Walking Garrett Mountain Reservation

Recently I was in Passaic County and decided to stop at Garrett Mountain Reservation in Northern New Jersey. Located off Route 19 in Woodland Park, Garret Mountain Reservation is 568-acres. Garrett Mountain Reservation reaches an elevation of 500 feet about sea level. I didn’t know until I visited that it is actually on several National Natural Landmarks in New Jersey.

Garrett Mountain Reservation covers the northern tip of First Watchung Mountain.

Most of Garrett Mountain Reservation is located in Woodland Park but Garrett Mountain Reservation also extends to both of the cities of Paterson and Clifton. When I arrived, I thought I was in Rifle Park or Rifle Camp but I quickly learned I was not.

I’m glad I made it to Garrett Mountain Reservation because the view of the New York City Skyline was beautiful. The Lambert Tower and Observation Tower provide beautiful views of the New York City Skyline.

Inside Garrett Mountain Reservation there are plenty of things to do including:

Main paved path (Morris Canal)
Grass fields and picnic areas
Walking and Hiking Trails (even paved trail)
Basketball courts, picnic areas
Barbour’s Pond is state stocked with fish for anglers
Equestrian Center with horseback riding lessons.

I also learned a few fun facts about Garrett Mountain Reservation including apparently, Garrett Mountain Reservation is a stopover point for migrated birds and there are over 150 species per year that stop by.

In short, besides hiking there is a lot to do at Garrett Mountain Reservation. If you just want the view of the New York City Skyline, you can take the single-lane road to the look out point.

Also located in Garrett Mountain Reservation is Lambert Castle which is located 0.2 miles off of the Moris Canal. Lambert Castle has a parking area nearby and hosts the Passaic County Museum. If you are walking on the Moris Canal, it’s closeby. You can also host private events at the Pat DiIanni Boathouse.

Since I had some time, I decided to walk on the Morris Canal which circles Garrett Mountain Reservation. It gave me a nice view of the New York City Skyline as well as everything Garrett Mountain Reservation has to over. I enjoyed seeing the Garret Mountain Equestrian Center as well as the Lambert Tower. In all, it was a fun stop and I hope to get to more Passaic County Parks soon.

You can see all hikes here.

Questions for you:

Where is your favorite view of the New York City Skyline?

What is the last hike you did?