Horse Pond Mountain Loop
Directions to trailhead
Take Skyline Drive to its northwestern terminus at Greenwood Lake Turnpike (County Route 511). Turn right and continue for 5.3 miles, crossing a causeway over the Monksville Reservoir and passing the historic buildings of the Long Pond Ironworks to the right. Park in a large parking area on the left (south) side of Greenwood Lake Turnpike, opposite East Shore Drive. Note: This parking area is closed seasonally, from April to October. During this period, hikers can park at the Long Pond Ironworks Visitor Center, 0.4 mile east along Greenwood Lake Turnpike.
Bus Directions
Take New Jersey Transit #197 bus from Port Authority Bus Terminal in New York City to the trailhead, at East Shore Road and Greenwood Lake Turnpike.
Hike Description
From the parking area, proceed east for about 200 feet along the south side of Greenwood Lake Turnpike. Just after crossing the highway bridge over Hewitt Brook, turn right onto the Highlands Trail (blazed with teal diamonds), which heads south into the woods and climbs to the top of a hill. Just beyond the crest, the trail joins a woods road which comes in from the left, and the trail descends along the road. When the road bends sharply to the right, follow the teal diamond blazes, which turn left, leaving the road, and continue to descend on a footpath.
After crossing a small stream on rocks, the trail climbs an embankment and reaches the abandoned railroad grade of the New York and Greenwood Lake Railroad. Built in 1876 primarily to serve the recreational destination of Greenwood Lake, this portion of the railroad was abandoned in 1935. The trail turns left and follows the railroad grade, dipping to cross a gas pipeline (when the pipeline was constructed, a section of the railroad embankment was removed). To the left, through the trees, you can see the Monksville Reservoir.
In 0.2 mile, follow the Highlands Trail as it turns right, leaving the railroad grade, and re-enters the woods on a footpath. The trail climbs gradually, passing several interesting glacial erratics (large boulders transported by glaciers), then descends over rocks to cross a stream in a hollow. The trail then climbs steeply up a rock ledge, descends slightly into another hollow, and climbs once more to reach a junction with a woods road Turn left, continuing to follow the teal-diamond-blazed Highlands Trail, which continues to climb steadily, then descends briefly to another junction with a woods road. The trail now climbs gradually, levels off, then descends to cross power lines.
Just beyond the power lines, the green-blazed Burnt Meadow Loop joins from the right. Continue ahead, now following both green and teal diamond blazes. The trail now climbs along the crest of the ridge, soon reaching a rock outcrop with a view over the mountains to the east, and views through the trees of the Monksville Reservoir (when there are no leaves on the trees).
Beyond the rock outcrop, the trail levels off. After climbing a little, it reaches a junction with the green-on-black-blazed Burnt Meadow Spur, which begins on the right and descends for 0.2 mile to Burnt Meadow Road, opposite Camp Shiloh.
After climbing more steeply, the trail comes out on a large rock outcrop which affords a spectacular view over the Monksville Reservoir, with the dam of the reservoir ahead, and the bridge that carries Greenwood Lake Turnpike over the reservoir on the left. This is the only point from which you can see the entire horseshoe-shaped reservoir. You'll want to stop here to take a break and enjoy the view.
The trail now curves to the right and continues to climb to the summit of Horse Pond Mountain (elevation 955 feet), marked by a grassy area and an interesting balanced boulder. There are limited west-facing views from the summit.
The trail bears left and descends from the summit, then climbs slightly to reach a rock outcrop. Here, at a pine tree, the two trails diverge. Turn right and follow the green-blazed Burnt Meadow Trail, which descends very steeply over lichen-covered rocks. The grade soon moderates, and after continuing to descend on switchbacks, the trail turns left onto a woods road. Almost immediately, it turns left onto a footpath (to bypass a wet section of the road), but soon rejoins the road. In another 100 feet, the trail turns right, leaving the road, and descends on a footpath, then turns right onto another woods road.
In 200 feet, the trail turns left, leaving the second woods road, and descends to cross a stream on stepping stones. After a short climb, it briefly turns left to parallel the stream, then turns right and heads west to reach Burnt Meadow Road.
The trail crosses the road at a kiosk and begins to climb gradually. After reaching the crest of the rise, the trail descends gently to reach a junction with the blue-blazed Tapawingo Trail, which joins from the left. Continue ahead on the joint green/blue trail, descending gently. After crossing a woods road, the blue-blazed Tapawingo Trail leaves to the right. Bear left at the junction to continue along the green-blazed Burnt Meadow Loop, which descends to cross Hewitt Brook on rocks. This crossing can be difficult if the water is high.
On the other side, the trail climbs away from the stream and bears right to follow the contour of the hill. After crossing a small stream, the trail begins a rather steep climb to a rock ledge with a limited east-facing view over Horse Pond Mountain. Here, the Burnt Meadow Trail reaches a second junction with the blue-blazed Tapawingo Trail.
Turn right and follow the joint green/blue trail, which continues to climb. Soon, you’ll pass on the right a large glacial erratic formed of puddingstone - a type of rock not characteristic of this area. The trail now descends to a valley, climbs over a slight rise and soon levels off.
After passing a huge boulder on the left, the joint green/blue trail enters a pine grove and begins to descend. It descends steadily until it reaches a T-intersection. Here, it turns right for 50 feet to reach a junction where the trails diverge. Turn left and follow the green-blazed Burnt Meadow Loop, which descends to cross two branches of Hewitt Brook on rocks (this crossing, too, can be tricky during wet seasons).
The trail continues along a dirt road under power lines out to Burnt Meadow Road, passing to the right of a transformer station. It crosses the road diagonally to the right, reenters the woods and climbs to reach a junction with the teal-diamond-blazed Highlands Trail. Turn left, cross under the power lines, and retrace your steps to the parking area on Greenwood Lake Turnpike where the hike began.