Van Slyke Castle

George Vargo

Moderate hike with difficulty focused on elevation changes. Parking is very limited. Take the white castle loop trail in the center-right side of the parking lot and you'll reach the castle in about 20mins. Nice views and photo opportunities. The loop takes about an hour plus lingering time. The loop also brings you past a lake which is the first attraction if you take the castle loop trail at the left side of the parking lot. Bring water.

Ascending Images

Excellent hike with fantastic views. Great location to throw the drone up for some breathtaking panoramas!

Melanie Tam

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: 1. 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) 2. 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 unique trail.

Mel

Who doesn't wanna see some cool castle ruins in the woods? Nice, moderate hike, some spots more rough depending on the way you take. Bring a backpack and water and even some snacks to chill and see the view once you get to the castle.