3 1/2 stars

Depending on where you hike in Ramapo, your experience can and likely will vary dramatically. My preferred area is over by the Van Slyke Castle Ruins (which I believe is actually a different area/park - Ramapo Mountain State Forest), and that was actually our intention when we set out. For some bizarre reason though (and I'm not sure if this is the call of the park, the town of Ringwood, etc.) the parking situation over there is laughably bad and it's difficult to secure a spot if you're not there before 8:30am on a nice day. We ended up in the "main" area by the college, which was perfectly pleasant but had its issues.

We showed up in the main parking lot off 202 probably around 9:15am. It was PACKED. My biggest pet peeve with this park is that it's insanely crowded; it's by far the best known hiking area in this section of Bergen County if you're not able or willing to cross the state line into Harriman, AND it has a lot of flat trails so literally any type of hiker regardless of skill set can handle this, depending on which paths they choose to take. That's arguably a selling point, but I prefer less people and more inclines.

We needed to do at least five miles, and we got close to six. From the parking lot, we went right on the purple/pond loop, then up on the yellow/vista loop which curved down to the MacMillan Reservoir. At the Reservoir, we took another right on the pink/reservoir loop (lot of loops), circumventing the entire body of water before heading back on the blue/vista ridge connector (the only non-loop). The pond by the parking lot was probably my least favorite part - it's nice to look at, especially on a day like this with close to peak fall foliage - but it was swarmed with people. Based on what I saw, I think a majority of visitors just hang out over here and never venture into the woodsier sections, which was fine by me. The climb up to Hawk Rock isn't too challenging if you're in decent shape. We brought our Hiking Canine Chum Atlas for his hiking debut, so we took it very slowly on his behalf but I'd say you're getting an incline of maybe 500 feet, with a lot of plateaus in there to catch your breath. The view is pretty decent, but not on par with the 360-degree views in nearby Norvin Green or Harriman, which also have the benefit of higher altitude.

The Reservoir area is pleasant; it's quieter than the pond, which makes sense since it requires an additional mile or so of mileage to get there, but it still had a lot of people basking on the large rocks by the water. We met a very polite lab mix named Bones, who somehow was the only canine chum we received a formal introduction to - you'd think having our own rental pooch would have meant an increase in names, but alas.

The trail maintenance was excellent, as were the accompanying markings. I don't recall any issues actively searching for the path - it was always located within five seconds, which is one of the positives of having a popular hiking area. The wildlife sightings were pretty non-existent, which isn't surprising.

Not my favorite, but Ramapo has its selling points. I know a lot of people (many graduates from the nearby college) who swear by this area, so it really depends on what you're specifically looking for out of a hiking experience. For me, I want better views and quieter trails.