Hiking NJ: Long Pond Ironworks State Park [VIDEO]

My latest edition of Hiking NJ takes you to Passaic County to Long Pond Ironworks State Park. The park is located at Hewitt and is a combination of beautiful natural scenery and history.

First the history....the Ironworks village was originally established in 1765 under Peter Hasenclever, manager of the London-based American Company. The Ironworks were used during the Revolutionary and Civil Wars. In the 1950's the land area was donated to the State and is now a National Historic Landmark District.

Visitors can go and tour the remaining buildings and hike the area around the village and the various trails that spread out through the beautiful mountains of northern New Jersey...including the Monksville Reservoir.

There are numerous trails around the area ranging from easier to more difficult. We hiked several miles on the "Highlands Trail" which has great views of the area but is more difficult with elevations, lots of rock and during autumn, lots of slippery leaves. I recommend walk sticks/poles if you're doing the "Highlands Trail" to help balance and navigate the rocky terrain. The trails within the Ironworks Historic District are wide and easy to hike and sight-see.

We also visited a cute restaurant called the Fox Island Cafe on Greenwood Lake, a beautiful area to sight-see. This entire area was very close to the New York State line.