Local Guides World
EE Grimshaw
17 reviews on 1 places
I've been training for a 32-mile walk/saunter in Manhattan coming up shortly and needed a location to get about 15 miles in on a relatively flat surface. This park came up as a perfect option in one of my books, and turned out to be less than a 20-minute drive from where I live. Done and done.
This is a park you can utilize/access from a number of different points along the way, but I went with the official itinerary in my book, which started at the very northern tip by the Wild Duck Pond in Saddle River and went south along the literal Saddle River, through the Dunkerhook Playground area, under Route 4/208 by the Easton Tower, under the Garden State Parkway before finally looping back just before Route 80 and up. My book claimed this was a little over 15 miles but I think it was closer to 14 miles or so - regardless, quite a walk. It took about five hours, with one or two small breaks throughout.
I'm more of a rural hiker so my inclination is to narrow my eyes suspiciously at an adventure like this where you never truly stop hearing traffic. But this IS Bergen County, and there should be an expectation that you're never too far away from civilization. The one obvious upside to this is that the bathroom situation was about as good as you're going to get - the Wild Duck Pond had a clean public restroom, and there were perfectly fine port-a-potties scattered conveniently throughout my route. Sometimes I'm reluctant to get aggressive with my water intake because of the bathroom situation concerns, but that was not the case here.
Another positive is that this is one of the best-marked paths/trails I've ever seen - every tenth of a mile has a marker, and most intersections have a map or some type of kiosk to help lead the way as well. If you get lost here, that's on you. Another positive is that despite being in a very densely-populated area, this path never crosses any roads. You DO end up going underneath some busy highways, and it's definitely much louder/chaotic in the southern portion as you walk under the GSP by 80, but it's nice not to have to play an impromptu game of Frogger at any point.
The optics aren't bad, all things considered. Since my walk occurred in the early spring, there was some solid cherry blossom goodness going on, and parts of the walk were sunny/pleasant. (Conversely, I dealt with random hail three separate times, but you take what you get in April). Most of the parks I walked through had ponds/water features and were well-kept. I think the nicest was the first one at the top in Saddle River, but there was competition. The park area at the bottom in I think Rochelle Park seemed a little worn down but wasn't terrible. I also enjoyed walking by the Easton Tower, a ye olde water pump - was not expecting a preserved historic site right off 4. The area in the northern section is more rural so you're sort of in the woods right alongside Saddle River. Pretty tranquil.
I imagine this path can get pretty congested in warmer weather, but from my experience wasn't too bad. There were many canine chums as well, including my first paunchy Doberman sighting (just not a breed I've ever seen pack on the pounds). Wildlife is a bonus in Bergen, but there were tons of squirrels and deer, as well as a few ducks hanging out in the river.
Not my preferred type of walking/hiking, but I would come back for sure, and I think I could convince some chums to drop in for portions of this too. You could definitely do worse in this area of the state.
This is a park you can utilize/access from a number of different points along the way, but I went with the official itinerary in my book, which started at the very northern tip by the Wild Duck Pond in Saddle River and went south along the literal Saddle River, through the Dunkerhook Playground area, under Route 4/208 by the Easton Tower, under the Garden State Parkway before finally looping back just before Route 80 and up. My book claimed this was a little over 15 miles but I think it was closer to 14 miles or so - regardless, quite a walk. It took about five hours, with one or two small breaks throughout.
I'm more of a rural hiker so my inclination is to narrow my eyes suspiciously at an adventure like this where you never truly stop hearing traffic. But this IS Bergen County, and there should be an expectation that you're never too far away from civilization. The one obvious upside to this is that the bathroom situation was about as good as you're going to get - the Wild Duck Pond had a clean public restroom, and there were perfectly fine port-a-potties scattered conveniently throughout my route. Sometimes I'm reluctant to get aggressive with my water intake because of the bathroom situation concerns, but that was not the case here.
Another positive is that this is one of the best-marked paths/trails I've ever seen - every tenth of a mile has a marker, and most intersections have a map or some type of kiosk to help lead the way as well. If you get lost here, that's on you. Another positive is that despite being in a very densely-populated area, this path never crosses any roads. You DO end up going underneath some busy highways, and it's definitely much louder/chaotic in the southern portion as you walk under the GSP by 80, but it's nice not to have to play an impromptu game of Frogger at any point.
