Complete hike details, photos, and video on our Stairway to Heaven page.

Gorgeous and diverse section of the Appalachian Trail through northern NJ….

Hike first on boardwalks through marshy areas and over the Pochuck Suspension Bridge, then through hardwood forest, tall fields of wildflowers, over train tracks, a cow pasture (watch for cow pies!) and a boulder field.

All of this before steeply climbing up Wawayanda mountain on the “Stairway to Heaven” – lots of stone steps up switchbacks – to one of the best viewpoints in NJ: Pinwheel Vista. You can see the Kittatinny Mountains in the distance, farms in the valley below, and on a clear day, High Point Monument is visible.

Notes: This is a popular area (everything from short hikes to AT thru-hikers), so don’t expect solitude. We didn’t see anyone from Canal Rd to Rt 94 however. That section was also the most overgrown, you’ll want long pants or bug spray to be safe (though, oddly, bugs were almost non existent on this hike.)

Until you start up the mountain, a large portion of this hike is in full sun. You do pop in and out of shady areas, but plan accordingly in hot weather. We put this hike off for weeks because of the 95 degree weather we’d been having. 85 and sunny was OK, but pushing it. Some road noise from 94 is the only reminder that you are still in NJ.

7.4 miles, out-n-back from Rt 517 to Pinwheel Vista. WHITE blazes of the Appalachian Trail, to a BLUE spur trail off to the left. Trail surface ranges from super-duper-easy-peasy boardwalks to flat, hardpacked to dirt to serious rocky sections up Wawayanda. Stairway to Heaven is steep.

MAP: North Jersey Trails Map Set (the very start of the hike is off the map however), and “Hiking New Jersey” has a diagram of this route in it.

“50 Hikes in New Jersey” (2nd ed.) and “Hiking the Jersey Highlands” have the popular short route (only 2.5m roundtrip) from Rt 94 parking up to Pinwheel.

Parking: Rt 287N to exit 52B for Rt. 23 Butler. Follow 23 for awhile to 515N. Left onto 644 (Vernon Crossing). Right on 517. There will be a sign with hiker symbol on it, then another to denote the parking. Parking is on the right side of 517, on the road. There is a slight path along the road, follow that to a trail kiosk and turn right onto the start of the boardwalk.

About 1.5 hrs from central NJ (New Brunswick-ish area).

Restroom: None. Gas stations in Butler, or in Vernon.

Wildlife spotted: Tons of adorable turtles in the large pool of green muck in the boardwalk section. Make sure you look for them along the bank and swimming, they aren’t obvious as they are covered in muck. Saw a small water snake there on the way back. Lots of turkey vultures catching thermals at Pinwheel Vista.

NJ Hiking Highlands, Wawayanda Appalachian Trail, Moderate, North NJ, Viewpoint