Tillman Ravine

Updated:
Water cascading over rocks in Tillman Ravine.

Shady hike in a pretty hemlock forest featuring nice cascades and a cemetery dating to the 1800s.

2.0 miles, dirt and roots, some rocks. A few small wooden bridges. Bit of a hill coming back up from the Lower trail.

Our two cents:

It’s worthwhile and enjoyable to include the hike to Walpack Cemetery – but it can be driven to if you’d like to see it without hiking (and you’ll drive by it depending on how you come in).

Updated: 10/2021 – Partially re-hiked for photos. 7/2021 – Page refreshed, not re-hiked. Enhanced parking info. Update log moved to page bottom.


Map/Books:

Detail of the area is now on the park map, print ahead or pick up at the office. The trail is on Kittatinny Trails, but it’s small. 

Bonus historical map: Historical Tillman Ravine Map, 1962via Rutgers Special Collections. Brief entry in Kittatinny Trails.

Water flowing over rocks in a stream.

Parking:

GPS: “Tilman Rd, Branchville, NJ 07826” goes a point between the upper and lower parking lots. Google shows the road with only one L in Tillman, but on the park map the road is “Dimon”.

The lots are linked by a trail, so park at either:
N41.15842° W74.85861° [Upper lot – GPS: “Tillman upper parking]
N41.15678° W74.86218° [Lower lot – GPS:
“Tillman Ravine]

Related: Waterfalls in NJ / Best Waterfall Hikes in NJ


Restrooms:

Rustic latrine at each parking lot.


Hike Directions:

Overview: WHITE – GREEN CIRCLE on WHITE (looks blue on map) – WHITE

Tillmans Trail sign and white blazes on a tree.

This is more of a meander around short hike and it would be overkill to give specific step-by-step directions.

Hiker crossing wooden bridge over stream.

Overall, the area is small and easily navigated with an Upper and Lower WHITE trail, and the Cemetery Trail leading off past the Teacup.

Trail sign for teacup and lower lot.
Wooden steps on a downhill trail.

The way the trails are marked makes it difficult to describe as well but to give an idea, we usually do:

From the Upper parking lot, follow WHITE blazed Tillmans trail in the left corner of the lot.

Water cascading over rocks near wooden steps.

The trail turns RIGHT away from the trailhead for the new Maple Trail.

The trail through Tillman Ravine.

Follow the Lower trail over bridges and along the stream until it heads back uphill.

One of several plank bridges.
Wooden plank bridge over a stream.

Lots of water cascading over rocks all through the ravine.

Waterfall cascading over an angled rock in Tillman Ravine.
Close up of a waterfall cascading over an angled rock.

The trail keeps meandering along Tillman Brook.

Trail in a ravine next to a stream.
Water cascades winding through rocks.

Bit of a climb up a crack in a short rock face.

Hiker climbing up a rock crevice.

At the sign for the Cemetery trail and the Teacup, check out the Tea Cup first – a swirling cascade. 

Trail sign for tea cup and cemetery trail.

The “Tea Cup” – Spring of 2019, lots of water.

The Tea Cup in Tillman Ravine.
The Tea Cup cascade.

Close up of the swirling water pooling in the Tea Cup.

Close up of water swirling in the Tea Cup.

The Tea Cup with less water flow, Fall of 2015.

Tea Cup, fall 2015.

Follow the Cemetery trail until reaching a dirt road.

Green trail marker on a tree.
Sun streaming through fall foliage on the cemetery trail.

Turn RIGHT and walk a little bit down the road to the Cemetery.

Walpack Cemetery.

Headstones date to the 1800s.

Gravestones in Wallpack Cemetary.

Large headstone for Tillman family.

Tillman grave in Walpack Cemetery.

When done at the cemetery, retrace the route back to Tillman Ravine.

Sun lighting up a rocky stream.
Wooden bridge over a stream.

Take the trail uphill to the Lower lot, walk through it to pick up the trail at the other end of the lot and head back to the Upper lot.


Hiked: 10/31/21. Partial for photos; with Buttermilk and Van Campens
Hiked: 4/13/19. Tillmans only.
Hiked: 10/18/15. Trail Blog: “Tillman Ravine in Fall

Hiked: 5/1/11. Trail Blog: “Tillman Ravine and Walpack Cemetery in May


4/2019 – Re-hiked Tillmans only; added photos after heavy rain; updated description, blazes are all rectangular with no triangles now; added GPX/Interactive Map; archived outdated map photos to 2015 trail blog. Update 8/2017 – New park map link added.

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