Van Slyke Castle Hike
Know before you go.
Van slyke castle hike. A moderate uphill climb and stream crossing will take you up towards ramapo lake. The castle known as foxcroft or the van slyke castle was the family home of william porter. There are a number of hikes that will take you to van slyke castle but to start take this simple and easy trail. Slightly challenging but doable by the average hiker.
Turn around here for a shorter hike or continue north for a longer loop. On a cold windy day the trails were mostly deserted except for the area around the lake and at the castle ruins. Built in the early 1900s van slyke castle. The castle ruins.
Van slyke castle loop is a 2 3 mile heavily trafficked loop trail located near oakland new jersey that features a lake and is rated as moderate. Hike a little further and you are rewarded with outstanding views and get to explore the ruins of the van slyke castle. Steep climb to the historic van slyke castle. Hiking van slyke castle and water tower ruins the hiking trails in ramapo s state forest are not the easiest.
Length 2 3 mi elevation gain 462 ft route type loop. From there stay left on the yellow blazed hoeferlin trail and continue on the dirt road. Watch out for tons of poison ivy ramapo mountain state forest we kept going and did a 9 8 mile loop. The direct hike to the van slyke castle ruins is about a mile and a half.
A video of the exploration and hike can be seen here. While this is a firm trail it is pretty rocky throughout. The van slyke castle ruins can be found in ramapo state forest located in bergen and passaic counties. The highlight of this hike is the van slyke castle ruins but the trails are enjoyable as well.
Begin on the blue blazed mcevoy trail and continue on until you reach the dam. Moderate trail surface enough ups and downs to wear you out. North of the ruins the trail sees much less foot traffic. Begin at the macevoy trailhead blue blazes at the end of the parking lot.
If you park in the skyline drive lot you ll begin your trek at the macevoy trail. Expect around two miles of hiking to see the castle and under five with some areas of steep terrain to see both the castle and water tower. Following the blazes take two left turns then a right as the trail approaches the shoreline. It was built in 1910 and occupied until 1940 when it fell into ruin.
If you have a heart condition or any other physical conditions take it easy and rest a lot. Print out the trail map for ramapo mountain state forest.