The optics aren't bad, all things considered. Since my walk occurred in the early spring, there was some solid cherry blossom goodness going on, and parts of the walk were sunny/pleasant. (Conversely, I dealt with random hail three separate times, but you take what you get in April). Most of the parks I walked through had ponds/water features and were well-kept. I think the nicest was the first one at the top in Saddle River, but there was competition. The park area at the bottom in I think Rochelle Park seemed a little worn down but wasn't terrible. I also enjoyed walking by the Easton Tower, a ye olde water pump - was not expecting a preserved historic site right off 4. The area in the northern section is more rural so you're sort of in the woods right alongside Saddle River. Pretty tranquil.
I imagine this path can get pretty congested in warmer weather, but from my experience wasn't too bad. There were many canine chums as well, including my first paunchy Doberman sighting (just not a breed I've ever seen pack on the pounds). Wildlife is a bonus in Bergen, but there were tons of squirrels and deer, as well as a few ducks hanging out in the river.
Not my preferred type of walking/hiking, but I would come back for sure, and I think I could convince some chums to drop in for portions of this too. You could definitely do worse in this area of the state.
***3 1/2 stars***
I live half an hour away from Watchung, and the fact that I can count the number of times I've been here over the last decade on one paw tells you something - this isn't one of my favorites. This was selected as the site of our annual First of the Year Hike due to its proximity to a specific top-tier chum. At first glance, Watchung Reservation has a lot going for it; oodles of history seeping out of every pore, culminating with the deserted village of Feltville (and a conveniently named Historic Trail leading us almost right to the entrance of it). But...it's Union County. This is the best hiking option in the area, and it unfortunately just doesn't mean much.
We met up in the parking lot of the Trailside Nature and Science Center, and embarked on a 4- to 5-mile hike (everyone's devices provided different mileage numbers). It was entirely improvised, as every official hike I could find in my books and online was over 6 miles, which meant a lot of stopping to peer intently at our maps/phones. Annoying overall, but the geosenses triumphed and we were never off-course. (One of the benefits to Watchung is that it's almost impossible to get lost - go in one direction long enough, and you'll either hit Route 78 or a nearby suburban enclave.) We took the purplish Historic Trail from the Scout Camping Area over and around Lake Surprise, uphill closer to 78 until turning off onto the Sierra Trail into Feltville and visiting both the village and the nearby cemetery. We then made our way onto another offshoot of the Sierra to the Blue Trail, crossing Blue Brook, until it turned into the Orange Trail and brought us back to the parking lot.
The trail markings are decent and freshly painted; the problem though is that there are WAY too many trails, and all of them are named. So instead of accepting the fact that you have a random, unofficial deer path or something (which is a very common occurrence in a park/reservation), they insisted that that path ALSO needs to share the name of an official trail. This is why the Sierra Trail seems to have five or six different trails. It's needless, and in an effort to provide options for hikers, it actually creates a disorienting sensation. At least two or three times we came to an intersection and noticed that both ways had the same color trail blaze. We had to spend an extra minute or two staring at our source material to figure out which Sierra Trail we should go on. If they're going to insist that everything be blazed, at the very least you need to have better signage at the intersections. I appreciated that there were three or four signs leading me to the restrooms near the Nature Center, but it would have been nice if that sentiment had carried over into the woods too.
The quality of the trail varied dramatically depending on where we were. Understandably the areas near Surprise Lake had some muddy stretches - made more interesting by the damp end to 2023 - but I wouldn't classify any of it as egregious. The Sierra Trail on the north end heading toward Feltville was my least favorite part, and I'm betting that's true for a lot of people. The noise from 78 is loud so if you're looking for some solace in nature, it's not going to be in this spot.
Feltville is a legitimately interesting stop on the way, though it's not as spooky as it used to be. They've cleaned up a lot of the structures so only two or three of them now look like drug dens (which is probably a good thing - not a particularly hot take) but it doesn't look quite as authentic, deserted village-wise. The cemetery just off to the north is a cool little detour if you have the time, and easy to locate with the signage (it's also visible from multiple parts of Feltville).
