A rugged route around scenic Terrace Pond with a floating bridge and lots of scrambling.
5.2 miles – Surface is rocky with scrambling.
| 5.2 miles | This hike guide: Detailed instructions, photos, and video follow below. |
| Also from this lot: | Terrace Pond Loop; Terrace Pond Lollipop; Wawayanda State Park – Old Coal Trail. |
| Nearby | Terrace Pond North, Bearfort Ridge Loop – Surprise Lake; Surprise Lake Loop via State Line Trail; Wawayanda – Hoeferlin, Cedar Swamp; Wawayanda – Iron Mountain and Hoeferlin Loop. |
Our two cents:
Rocky scrambles, a pretty pond, a floating bridge, and a ladder packed into 5 scenic miles. Have you ever crossed Terrace Pond’s floating bridge? It’s on this route and replaced the old dicey wet crossing as well as adding a ladder over a steep rock scramble, making this hike easier than it was.
Still, a casual la-di-da stroll in the woods this is not. This route has a decent amount of scrambling in the beginning so it’s not going to be everyone’s cup-o-tea.
However – the second half is not hard, there’s plenty to see to make it worthwhile, and the overall mileage is manageable. There are lots of photos and a video on this guide to get an idea of what it’s like (but the video pre-dates the bridge and ladder).
Plenty of mountain laurel and rhododendron in season.
Updated: 7/2024 – Re-hiked, minor edits, added photos and archived old versions to the Trail Blog. Older change log at page bottom.
Hike Info:
Map/Books:
Northern New Jersey Highlands Trails Map is recommended to navigate the network of trails in this park. Follow along on your smartphone with our Interactive Map link above.
Though the trails are considered part of Wawayanda State Park, they are now covered on the Abram Hewitt park site.
Books:
Variations can be found in Hiking New Jersey (2023), Hiking the Jersey Highlands, and Take a Hike New York City. A long, challenging loop that joins a hike to Terrace Pond with with a loop in the main part of Wawayanda can be found in 60 Hikes Within 60 Miles: New York City.
Parking: N41.14288° W74.40743° [P7 lot]
1575 Clinton Rd, Hewitt, NJ 07421. Rt 287N to exit 52 (or Rt 287S to 52A), then Rt 23N towards Butler. Exit for Clinton Road.
The parking lot is past Clinton Reservoir and some other small parking areas. Just past a sign/gate for the Wildcat Mountain Wilderness Center is just a large dirt lot on the left with a small “P7” sign.
Restrooms:
None. There are gas stations and stores along Rt 23 in Butler (a Quick Chek then a super Wawa are roughly 15-20 min. from the trailhead).
Swimming Note:
Though you’ll see people doing it, swimming in Terrace Pond is not allowed – it’s patrolled and ticketed. The sides of the pond are somewhat high above the water on rock ledges in most spots, it’s not like you can walk into the water from a beach.
It can be dangerous and several people have drowned. In addition, it’s difficult for Search & Rescue to reach this remote location quickly. See “Terrace Pond attracts hikers from all over, but there’s a reason why swimming is banned.“
Hike Directions:
Overview: YELLOW (Terrace Pond (TP) West) – WHITE (TP Circular) – BLUE (TP North) – YELLOW-BLUE (TP Connector) – YELLOW (TP West)
0.0 – Walk across the street from the lot to the trail kiosk.
Bear LEFT to start following YELLOW (TP West). It’s mostly level at first, crossing some wet areas on large rocks.
0.7 – Turn RIGHT onto a pipeline cut and continue following YELLOW (TP West), which goes uphill at the edge of the woods, along the pipeline cut.
0.8 – Turn RIGHT off the pipeline and back into the woods. Continue following YELLOW (TP West) as it scrambles up and down large rocks.
These rocky sections are harder than a normal hiking trail but are still manageable.
Some require using your hands, but it’s for short sections.
A faint trail on the right scrambles up to an optional view, but there is a better one in just a bit.
1.2 – Off to the right, optionally scramble up a large protruding rock for a expansive view over the surrounding forest with low hills in the distance.
