Cactus Ledge Shortcut Route

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.

Map of the Route

Ramapo River

Scarlet Oak Reservoir

Mahwah River

Scarlet Oak Reservoir

View of the Mountain

Unofficial Red Trail Shortcut Up the Mountain

Cactus Flowers at Cactus Ledge

View from Cactus Ledge, with Ramapo College in the Distance

Climbing Down the Mountain