A hike with tons of views of Greenwood Lake and the surrounding NJ/NY area, a nice lake, and multiple rock scrambles.
The fall foliage maps pointed to the Bearfort Mountain region being at peak color. They were right.
The last time we hiked to Surprise Lake there weren’t many leaves on the trees, so we wanted to come back to get photos during autumn.
Miles: 7.2 – Rocky trail, steep right in the beginning, multiple elevation changes. Even though it’s not a long hike, we’d rate it challenging due to the rock scrambles.
Route: State Line (BLUE on WHITE) – Ernest Walter (YELLOW) – Appalachian Trail North (WHITE) then retrace route back – State Line (BLUE on WHITE)
For complete hike info visit our main Surprise Lake Loop via State Line Trail page.
This hike has tons of views of Greenwood Lake and the surrounding NJ/NY area, a nice lake, and multiple rock scrambles.
Most people probably just do the 4.1 mile loop around the lake, but we added on two viewpoints along the Appalachian Trail in NY.
This section was much nicer than when we went south last time.
Another option is to make a larger loop by using the Bearfort Ridge and Quail Trails, and of course you can go for a very long way on the AT.
There were a lot of hikers and hiking groups there, and they all were going around the loop opposite than what we do.
We like to hit the view over Greenwood Lake and arrive at Surprise Lake early and have them to ourselves, which also allow us to tack on the AT out and back at the end… but you can do the loop the other way.
Some scrambles on Ernest Walter may be easier that direction.
That last scramble, if you were coming from the other direction:
View from Ernest Walker:
Scramble on the AT:
North into New York on the Appalachian Trail. Cross a stream.
View from the AT:
The AT stays on the ridge for a bit, with nice views.
Water cascade and cross a stream on rocks.
Note: There is a ladder to the a viewpoint on the AT north. It’s more like climbing up skinny steps than a ladder… but could be an issue if you hike with a dog that doesn’t do well with scrambling.
[Update: This is now iron rungs.]
View from the Appalachian Trail in NY:
View of Greenwood Lake from the last viewpoint on this route.
Randomness: The Greenwood Lake Air Show was going on. Some bi-planes flew past, and we could see acrobatic planes from the viewpoints.
Always something a little different when hiking in Jersey.