Your mileage may vary, but this to me is more of a walk in the woods/exploring cool old building versus a real hike (which is fine). But given that, they should really spend some time making these trails/paths more coherent for the masses.
I live half an hour away from Watchung, and the fact that I can count the number of times I've been here over the last decade on one paw tells you something - this isn't one of my favorites. This was selected as the site of our annual First of the Year Hike due to its proximity to a specific top-tier chum. At first glance, Watchung Reservation has a lot going for it; oodles of history seeping out of every pore, culminating with the deserted village of Feltville (and a conveniently named Historic Trail leading us almost right to the entrance of it). But...it's Union County. This is the best hiking option in the area, and it unfortunately just doesn't mean much.
We met up in the parking lot of the Trailside Nature and Science Center, and embarked on a 4- to 5-mile hike (everyone's devices provided different mileage numbers). It was entirely improvised, as every official hike I could find in my books and online was over 6 miles, which meant a lot of stopping to peer intently at our maps/phones. Annoying overall, but the geosenses triumphed and we were never off-course. (One of the benefits to Watchung is that it's almost impossible to get lost - go in one direction long enough, and you'll either hit Route 78 or a nearby suburban enclave.) We took the purplish Historic Trail from the Scout Camping Area over and around Lake Surprise, uphill closer to 78 until turning off onto the Sierra Trail into Feltville and visiting both the village and the nearby cemetery. We then made our way onto another offshoot of the Sierra to the Blue Trail, crossing Blue Brook, until it turned into the Orange Trail and brought us back to the parking lot.
The trail markings are decent and freshly painted; the problem though is that there are WAY too many trails, and all of them are named. So instead of accepting the fact that you have a random, unofficial deer path or something (which is a very common occurrence in a park/reservation), they insisted that that path ALSO needs to share the name of an official trail. This is why the Sierra Trail seems to have five or six different trails. It's needless, and in an effort to provide options for hikers, it actually creates a disorienting sensation. At least two or three times we came to an intersection and noticed that both ways had the same color trail blaze. We had to spend an extra minute or two staring at our source material to figure out which Sierra Trail we should go on. If they're going to insist that everything be blazed, at the very least you need to have better signage at the intersections. I appreciated that there were three or four signs leading me to the restrooms near the Nature Center, but it would have been nice if that sentiment had carried over into the woods too.
The quality of the trail varied dramatically depending on where we were. Understandably the areas near Surprise Lake had some muddy stretches - made more interesting by the damp end to 2023 - but I wouldn't classify any of it as egregious. The Sierra Trail on the north end heading toward Feltville was my least favorite part, and I'm betting that's true for a lot of people. The noise from 78 is loud so if you're looking for some solace in nature, it's not going to be in this spot.
Feltville is a legitimately interesting stop on the way, though it's not as spooky as it used to be. They've cleaned up a lot of the structures so only two or three of them now look like drug dens (which is probably a good thing - not a particularly hot take) but it doesn't look quite as authentic, deserted village-wise. The cemetery just off to the north is a cool little detour if you have the time, and easy to locate with the signage (it's also visible from multiple parts of Feltville).
Your mileage may vary, but this to me is more of a walk in the woods/exploring cool old building versus a real hike (which is fine). But given that, they should really spend some time making these trails/paths more coherent for the masses.
***3 1/2 stars***
Depending on where you hike in Ramapo, your experience can and likely will vary dramatically. My preferred area is over by the Van Slyke Castle Ruins (which I believe is actually a different area/park - Ramapo Mountain State Forest), and that was actually our intention when we set out. For some bizarre reason though (and I'm not sure if this is the call of the park, the town of Ringwood, etc.) the parking situation over there is laughably bad and it's difficult to secure a spot if you're not there before 8:30am on a nice day. We ended up in the "main" area by the college, which was perfectly pleasant but had its issues.
