we were young and so I was eager to explore the surrounding woods a bit.

Was a very nice hike. Definitely a challenge right now due to snow coverage that is melting. Trail is slippery so hiking boots with really good traction or metal spikes are suggested. Beautiful view once you hit the top!

We went out on this trail after a huge storm and it was absolutely amazing! I can only imagine how beautiful it is when everything is green and in bloom. The difficulty and time needed to complete the hike increased a bit due to the amount of snow which had accumulated, but it was more than worth the effort. The view is perfect!

You can pick up the trail from anywhere but we started along the boardwalk and visited the cows. Also there’s an old cool cemetery hidden along the railroad tracks that’s a little hard to find but so worth it. Once you cross the road and begin
the hike it gets challenging as it is quite steep but the breathtaking views are the payoff!! Don’t miss it!

Entered at the beginning of the boardwalk that takes you through the cow pasture. The real workout begins after you cross the road. It was a butt buster for sure, and is similar to a talus field up and down so when the leaves are wet and covering the terrain makes it a little tricky!

Great trail. I went on Thanksgiving day, so there wasn’t much traffic, however that isn’t the norm. Definitely not a beginner’s hike, but it’s a great workout and the views are amazing.

Challenging hike for the Friday after thanksgiving!! Great climb to the top, the views were not that predominant and the trail was packed! But overall great hike, nice workout!

More markers needed.

For an illegal hike it was great. I went in through the Moanalua Valley, and after going through the ridges, going back down through the stairs was well worth the risk. Do us all a favor and do not blast through the residents yards and treat the area and trail with respect if you go up via the stairs. This is a wonderful place that will definitely reach long term memory for you, but to keep the stairs from getting torn down we must respect the people that live by the entry despite out insistent need to challenge authority. Happy and safe hiking fellow adventurists.

Love this hike. One of my favorites for a quick workout with super rewarding views. You can definitely burn off last nights pasta on this short but steep climb. Only bummer is It gets very crowded.

First time doing the trail, very nice view at the top.

First time I’ve ever done this trail and I️ absolutely loved it!

Gorgeous view, highly recommend

Fun short hike. Nice uphill and good views.

Nice Rock Peak View.. Hard for beginners.. Worth the view reward. Collado was here lol

Good fun. Great view from top.

Listed as moderate but two sets of people changed their minds halfway up is my observation.

i am a relatively new hiker, and this took a lot from me to accomplish. Steady escalation. Narrow ridge. Rock steps. All a bit challenging but worth it

Very nice and challenging hike! The boardwalk is beautiful. We even passed through a farm with cows! Highly recommend.

Really nice and enjoyable hike with a great view at the top.

I hiked this trail two times this summer. Once in early June which was easily 5 stars, and once in late August, which was 1 star. Over the course of the summer the kids destroy this trail. Very sad actually. You can party and be stupid, and still respect nature.

5 stars for the trail, Negative a million for Humanity :/

What superlatives are left to describe this trail? Like others I though it was absolutely fantastic. I took the trail up while it was raining and caught the sky in transition up at the top as the storm was passing. Truly heavenlike. A few tips: as others have mentioned the trail is super rocky so sturdy shoes/boots will go a long way here. Also when wet, the rocks get slippeyr so always check your footing. And finally, did have a few ticks on my pants through the hike so I would definitely recommend wearing long pants or at least high socks.

Great trail and great workout

Great trail, I usually start at the boardwalk though and it ends up being 7-8 miles.

great hike! tough but not to tough. got stuck on trail at night. But it was great! when your at the top read the signs or you will pass the view!