Rifle Camp Park
Directions
Take I-80 west to Exit 56 (Squirrelwood Road, Woodland Park). Turn left at the bottom of the ramp onto Squirrelwood Road. (If you are coming from the west, take Exit 56A and proceed south on Squirrelwood Road.) Continue south along Squirrelwood Road for 1.3 miles (after 0.5 mile, the road changes its name to Rifle Camp Road). Just beyond the entrance to "The Franklin Group/Mountain Ridge Tower," turn left into Rifle Camp Park. Continue along the park entrance road for 0.8 mile to its end at a circle, where parking is available.
Park entrance GPS Coordinates: 40.89032, -74.18766
Park Overview
Rifle Camp Park offers diverse opportunities to walk trails and recreate outdoors.
Trail Overview
The park has two loop trails: The yellow-blazed Rifle Camp Trail circles the park [3 miles plus] passing several panoramic viewpoints over the New York City skyline and a red-blazed Inner Loop Trail. They intersect at several points facilitating various loop hikes.
Use the Web Map link on this site to view a trail map.
Park Description
Garret Mountain, located in Paterson and Woodland Park, is divided into two separate Passaic County parks: Garret Mountain Reservation to the north and Rifle Camp Park to the south.
Rifle Camp Park sits on the ridgeline of Garret Mountain, a section of First Watchung Mountain. It is extensively forested, containing only a few open areas. Large trap rock outcrops are abundant throughout the property. The eastern limit of the parkland consists of nearly vertical basalt cliffs that provide panoramic views of the surrounding area
Trails, bird-watching, athletic facilities, and the John Crowley Nature Center and Astronomical Observatory are among the park's diverse facilities.
The Friends of Garret Mountain serves "to help preserve, protect, and enhance the natural beauty of Garret Mountain Reservation and Rifle Camp Park."