We showed up in the main parking lot off 202 probably around 9:15am. It was PACKED. My biggest pet peeve with this park is that it's insanely crowded; it's by far the best known hiking area in this section of Bergen County if you're not able or willing to cross the state line into Harriman, AND it has a lot of flat trails so literally any type of hiker regardless of skill set can handle this, depending on which paths they choose to take. That's arguably a selling point, but I prefer less people and more inclines.
We needed to do at least five miles, and we got close to six. From the parking lot, we went right on the purple/pond loop, then up on the yellow/vista loop which curved down to the MacMillan Reservoir. At the Reservoir, we took another right on the pink/reservoir loop (lot of loops), circumventing the entire body of water before heading back on the blue/vista ridge connector (the only non-loop). The pond by the parking lot was probably my least favorite part - it's nice to look at, especially on a day like this with close to peak fall foliage - but it was swarmed with people. Based on what I saw, I think a majority of visitors just hang out over here and never venture into the woodsier sections, which was fine by me. The climb up to Hawk Rock isn't too challenging if you're in decent shape. We brought our Hiking Canine Chum Atlas for his hiking debut, so we took it very slowly on his behalf but I'd say you're getting an incline of maybe 500 feet, with a lot of plateaus in there to catch your breath. The view is pretty decent, but not on par with the 360-degree views in nearby Norvin Green or Harriman, which also have the benefit of higher altitude.
The Reservoir area is pleasant; it's quieter than the pond, which makes sense since it requires an additional mile or so of mileage to get there, but it still had a lot of people basking on the large rocks by the water. We met a very polite lab mix named Bones, who somehow was the only canine chum we received a formal introduction to - you'd think having our own rental pooch would have meant an increase in names, but alas.
The trail maintenance was excellent, as were the accompanying markings. I don't recall any issues actively searching for the path - it was always located within five seconds, which is one of the positives of having a popular hiking area. The wildlife sightings were pretty non-existent, which isn't surprising.
Not my favorite, but Ramapo has its selling points. I know a lot of people (many graduates from the nearby college) who swear by this area, so it really depends on what you're specifically looking for out of a hiking experience. For me, I want better views and quieter trails.
Depending on where you hike in Ramapo, your experience can and likely will vary dramatically. My preferred area is over by the Van Slyke Castle Ruins (which I believe is actually a different area/park - Ramapo Mountain State Forest), and that was actually our intention when we set out. For some bizarre reason though (and I'm not sure if this is the call of the park, the town of Ringwood, etc.) the parking situation over there is laughably bad and it's difficult to secure a spot if you're not there before 8:30am on a nice day. We ended up in the "main" area by the college, which was perfectly pleasant but had its issues.
We showed up in the main parking lot off 202 probably around 9:15am. It was PACKED. My biggest pet peeve with this park is that it's insanely crowded; it's by far the best known hiking area in this section of Bergen County if you're not able or willing to cross the state line into Harriman, AND it has a lot of flat trails so literally any type of hiker regardless of skill set can handle this, depending on which paths they choose to take. That's arguably a selling point, but I prefer less people and more inclines.
We needed to do at least five miles, and we got close to six. From the parking lot, we went right on the purple/pond loop, then up on the yellow/vista loop which curved down to the MacMillan Reservoir. At the Reservoir, we took another right on the pink/reservoir loop (lot of loops), circumventing the entire body of water before heading back on the blue/vista ridge connector (the only non-loop). The pond by the parking lot was probably my least favorite part - it's nice to look at, especially on a day like this with close to peak fall foliage - but it was swarmed with people. Based on what I saw, I think a majority of visitors just hang out over here and never venture into the woodsier sections, which was fine by me. The climb up to Hawk Rock isn't too challenging if you're in decent shape. We brought our Hiking Canine Chum Atlas for his hiking debut, so we took it very slowly on his behalf but I'd say you're getting an incline of maybe 500 feet, with a lot of plateaus in there to catch your breath. The view is pretty decent, but not on par with the 360-degree views in nearby Norvin Green or Harriman, which also have the benefit of higher altitude.
The Reservoir area is pleasant; it's quieter than the pond, which makes sense since it requires an additional mile or so of mileage to get there, but it still had a lot of people basking on the large rocks by the water. We met a very polite lab mix named Bones, who somehow was the only canine chum we received a formal introduction to - you'd think having our own rental pooch would have meant an increase in names, but alas.
