Stokes State Forest
Subnational Park · Branchville, New Jersey
Sixteen thousand acres along the Kittatinny Ridge in the far northwest of the state, and the best walking in New Jersey that is not inside the Delaware Water Gap. SUNRISE MOUNTAIN IS 1,653 FEET WITH A STONE PAVILION ON TOP AND YOU CAN DRIVE ALMOST TO IT — the view runs across three states and the ridge falls away on both sides. TILLMAN RAVINE IS THE OTHER HALF: a steep hemlock gorge with cascades and a cold, dark, mossy feel that belongs several hundred miles north of here. The Appalachian Trail runs the ridgeline through the forest for about nine miles.
1 Coursen Road, Branchville, New Jersey, 07826, United States
FREE, with free parking and no entrance fee for the forest, the trails, Sunrise Mountain or Tillman Ravine — open dawn to dusk year round. A seasonal day-use fee applies at Stony Lake on summer weekends and holidays, where swimming is lifeguarded in season only. Camping, cabins and group sites are reserved online through the New Jersey State Park Service and BOOK MONTHS AHEAD for autumn weekends. TILLMAN RAVINE HAS LETHALLY SLIPPERY WET ROCK AND STEEP DROPS AND DEATHS HAVE OCCURRED THERE. Black bears are common and bear-aware food storage is required at campsites. HUNTING IS PERMITTED ACROSS MUCH OF THE FOREST — check the state calendar and wear blaze orange autumn through winter.
Stokes State Forest on Spottos · Explore more places on Spottos