Ringwood State Park
1304 Sloatsburg Rd., Ringwood, NJ 07456-1799
(973) 962-7031
5,237 acres
Directions
Take Route 287 to exit 57, follow signs to Ringwood State Park
Facilities & Activities
Visitors center
Manor houses
Formal gardens
Swimming:
Shepherd Lake, bathhouse
Boating/canoeing: electric motors, trailer launch, car top
launch, boat rentals, canoe rentals
Picnic tables, picnic shelters, food concession at Shepherd Lake
Fishing, hunting
Winter sports: ice skating, cross-country skiing, snowmobiling,
ice fishing, sledding
Sally's Pond
Chapel and other estate structures, statues, gardens, skeet
range, carriage house
Trails hiking, nature trails, horseback riding, biking, mountain
biking, Shepherd Lake mountain trail
Governor Mountain
Nearby City: Ringwood
Length: 4 total miles
Trail Type: Out-and-Back
Elev. Gain: 400 feet
Skill Level: Easy
Duration: 2.5 hours
This hike leads to a peninsula of state-owned land in the
southwest section of Ringwood Manor State Park. In 1936, Erskine
Hewitt deeded the Manor House and 95 acres to the state for
preservation. His nephew, Norvin Green, gave New Jersey
considerable lands. Additional purchases in the 1960s and as
late as 1978 brought the park to its present size. Because the
boundaries of Ringwood couple with those of Ramapo Valley State
Forest and Ramapo Valley (Bergen) County Reservation, an
extensive and varied trail network now exists. Most hiking
trails in this region are maintained by volunteers coordinated
by the New York-New Jersey Trail Conference. In recent years,
this has become a very popular mountain biking area. The bikers
are supposed to stay off the marked hiking trails, but many are
either unaware of or ignore the rule. Clearer use of signage is
needed and may be forthcoming.
Ringwood Manor
Circular
Nearby City: Ringwood
Length: 2 total miles
Trail Type: Loop
Elev. Gain: 250 feet
Skill Level: Easy
Duration: 1.25 hours
Ringwood Manor, part of the larger Ringwood State Park, is
located in northeast Passaic County. The history of the area is
closely tied to the local iron industry, which started at
Ringwood in 1740
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The State Botanical Garden
Dedicated in 1984, the garden is the culmination of two eras of
landscape architecture under the direction of Francis Lynde
Stetson, owner of Skylands from 1891-1922. The garden contains
an extensive variety of plants, evergreens and deciduous trees
and shrubs in specialty areas. Of particular interest are the
crabapple alley, terraced gardens, perennial and annual gardens
and woodland paths. The extensive vistas of the garden and veiw
of Ramapo Mountains frame this 96-acre botanical showplace.
Visitors can tour the gardens and surrounding woods year round.
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Skylands Manor
Skylands Manor with its English Jacobean architecture common in
the English countryside 400 years ago, was designed by John
Russell Pope for Clarence McKensie Lewis, a stockbrocker and
civil engineer. Built in the 1920s, it is constructed of native
stone and half-timbers. The weathered stone facade of this
44-room mansion blends into the landscape. The mansion contains
rooms with antique paneling as well as new American Oak paneling
and large windows, some of which contain 16th-century stained
glass medallions. Moulded plaster ceilings and an elaborately
carved staircase add the finishing touches to this impressive
county house. Tours are offered one Sunday per month March
through November.
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Ringwood Manor
This beautiful country house, which was home for a succession of
well-known ironmaster for nearly 200 years, sits comfortably on
a low hill overlooking a landscape that looks as if it escaped
from a painting. Iron production in this area began in the
1740s. In the mid-19 century, Ringwood Manor was owned by Abram
S. Hewitt, America's foremost ironmaster. Tours are offered from
Wednesday through Saturday year round. Ringwood Manor is part of
a National Historic Landmark District.
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Shepherd Lake Recreation Area
The spring-fed waters of the 74-acre Shepherd Lake are brisk and
invigorating and offer swimming, boating, canoeing and fishing.
A network of trails surrounds the lake leading to rocky vistas.
