Pequannock Watershed Trail Access

cdk007

Edited 4 months ago

★★★★★

Let me start with everything I like about this spot and then I can explain the 1 star. I love getting out and enjoying nature, be it winter or summer. The hiking trails up in this section of West Milford in Passaic County New Jersey are pretty good. Yes there were some downed trees which blocked some of the trails, but other trails show evidence of active maintenance, and overall they seem to be in pretty good shape. Most importantly the trails are extremely well marked and as of January 2026 they seem to have recently been repainted with fresh trail markers. Also, the map at the trail heads is very clear, easy to snap a photo and use on your outing. From here one can easily access a ton of stone ruins including the site of the Cross Castle Estate, though nothing remains but a few stone walls. So all that said, why the 1 star. Simple. Hiking here is apparently by permit only, and the instructions for how to obtain a permit do not work. Let me repeat that, you need a permit to hike here, they tell you how to get a permit, and the website where you apparently pay for the permit, does not exist. The land is apparently owned by Newark which is Essex County but this land is in Passaic County. But if they cannot bother to make a website that works, let alone make it easy to obtain a permit, then I’m sorry but you cannot expect us to actually follow through. Other instructions also state that a permit can be purchased online, which we know it cannot, and then must be picked up in person. I’m sorry, what? In 2026 I have to drive to some government office in Newark, New Jersey during business hours on a weekday to pick up a physical permit to go on a hike in West Milford, Passaic County, New Jersey. Also the parking area is small, 2 cars max. Therefore I’m torn. Do I encourage people to come up here for a hike? Yes. It’s a beautiful area of the county. And when you arrive, go to the website on the trail map, and when you get the 404 error, know that you tried, and then continue on your hike. Maybe leave a note in your car with a screenshot of the 404 error page with a message saying sorry, we tried to purchase a permit, but your website doesn’t work.