The trail maintenance was excellent, as were the accompanying markings. I don't recall any issues actively searching for the path - it was always located within five seconds, which is one of the positives of having a popular hiking area. The wildlife sightings were pretty non-existent, which isn't surprising.
Not my favorite, but Ramapo has its selling points. I know a lot of people (many graduates from the nearby college) who swear by this area, so it really depends on what you're specifically looking for out of a hiking experience. For me, I want better views and quieter trails.
My expectations for the overpriced Stone Street tourist traps have been pretty much non-existent, so this was a very pleasant surprise. After being burned for the second or third time over here, I pretty much avoided any of these restaurants as potential lunch spots for months. My Skipper and I came here for lunch yesterday (a Friday) around 1pm. Despite the excellent weather and prime mealtime, this place really wasn't crowded, even in their more-heralded outdoor picnic table area. No matter. We secured a high top close to the bar with zero issues.
Since we passed several people in Halloween costumes and there was a very slight Fall nip in the air, I decided to go with a Hot Toddy ($14); tis the season. It was very good. A LITTLE more citrusy than I would prefer (lemon is usually pretty prominent in this drink, to be fair, but I like the sweeter variations of this) but still hit the spot. And the temperature remained hot throughout consumption of the beverage, which was a selling point.
The menu item that caught my eye earlier and ended my Stone Street boycott was the Braised Beef Pappardelle Pasta entree ($23). Huge fan. In an interesting decision that paid off, they cooked it with fresh mint throughout, which gave it a fun, refreshing taste that I wouldn't have guessed paired well with everything else. It was a decent portion that I polished off pretty quickly.
The service was pretty good. The waitress was civil and pretty attentive but I wouldn't classify her as friendly, per se (which was a little surprising given how heavily a place like this caters to tourists). It took about 10 minutes to get my drink despite the fact that the bar area and overall restaurant were pretty empty, but the food itself arrived quickly and the waitress DID stop by a few times to check in; beyond the initial drink, I don't recall any point where we were actively waiting/looking around for someone to assist, and we were in and out of there probably within 45 minutes or so.
Even if this restaurant wasn't on Stone Street, I think the price point was pretty reasonable for the area overall - a legit $23 entree and $14 drink are arguably slightly lower prices than the average here. It's definitely possible and maybe even probable that the dinnertime crowd experiences higher prices than this, but I'm pretty impressed by the lunch situation here.
Since we passed several people in Halloween costumes and there was a very slight Fall nip in the air, I decided to go with a Hot Toddy ($14); tis the season. It was very good. A LITTLE more citrusy than I would prefer (lemon is usually pretty prominent in this drink, to be fair, but I like the sweeter variations of this) but still hit the spot. And the temperature remained hot throughout consumption of the beverage, which was a selling point.
The menu item that caught my eye earlier and ended my Stone Street boycott was the Braised Beef Pappardelle Pasta entree ($23). Huge fan. In an interesting decision that paid off, they cooked it with fresh mint throughout, which gave it a fun, refreshing taste that I wouldn't have guessed paired well with everything else. It was a decent portion that I polished off pretty quickly.
The service was pretty good. The waitress was civil and pretty attentive but I wouldn't classify her as friendly, per se (which was a little surprising given how heavily a place like this caters to tourists). It took about 10 minutes to get my drink despite the fact that the bar area and overall restaurant were pretty empty, but the food itself arrived quickly and the waitress DID stop by a few times to check in; beyond the initial drink, I don't recall any point where we were actively waiting/looking around for someone to assist, and we were in and out of there probably within 45 minutes or so.
Even if this restaurant wasn't on Stone Street, I think the price point was pretty reasonable for the area overall - a legit $23 entree and $14 drink are arguably slightly lower prices than the average here. It's definitely possible and maybe even probable that the dinnertime crowd experiences higher prices than this, but I'm pretty impressed by the lunch situation here.
