Campgaw Mountain County Reservation
Directions
Directions: Ramapo Valley Road [US 202] to Darlington Avenue, proceed east on Darlington Avenue for 0.3 mile. Bear right onto Campgaw Road and continue to the park entrance road, which is on the right [200 Campgaw Road]. Parking is rarely a problem, with two large parking areas.
Parking area at base of ski slope -- GPS Coordinates: 41.060535, -74.194714
Park Overview
Several trails climb about 300 vertical feet to the summit of Campgaw Mountain. From the top of the ski slope, there is a panoramic east-facing view over Bergen County.
Trail Overview
Campgaw offers a complex network of seven marked trails in a relatively compact area. The flat trails at the base of Campgaw Mountain are ideal for those looking for a short, easy hike, and they can be combined with those that lead to the viewpoint at the summit of the mountain for a longer, more challenging hike.
Early in 2017, some of the trails were reblazed (some also renamed) to make planning loop hikes easier, and a new 0.6-mile segment was added to the Silver Trail, making it possible to plan a loop hike using it as well. At 2.7 miles, the Old Cedar Trail is the longest in the park, and it forms a loop hike from the main parking area. It heads south to the end of Park Drive, climbs to the summit of the mountain (with a short side trail leading to the top of the ski slope, then returns to the parking area.
Horses and bicycles are not permitted on any hiking trails in the reservation. Cross-country skiing is permitted (although not on the ski slope itself), but the trails leading up the mountain are not ideal for cross-country skiing.
Park Description
Campgaw Mountain County Reservation
Located in Mahwah, the 1,300-acre Campgaw Mountain County Reservation draws by far the most visitors during downhill skiing season. It has a lift and snow-making equipment. The Reservation also offers hiking, horseback riding, picnicking, archery and camping (by permit only). It is one of only two parks in Northern New Jersey to offer DISC golf -- a very challenging course taking the player up and down the mountain one or three times depending on the seasonal configuration.