Van Slyke Castle, NJ
Quick Facts
Trail Rating: Intermediate
Distance: 3.2 Miles
Route Type: Loop
Elevation Gain: 431ft
Ramapo Mountain State Forest, Oakland, NJ
Tucked in the southern forest of the Ramapo mountains lies a hidden gem. An early 1900s mansion left abandoned at the top of a mountain.
We came across the castle online when researching ruins to explore for a short weekend adventure. We were so excited that we set out first thing the following morning.
We arrived in the Ramapo State Forest parking lot off of S-91, a bit later then we had initially planned, this left us waiting for a while for a parking spot. A popular destination indeed so be sure to get there early!
Once we began our trek, the trail was a little obscure, demanding careful navigation. But with the right tools like a phone map, we managed to find our way to the first vista and met a praying mantis having a snack.
Only one mile into the hike, we came across the first ruin. The Old Foxcroft Water Tower is still standing, mostly intact, so we decided to take a look inside.
Like every adventure we go on, I couldn’t help but climb around.
From here the castle ruins would only be a short walk away. On our stroll we came across the abandoned concrete swimming pool full of tiny chirping frogs and an inspirational quote graffitied on the wall.
This quote moved us and after lots of research we still can not find its origin.
Up next was the main event, the castle itself. We hiked through the crumbling structure and pondered all that could’ve taken place in the past.
There’s something magical about theses abandoned structures. The old stone walls crumbling under the fruitful growth of Mother Nature everywhere we looked. Everything is only temporary and we were reminded of this truth with each step we took.
All of the overgrowth made it impossible to see the view of the mountains the estate once had so we decided to climb to the top of the curved roof top amongst the stone pillars. We were thrilled with our decision to say the least!
From here we overlooked Ramapo Lake and the mountains in Norvin Green State Forest far off to the left. We were stunned by the beauty this area had to offer and plan on visiting again in the future!