In the photo below it appears that the trail goes up and continues over this rock fin – it doesn’t. The trail markers are for the trail coming in the opposite direction and are indicating a turn away from the rock (and in this photo they are still blue, they are now yellow).
Continue following YELLOW (TP West), crossing some wet areas on large rocks.
1.4 – Arrive at the junction of YELLOW (TP West) and WHITE (TP Circular) near Terrace Pond.
This route will continue by turning LEFT to start following WHITE (TP Circular) – BUT FIRST you might want to pop over to take a looky at this side of Terrace Pond. Continue ahead for a few feet to a rocky outcrop that overlooks the pond.
Then return to this intersection to start following WHITE (TP Circular) as it drops downhill. A side trail on the right out to a viewpoint over Terrace Pond.
Approach a long floating bridge.
Continue following WHITE (TP Circular) as it goes over the bridge.
The floating walkway goes over a section of water and replaces a crossing that had become difficult, if not impossible, over the years – it used to require balancing on logs with one misstep leading to a muck covered leg.
Get a peek through the trees into Terrace Pond.
After the bridge the trail soon comes to a steep area of rocks with a ladder.
The ladder makes easy work of a scramble up a rock face.
1.6 – Turn RIGHT to start following BLUE (TP North). [WHITE (TP Circular) is co-joined. BLUE (TP North) also goes left].
1.7 – There are a few viewpoints/break spots for the pond on the right side. The first is somewhat limited, the second is better, and the next is larger and more open (but may have more people).
The last, larger viewpoint is actually beyond where you need to turn. Continue ahead on a casual path, past a “no swimming’ sign. Then return to this intersection afterward.
At this last viewpoint there are panoramic views across Terrace Pond. The steep rocky shoreline goes around most of the pond, and there aren’t areas to get down to the edge.
This is a nice place to take a break, but there also is another viewpoint/break spot a little later (of hills, not of the pond).
Look all the way over on the right to just spot the floating bridge peaking out of the trees.
To continue following WHITE (TP Circular) / BLUE (TP North), take a few steps back from this last viewpoint to where the trail turns and heads uphill over stone steps (may have not noticed this when arriving at the overlook).
Continue following WHITE (TP Circular) / BLUE (TP North) over some rock slabs.
2.0 – Continue following BLUE (TP North) as it turns LEFT. [WHITE (TP Circular) continues ahead].
The trail heads downhill before leveling out an a long stretch of easy woods road.
2.2 – Follow a very short side trail marked BLUE with BLACK STAR to an overlook of the surrounding hills, and then return.
2.9 – Start following YELLOW-BLUE (TP Connector) straight ahead. [BLUE (TP North) leaves to the left; RED (TP Red) crosses the trail.]
The trail was very overgrown and grassy in spots and at points is a wide woods road.
3.1 – YELLOW-BLUE (TP Connector) ends at YELLOW (TP West). Continue straight, now following YELLOW (TP West). [YELLOW (TP West) also continues back to the right]
There were short sections of very overgrown trail in this area in 7/2024. This could change at any time due to the seasons or trail maintenance – but wanted to point it out as we don’t normally encounter trails this covered. There is a trail through here, we promise!
Pass a large swampy area on the right which seems to have less water every time we hike here, or maybe it just fluctuates seasonally. This is in 7/2024:
In prior years there were signs of beaver activity but we didn’t spot any lodges the last few times here. Same area in 10/2012:
Cross a drainage pipe or two, but you might not even notice them.
3.4 – Continue following YELLOW (TP West) as it turns sharply to the RIGHT. The surface varies between woods road and rockier trail on this last part of the route.
3.7 – Continue following YELLOW (TP West) turns to the RIGHT.
Continue following YELLOW (TP West) through rhododendron tunnels and crossing sometimes wet areas on rocks, back to the lot.
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Hiked: 7/21/24
Hiked: 10/21/12 – Trail Blog: “Terrace Pond – Wawayanda State Park“
Updated: 2/2022 – Trail map info. 4/2021 – Description and Interactive Map adjusted to reflect major trail names/colors changes; but not re-hiked. 12/2019: Minor revisions. Route not re-hiked but the two other Terrace Pond routes listed above overlap most of it and were re-hiked in 2019.