Ringwood State Park
Directions
- Ringwood Manor - NY 17 just south of Sloatsburg, New York, via Sterling Mine Road (County 72) which becomes Sloatsburg Road when it crosses into to New Jersey, Ringwood Manor is on the right. GPS Coordinates: 41.138982, -74.255239
- Skylands Manor & Shepherd Lake - Continue another half-mile south on Sloatsburg Road, turn left onto Morris Road [a large sign will direct you]. GPS Coordinates: 41.127185, -74.238150
- All three areas have large or multiple parking areas but Shepherd Lake can get crowded on summer weekends
Park Overview
Ringwood State Park features both wild lands and landscaped gardens. It consists of four distinct areas: Ringwood Manor, Skylands Manor/NJ State Botanical Garden, Shepherd Lake, and Bear Swamp Lake.
Trail Overview
There are seven trails, most beginning around Ringwood Manor going on either side of Sloatsburg Road. Individual trails range from 1.0 to 7.3 miles. See Web Map link on this site for a N.J. State Park Service Map of trails in the park.
- Advisory: Approximately a 3/4 mile portion of the Hasenclever Iron Trail [yellow blaze] has been closed to the public in the area of Peter's Mine for a number of years. From Ringwood Manor it is approximately 1.5 miles in. There is currently no reroute, please plan accordingly. [February, 2014]
Ringwood Manor: Aside from enjoying the grounds and buildings, the Manor Trail is a relatively easy loop through the woods west of Ringwood Manor [3.0 miles; blue blaze].
Skylands Manor: With perennials, annual plantings, and unusual plant species, Skylands Manor is a place of beauty in any season. One can stroll amid the elegance of formal gardens, or along gentle paths winding through the woods. Only the Crossover Trail passes through Skylands Manor. The Halifax Trail [green blaze] begins on the far side of the big lawn of the gardens.
Shepherd Lake: The Ringwood-Ramapo Trail and an orange-blazed trail follow along the southern shore of Shepherd Lake.
Park Description
Ringwood State Park
Ringwood State Park features both wild lands and landscaped gardens.
Ringwood State Park is named after Ringwood Manor, a large mansion containing a priceless collection of relics from the iron-making days, as well as furnishings of the Ryerson, Cooper and Hewitt families from about 1810 to 1930. Click for more information about the manor house, including tours.
Skylands Manor, located a few miles away, is home of the New Jersey Botanical Garden. Samuel Parsons, Jr., founder of the American Society of Landscape Architects and protégé of Frederick Law Olmstead, one-time NYC Parks Commissioner, designed the grounds. The Manor itself was built in the 1920s based on English Jacobean architecture common in the English countryside 400 years ago. Tours are offered one Sunday per month March through November.
Shepherd Lake is principally for seasonal activities: swimming, boating, and picnicking. Oddly, on a nearby hill are trapshooting facilities, making it possible to swim to the sound of muffled guns. It may also be possible to have Shotgun Weddings since down the hill from Thunder Mountain Shooting Range is St. Luke's Chapel which is tied in to weddings at Skylands.
NJ DEP official regulations concerning leashed dogs in the park:
- Not permitted:
- On the beach at Shepherd Lake
- Within the New Jersey State Botanical Garden.
- Permitted:
- On trails outside the Botanical Garden as long as the dogs are kept on the outskirts and not using the main areas of the gardens to access the trails.
- On the roadways in the gardens dogs are allowed on Honeysuckle Lane and all roads below Skylands Manor.
- Elsewhere pets are welcome as long as they are on a leash and the owners clean up after them.
Parking Fees are charged Memorial Day to Labor Day [click on park "Contact Information" on this site].