Van Slyke Castle — Attraction in Wanaque

Gps brings you to a road that says no public traffic turn around. I had no idea where else to go. I parked at the upper parking lot on the road. Idk what psychopath wrote this is an easy trail for kids, maybe from some other parking lot that I don't know about(?), but we got there at 1pm and hiked about 5 miles of partial paved road for the first 1/3 and then 2/3 is mossy wet boulders and weeds that you have to climb. I went through 3 water bottles between me My bf and my dog we finished the water 1/2 on the walk back and I didn't think we would survive.

There's a lot of trees and bushes and thorns and bugs around the castle. The trails that are within 100 feet of the castle are extremely overgrown and thorny. Lots of glass. The signs for directions are awful we had to ask for directions. No service up there either. The last 1/3 of the hike is directly climbing boulders and even a wooden ladder I carried my 55 lbs Aussie dog up 😂

My boyfriend was dying. The park ranger sits in his little cart and doesn't help you. We hike sometimes but this was very very hard for us and our dog. My boyfriend numerous times was dizzy and had to sit down and I thought he was going to pass out. The trail randomly disappears too which is ridiculous.

The parking lot was packed. The porta potty was filled to the brim and had no toilet paper. There are random houses in the middle of this hike which is insane that no one would help us.

I would never do this again. It was awful. The ruins were nice but not worth the hike. It was 90 degrees and extremely challenging and we got lost a few times and it's all uphill. Also there are bears.

I would not ever recommend this with children or small dogs or people with low stamina. This is a 3+ water bottle and snacks kind of walk. 3+ hours 5 + miles with the lake and Castle ruins. Very confusing trails. Bring a compass.

We arrived around 1pm. We got back to the car around 530pm. We went left at the 1st fork and went to the castle ruins and then the lake and then couldn't figure out which was back to the car so went towards the houses and no one answered us.

Followed the road Saw the park ranger and he just ignored us saying we were weak and sickly and out of water on the 90 degrees day.

Literally ignored us. Just looked straight forward. Messed up

Great views and the castle ruins are cool. Lots of trees and bushes blocking the majority of the castle...

For our annual fall hike, my husband and I did the Van Slyke Castle Loop trail, which All Trails lists as moderate and I would say that it's pretty accurate. It starts off as a nice, flat trail. The area by the lake is paved. After the lake is when it gradually starts getting harder. There are castle ruins at the top, and getting to the top was the tricky part, though not impossible - even for beginner-ish hikers like us.

We got there at around 10:15 on a Wednesday morning. By the time we got up to the castle, it was probably around 11:30. We had the entire place to ourselves, which we loved. We probably spent half an hour up there just hanging out, exploring, and taking photos, and not one person came by. It sounds a little eery but it was actually amazing. I can see it getting extremely packed during the weekends. I would highly recommend taking a random day off work like we did, if you plan on visiting here, just so you can avoid the crowds.

Here are a few tips:

The entrance where you need to park is very easy to miss. And if you miss it (like we did), you'll have to drive for a few miles before you can make a turn back round. If you see a sign for Ramapo State Forest, pull in there (even if Google maps will try to take you to a different location for the trailhead) Once you get back down and onto the trail loop, pay attention to the white trail markers. The marker where you need to turn to start exiting is really easy to miss - especially since there is fork right next to it, which leads to a straight trail and looks like it leads to the parking lot but it most definitely does not. We learned this the hard way

I would do this trail again if someone hasn't been and wanted to check it out. It's a pretty...

It's a pretty hike with a lot of variety in both difficulty of the terrain and views to enjoy. Though none of the trail is extremely challenging. It took us approximately 2 hours including stops to enjoy views and to eat a bagged lunch. We did the white trail, clockwise, which takes longer to get to the castle, but gets you back to your car faster after you see the castle. If you're looking for peace in a remote setting, this trail isn't ideal. You rarely feel isolated from civilization along the trail. And the final 10-15 minutes is close to loud road noise. Read-up on the sad history of the Van Slyke castle...