Mexican is not one of my favorite genres, and it's primarily because the combo of my texture-based palate and the crunchy shizzle that hangs out in a lot of the food isn't an ideal fit. If I like a Mexican place, it's usually because it's very, very simple/no frills, and that's Tajin in a nutshell. I came here with my Skipper for lunch on Friday, which was a miserable rainy day, the kind where you're venturing out MAYBE one or two blocks from the office. The walk from the office took approximately three minutes, and we were able to get inside with minimal dampness.
I don't think it would be fair to call Tajin a dive; (the Skipper might disagree based on her recounting of a horrendous bathroom visit) but it's a pretty basic interior, with some sugar skull-esque art on the wall, and almost a diner vibe when it came to some of the tables/seating. We sat towards the back, which had a view of the bar area where the waitstaff lingered, making it very easy to get someone's attention for a drink, the check, etc.
This might not be a selling point for a ton of people, but I was THRILLED to look over, say, the quesadilla section of the menu and see two or three ingredients per item. You start to lose me at a certain point when the items are covered in peppers, onions, etc., so when I saw that the chicken quesadilla contained nothing but chicken and cheese, I didn't hesitate. The quesadilla showed up within a few minutes, and hit the spot. As you can see from the attached, it came with a small pile of guac on the top, which I spread around the top. The guac was a LITTLE crunchy for my taste, but was relatively smooth. Definitely some solid comfort food on a day where I barely remembered what the sun looked like.
I also ordered a few passion fruit margaritas; the Skipper is far more educated about these matters and recommended I get the tajin rim (I of course obliviously went into this place not knowing what Tajin meant) which jived perfectly with the drink - nice little nip to go with the sweet. I'm pretty ambivalent about margs, having had a ton of bad ones that practically sent me into insulin shock, so it's always a pleasant surprise when someone mixes them properly and you don't end up crashing later. It was light and tasty, and I'd absolutely get it again.
This is probably two or three blocks from a pretty hardcore touristy area, but it certainly gets some of that foot traffic. As a result, they could definitely charge more for the food/drinks but I thought it was very reasonable for the neighborhood. The Skipper had a glass of wine that was $9, the margs were $12, and my quesadilla was around $13, I believe. Given that there are nearby restaurants that unhesitatingly offer $40/$50 entrees, you could do a lot worse to your wallet if you wanted to.
We're adding this one to the list for future visits. Convenient, cheap and tasty.
I don't think it would be fair to call Tajin a dive; (the Skipper might disagree based on her recounting of a horrendous bathroom visit) but it's a pretty basic interior, with some sugar skull-esque art on the wall, and almost a diner vibe when it came to some of the tables/seating. We sat towards the back, which had a view of the bar area where the waitstaff lingered, making it very easy to get someone's attention for a drink, the check, etc.
This might not be a selling point for a ton of people, but I was THRILLED to look over, say, the quesadilla section of the menu and see two or three ingredients per item. You start to lose me at a certain point when the items are covered in peppers, onions, etc., so when I saw that the chicken quesadilla contained nothing but chicken and cheese, I didn't hesitate. The quesadilla showed up within a few minutes, and hit the spot. As you can see from the attached, it came with a small pile of guac on the top, which I spread around the top. The guac was a LITTLE crunchy for my taste, but was relatively smooth. Definitely some solid comfort food on a day where I barely remembered what the sun looked like.
I also ordered a few passion fruit margaritas; the Skipper is far more educated about these matters and recommended I get the tajin rim (I of course obliviously went into this place not knowing what Tajin meant) which jived perfectly with the drink - nice little nip to go with the sweet. I'm pretty ambivalent about margs, having had a ton of bad ones that practically sent me into insulin shock, so it's always a pleasant surprise when someone mixes them properly and you don't end up crashing later. It was light and tasty, and I'd absolutely get it again.
This is probably two or three blocks from a pretty hardcore touristy area, but it certainly gets some of that foot traffic. As a result, they could definitely charge more for the food/drinks but I thought it was very reasonable for the neighborhood. The Skipper had a glass of wine that was $9, the margs were $12, and my quesadilla was around $13, I believe. Given that there are nearby restaurants that unhesitatingly offer $40/$50 entrees, you could do a lot worse to your wallet if you wanted to.
We're adding this one to the list for future visits. Convenient, cheap and tasty.