Ramapo Valley County Reservation
Bergen Co.,
New Jersey
Hiking Trails:
Pond Loop: Silver blaze
Cactus Ledge Shortcut Route: Unblazed
Vista Loop: Yellow blaze
Total Time: 1:00 hours
Estimated Distance: 1.8 miles
Pros: Good climb, nice view, cactus grove
Cons: None
Hike Type: Loop
Level of Difficulty: Difficult
Google Maps of Parking:
https://maps.app.goo.gl/eLQwfjzKfMiEWcnQ8
I had a graduation event in the morning and then had to be in Brooklyn in the afternoon to visit family, so I only had time for a short hike. Cactus Ledge in Ramapo Valley Reservation is a short and sweet hike. I opted for one of the unmarked routes for a direct path up.
The weather was also excessively hot with a heat advisory for the area. So it was anyways appropriate for a shorter hike due to the weather. I parked in the main parking area, and took the path across the Mahwah River, and then I took the loop around Scarlet Oak Lake. At the point where the Vista Loop bears away from the loop and up the mountain, I took the steep shortcut trail straight up the mountain, before reaching the unofficial red trail. I then continued up the rocky area to Cactus Ledge.
Cactus Ledge features a sweeping view with a great view of the Manhattan skyline. There is also a grove of native cactus there, and they had beautiful yellow flowers. I know that late June is when the cactus flowers bloom, so I figured this would be a good time to visit. I then went down along the unofficial red-blazed route down the mountain towards where the Ridge Loop Trail ends near the lake. I then continued back to my car.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKKBPHARZ27WtwjSHkmdrHSkb3U339XfcPGBAzjxggKLrgzhBuwZUrjxghuY8cxuHoE9zqctx0BknJoV1OFBWcUwP86miETgYLN4TYEbiJC0b_tKGBWKsX509Pk20tlt_4MeJN1C3muUkH-H8_Gq_o3WPJv3w1jGIDGaGuENCgR6NXF_2bmTrJWqZw7Ys/w640-h462/2024-06-23%20Cactus%20Ledge.jpg) |
Map of the Route |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXwNmO1fvVZ7pR0FzfU6bExhz4757ibFbq5bNkOuMDNDzlmAn41dnzRuMpg5axjZCWoyGs463XWPoV7VEs49UecEsd3VQNd3xmxqJ4ebH6L4fQiKLCN34GjWuM28MQemx10bhgk3cSwf9BZRNGypMudZCNy6oMKup9E0x_MNZei6raoGxt35-sI9IpxJw/w640-h426/cactus-ledge-ramapo-valley-reservation-01.jpg) |
Ramapo River |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTvoZiko4j8oLnOo4p_txnehhGAgi1zjVSEfN2rUmeSSZ6lALD5ZtZI7Gv3kWgm96RuWUVQDPBoKMLwlJXxSxDVakh1iggPs_Ye83Uf1LvLqEwAqn0SavxHNk9lGkDqg-YydtHnWqPgj7dgbtpMvhbvEC8pzlap-nO09NlWeZv7Zguh_h8Hx5VFVK7mKw/w640-h426/cactus-ledge-ramapo-valley-reservation-03.jpg) |
Scarlet Oak Reservoir |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO-s_73HIpfgpSTvXEBuZWBzY1L-2EGEyAwrriFdgY6eeWjpDFHtk4LY8wC76Bj1W_DjGGzT0TgNzkeVEfAfRER1czmC9t7y9-d4YJga8yTB1Qnfa9eAbALf3BY3O8kmDoOQJMRTh-VpHwlPyngOz_Tm0pGbN23dXz_j29iG6DofOV5LBCIYODBGCY6HU/w640-h426/cactus-ledge-ramapo-valley-reservation-04.jpg) |
Mahwah River |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNa0t3OWfZjGHUJKyRcOr5OAtKDSiL_ueHCCjdNIu1_s3tw8II8o683t0QZxaNlnRmGDe6sJcu4YrYHOpK2rNiooi3qvGUS-VuecCcOIuYFczuVCcIr28sGwlURlOprzvxu3Ew43nt_qeWA3hhFEVG4rp9yMUrfwvnJ0hmRMKK3mcH7w7b1q4nHpDNCsI/w640-h426/cactus-ledge-ramapo-valley-reservation-05.jpg) |
Scarlet Oak Reservoir |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMMIMHUj44yPscY9dYbMwph1FOy45zk-6sGFS5Fxf_CYDHqX4XL3UhnQraaJaHzOHSc2QFGo-b-qoXv03CYP3dib69xmDxYQ90U1hb-h1uPjwUo0nWw-9XdfaFnJKekyI0CvvwIg4mruJ2GDMuxMsZyFi4nEZQ1SgofMtHNg1vT4tO1zudIL8NS1Brvko/w640-h360/cactus-ledge-ramapo-valley-reservation-07.jpg) |
View of the Mountain |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpTFS5H3TY8RKJDJwP35nMzUdDzXBq2bNfuF10oDenf9hhu8hUidW3sqNKBX4mbGAbKH9lrwBarAE0dA9KTCIB4li3R_rnMUQQMa6rT4n8tBVIQG8RkFC14JzJkDjhNhpqVuk9SRZBjHuXy81MaAfWoPqXAXMvq1QSbW9whsK80kW-DOKljchFqeerJjs/w640-h360/cactus-ledge-ramapo-valley-reservation-09.jpg) |
Unofficial Red Trail Shortcut Up the Mountain |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh5THG2olnS5fIdscQajeinJOzBlAv3GTCYir4S9QQUkTr3U1Pb-CSNbEGIIdaW02cxIN-NJCSuOqqO0an8brBbgcIlM2vbbZp-_GzNfDImf0wazIxWI5jziu9wfIHMz2MGI6tP5RDm7zGKq5ome3UMlkqeGCLEqqGF70Y_8tYjp82QTja-vOrVAYKBAU/w640-h426/cactus-ledge-ramapo-valley-reservation-10.jpg) |
Cactus Flowers at Cactus Ledge |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCgGN95TaO0oKL-IUqd2MvdirzAEeID6m8KFNiOIPkl5eMZsESutHEPgbPcVXh855aGCA3KaefKpiENJ9EcSgAI3kbD14zrA4Q2v8orNmJlZ0KZ11Mf_7O2NjRxWFYaOHMctADGbJeBDPv2PppID04OzyV872zKdYCNlBGQUz7o3jXu8FlF1Ll7486lOA/w640-h426/cactus-ledge-ramapo-valley-reservation-13.jpg) |
View from Cactus Ledge, with Ramapo College in the Distance |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8BvG_wr9gqwO4UpNNi0_Jvv7MJwg-n3h5fPhxVURDuxrR7qPbmj92ynHkfJbxdMGYhRLv7E58sN98yoRm6LXvaazPd0YviNYXJLBOW2Lm0YycTcn2WOMiyQ7XOlwhKQMGXR8__gkkzZ2ad6iwQUI21zal8MT0c8MNv8edsKSbgDKHJQ3uPRXQmicU-50/w360-h640/cactus-ledge-ramapo-valley-reservation-26.jpg) |
Climbing Down the Mountain |
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