Stonetown Circular, Ringwood, NJ - 10/31/2010

[Daniela Wagstaff]

This is supposed to be the most strenuous hike in New Jersey. The Stonetown Circular trail goes up and down four different mountains. Add to that a large amount of leaf drop that covered rocks on the trail and yes, very strenuous! Most of the hike is lovely with more views than you can count. The Wanaque Reservoir, however, was quite unattractive this time because the water level was very low - it looks much nicer when full. Ran into one other hiker around 5 miles then a few small groups on Harrison Mountain, nobody else after that except for a very annoying ATV and dirt bike between Harrison Mountain and the Sonoma trail. After that it was pleasant again and I really did not mind the 1/2 mile walk along the road at the end - I was tired and a flat, leaf-free surface was a nice change of pace. More pictures here.