The 5 best North Jersey hikes above Route 80 for spring and summer

I've been driving all over North Jersey. Now it's time to get out of the car.

I think I have always been someone who operates in extremes. Recently, I've been to extreme South Jersey.  Now I'm ready for extreme North Jersey!

When something catches my attention, I do not dabble in it — I obsess over it. This spring, the obsession has been New Jersey's backroads. The scenic drives. The places most people blow past at 65 mph without ever stopping. South Jersey along the Delaware Bay. The Pine Barrens. The Highlands. The Delaware Water Gap.

But a car can only take you so far. Somewhere along the way — probably while standing at the top of Mount Tammany looking down at the Delaware River — I realized the best parts of North Jersey cannot be seen from a windshield.

I have hiked the Jersey side of the Water Gap. I have done sections of the Appalachian Trail in Maine and in Pennsylvania, including Pulpit Rock and the Pinnacle out in Berks County — if you have not done that one, put it on the list. I have hit the waterfalls at Ricketts Glen and the trails at Worlds End State Park in Forksville, Pennsylvania, which I will recommend to anyone who will listen.

But my hiking above Route 80 here in New Jersey has been, honestly, embarrassingly limited for someone who has lived and worked in and around New Jersey his whole life.

That changes this summer. Here are five North Jersey hikes above Route 80 that are on my list this summer and worth your time — all manageable day trips, all easy to moderate, and built for the best hiking season we've got right now.

Pyramid Mountain — Boonton, Morris County

This is the perfect starting point if you are new to North Jersey hiking. The trail runs 4.7 miles round trip and is good for beginning hikers but interesting enough for experienced ones. The payoff is worth every step — three massive glacial erratics spaced along the route: Tripod Rock, Whale Head Rock, and Bear Rock, plus two overlooks with views toward the New York City skyline.

Tripod Rock alone weighs 180 tons and was deposited here by the Wisconsin Glacier more than 18,000 years ago. You stand next to something that heavy, sitting perfectly balanced on three smaller boulders, and you feel genuinely small. Parking is at 472 Boonton Avenue in Boonton, with a visitor center open seven days a week.

SEE ALSO: Old Mine Road: The NJ drive I almost missed —and you should take 

Sunfish Pond — Delaware Water Gap, Warren County

If you have hiked Mount Tammany and you are ready for what comes next, this is the answer. Sunfish Pond sits along the Appalachian Trail in Worthington State Forest — a glacial lake 1,000 feet above the surrounding area — and the approach via the Garvey Springs trail is short but steep, the kind of climb that earns the view. The loop also takes you past Laurel Falls, which means you get both a glacial pond and a waterfall in one outing. This is the hike I am planning this summer when I head up to Walpack with Wayne Cabot.

Stairway to Heaven — Vernon, Sussex County

The name alone should tell you something. This hike crosses boardwalks through Pochuck Valley, a suspension bridge over Pochuck Creek, a cow pasture, railroad tracks, and a boulder field before climbing a steep series of rock slab steps up Wawayanda Mountain — those rock steps are the Stairway to Heaven. From Pinwheel's Vista at the top, the Kittatinny Mountains stretch out in the distance, farms fill the valley below, and on a clear day, the High Point Monument is visible.

The full route is 7.3 miles, but the popular shorter version starts from the Route 94 parking area and gets you to Pinwheel's Vista and back in about 2.6 miles — a genuine best-view-per-mile ratio for anywhere in New Jersey. This is one of the best hikes in the state, period!

Ramapo Valley County Reservation — Mahwah, Bergen County

The 3.7-mile Vista Loop at Ramapo packs the best of the park into a manageable outing — Scarlet Oak Pond, the Hawk Rock viewpoint with a large rock outcrop to sit on, Cactus Ledge, and a waterfall at the end. This is a no-hunting park, which matters for a summer hike when adjacent parks are not. Parking is at 610 Ramapo Valley Road in Mahwah — easy off Route 287, which makes this one accessible for people coming from as far south as Central Jersey without a punishing drive.

On a clear day you can see the New York City skyline from Hawk Rock. Many say they cannot explain exactly why that view — New Jersey looking toward New York from a mountain — is so satisfying, but they say it always is.

Long Pond Ironworks — Hewitt, Passaic County

This is the most historically interesting trail on this list, and the one that most people have never heard of. Long Pond Ironworks was a Revolutionary-era ironworks plantation, and the remains — furnace, stone buildings, waterwheels — are still standing along the trail. You are not just hiking. You are walking through something.

The shorter 4.4-mile out-and-back takes you through the historical buildings and up to the viewpoint over Monksville Reservoir from Big Beech Mountain. The trail through the Wanaque River valley is shaded and cool even on warm days — which makes this one a particularly smart choice on a hot June or July morning. Park at 1334 County Road 511 in Hewitt.

I've just scratched the surface here, but hopefully it's enough to whet your appetite for some great Jersey hiking!

For detailed trail maps and current conditions on all five of these — and every other North Jersey trail worth knowing — check out the awesome njhiking.com. It is the most thorough, verified trail guide for this part of the state and the source I used to help me build this list.  In fact, they cover hiking all over — north, central, and south —here in The Great Garden State and your best source for Jersey hikes!

Happy trails!