A Hike Through Wanaque’s Back Beach Park

by Alice Magdziak • September 6, 2016 • Edge of New Jersey, Green Jersey, Passaic, Photography • Comments (0) • 3519

Over Labor Day Weekend, we took a long hike through a portion of Back Beach Park in Wanaque. Some people may say that the park is also in Haskell which is a part of Wanaque. Whatever the provenance, it’s an incredible park with lots of hilly hiking.

It appears to be land that was owned by the DuPont company which has since been abandoned and overgrown.

There are many ruins throughout the park and even some abandoned and deteriorating cars. Some are just concrete pylons and some have walls and rooms.

The park is split in half by the Wanaque River so you can stay on the one side and have a flatter hike or you can cross the little bridge and be challenged by the more mountainous side.

The mountains across the river lead you into Ramapo State Park should you want something even more challenging. The hike up to Ramapo is very intimidating to me! I’ve seen mountain bikers coming down the path so it can’t be too steep, though.

We chose the tougher hiking across the river this weekend. The biggest payoff on the mountain side is that if you bear right after the bridge you end up under a very tall I-287 overpass.

The park allows ATVs and dirtbikes so every once in a while you’ll hear some engines coming and it’s best to step off to the side just to be safe. Thankfully, every rider we’ve ever come across has been very friendly and they slow down and wave as they pass.

One of the things I like best about Back Beach is that it is very easy to get to and you’re never too far away from civilization should you feel lost. It’s right off Ringwood Avenue which is the main street through Wanaque.