Preakness Range,
Watchung Mountains
Passaic County,
New Jersey
Trails:
Red Trail
Yellow Trail
Total Time: 1.2 hours
Estimated Distance: 3.7 Miles
Level of Difficulty: Easy
Level of Recommendation: Recommended, though a boring hike until the view
Points Of Interest: Good view close to densely urban area
Google Maps of Parking:
View 2012 Hiking in a larger map
High Mountain is the highest point in the Watchung Mountains, hence its name. However, it is not a very high mountain, topping out at 885 feet. The Watchungs are a range of ridges and hills in northern New Jersey composed of volcanic basalt. I started at the parking area at William Paterson University, which provides trailhead parking at the northernmost part of the university. The Red Trail starts here, and I took the Red Trail to the Yellow Trail, which eventually climbs the mountain with an easy climb. The workout isn't great but the view is, with a view of the entire area including the dense urban area to the south around Paterson. From there I turned around and took the same route back, though cutting through some shortcut switchbacks.
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| Map of the Route |
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| High Mountain Summit. Facing East. |
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| High Mountain Summit. Facing southeast towards Haledon and the NYC skyline in the distance. |
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| Dry Grassy area at the summit. |
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| Another summit view looking towards Paterson and the city skyline. |
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| A more zoomed in view of the Manhattan skyline. |
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| Another view. |
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