<<<Hikes in NJ - Trails Less Taken
Wawayanda State Park
Pumphouse, Red Dot, Hoeferlin Loop
Summary: A long, pleasant wander through Wawayanda State Park on many of the park's trails, with several stops along Wawayanda Lake.
12 miles, but plenty of options for smaller loops here. Terrain is easy to moderate; distance challenging. Wawayanda terrain is less rocky and more level (most are old woods roads) compared to what’s usual in North Jersey. It’s also a very pretty park, and the trails are full of mountain laurel and rhododendron (come in May/June for their blooms, a lot along Pumphouse and Double Pond trails).
If you are looking to increase your hiking miles (as in, "hmm... I've been doing longer hikes, I wonder if I could do 12 miles?"), this is a good park to give that a try.
Map: Online Wawayanda trail map from NJ Parks and Forests. in addition, the North
Jersey Trails Map Set
Books: We just made up this loop as we went along. However,
books that contain other hikes: A nice beginners hike (2.6 mile) Laurel Pond
loop can be found in "Hiking
the Jersey Highlands"
Parking: 287N to exit 52B towards Butler. Route 23 north to Union Valley Road. Follow Union Valley Road about 6 miles to stop sign. From Stop sign, go to second traffic light. Turn left, travel to fork in road (about 2 miles) go left about 1/2 mile to Warwick Turnpike. Turn left. The park entrance is four miles on the left. This park is roughly 1.5-1.75 hours from central Jersey.
Note: Google Maps and our GPS program show several of the trails here as drivable roads… they aren’t. It’s allowed on part of Cherry Ridge but you really want one of the main lots. Wawayanda charges an entrance fee Memorial – Labor day; which is covered by the NJ State Park Pass.
Restrooms: In the main lot, by the visitor center. Along Hoeferlin, not far from visitor center. Also, at both Wawayanda lake parking lots: a composting toilet in the 1st lot; if that’s locked then check the bathrooms near the lake, they should be open. Bathrooms in 2nd lot as well. Oh and there is a composting toilet in the lot by Pumphouse trail as well (Wawayanda has no shortage of restrooms!)
Hike Directions: Overview: Starting from the parking lot just inside the park… Hoerferlin (BLUE) north – Woods Road – AT (WHITE) – Iron Mountain (BLUE diamond on white) – Pumphouse (ORANGE) – Cherry Ridge Road (WHITE zig-zag on BLACK) – RED DOT – Double Pond (YELLOW) – Hoeferlin (BLUE)
0.0 - Look for the trail sign near the parking lot, to follow BLUE (Hoeferlin). Don't cross the road to the trailhead, that is your return route. Walk towards the woods a bit as the trail hangs right.
Turn LEFT at the junction to continue on BLUE.
0.4 - pass a composting bathroom
0.5 - trail ends at a T with a woods road. It's unclear what to do here, not really blazed as it's an unmarked road. Turn LEFT. If you went RIGHT you would continue on BLUE to a few mine pits. (We decided to bail off of Hoeferlin after the 1st mine (hole in the ground basically) to the woods road to the AT, we’ll check out the other mines another time (mines are often nothing more than pits).
Follow the easy woods road until you see the AT WHITE blazes - turn RIGHT. The footpath has some minor elevation changes and you'll see Kasmar Pond a little off to your left.
1.3 - Cross a small bridge. Right after that, the trail splits: bear LEFT onto Iron Mountain Trail. Straight ahead is the AT, and the plastic wand for the AT was leaning to the left which made it seem like the AT was left.
Iron Mountain trail was just OK, there are some power lines along it and no views. It was awhile before we saw blazes on this trail (BLUE diamond on WHITE). Pass several unmarked trails.
2.9 - 1st lake parking lot. Nice lake view, picnic tables and bathroom.
Walk north west to the 2nd lot. (if you are facing the lake, turn RIGHT). Head towards the bathrooms, near the fence at the parking lot to find the trailhead sign for the Pumphouse Trail (ORANGE).
3.1 - Pumphouse Trailhead. Walk throught the fence and onto the grass, then veer RIGHT (away from the picnic tables). In a short bit, the trail turns LEFT.
Pumphouse starts out as a nice woods road, then becomes a trail when it veers left, with a brief really rocky section. Very pretty trail.
5.1 - turn RIGHT onto a unmarked side trail that goes to the edge of Wawayanda Lake. There are several trails before this, all unmarked, so there isn't an indication where to turn...however, it only goes left and there was ORANGE trail marker on the tree opposite this junction.
One of the other unmarked trails before this also is supposed to go to the lake edge but we didn't take it. If you go on this side trail, just backtrack when done.
6.4 - Pumphouse ends at a small dirt lot off of Cherry Ridge Road. Walk towards the dirt road. At the trail sign, turn LEFT, now following a wide woods road heading EAST, occasionally blazed WHITE ZIG ZAG on BLACK.
7.3 - Pass Laurel Pond (YELLOW) on your left.
7.8 - Turn LEFT onto RED DOT. After a bit, cross a swampy area on a rocky bridge called, "Nature Jim's Bridge".
Follow the RED DOT blazes where they indicate to bear RIGHT; there is an unmarked trail that goes straight as well. When the trail splits shortly after, take the LEFT side (both meet up however).
When you end up at a T-intersection, turn LEFT to continue on RED DOT(if you took the other trail back at the split, you would be coming in from the right side here, also red dot).
9.6 - RED DOT ends. Turn RIGHT onto Double Pond (Yellow). The blazes aren't obvious until you turn. This trail can get quite wet, but is very pretty as you go though rhodendendron tunnels.
10.4 - Turn LEFT onto Hoeferlin (BLUE). This trail is a bit rockier as you head back to the lot.
