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    Stanley Deming Park

    5.0 (1 review)
    Open 6:00 am - 9:00 pm

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    7 years ago

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    Stairway to Heaven

    Stairway to Heaven

    4.5(93 reviews)
    5.6 mi

    **We just did the boardwalk then into the woods. We did not continue on to the Stairway**…read more I've lived in NJ over 30 years and I'm still pleasantly surprised when I find new places. My NY plus size hiking group stuck to the Jersey side last weekend and hit the boardwalk. It rained 2 days before so some of the older sections were mighty slick. All Trails reviews warned of dog poop and bugs everywhere but I was doused in OFF and people were cleaning up after their pets. Highlights: The vegetation was gorgeous. NJ has so many landscapes. Loved it. The suspension bridge - very cute but once you get to the middle prepare to sway baby! The woods - the trees were singing but unfortunately one half of the loop was submerged so we called it a day early and then went for beer lmao The Boardwalk is accessible to a point. Strollers, wheelchairs, etc will be good until the suspension bridge. Lots of bench seating along the way. Loved! Things to Know: Parking rules. This is in a neighborhood so park on the main road and main road only. Get there early for a spot. There's a farm right up the street - I was counting on apple cider donuts but we opted to go to a brewery on the NY side so we skipped that. Boo. I'll be back for the stairway one day. And the donuts.

    I did the Stairway to Heaven hike and let me tell you. It was a tough one. I parked in one of the…read morelots that was across the street from Heaven hill farm. If you search up this particular trail and look up its difficultly. It is listed as moderate but to me it was more hard. What made it difficult was the extremely rocky sections which there were a lot of them. The whole hike is pretty much rocky. Not only that there were steep sections during this hike. This hike definitely made me realize that I actually need to invest in proper hiking shoes and not just sneakers as well as hiking sticks. I'm not the only one who thought this hike was difficult. I went with a hiking group and we all thought it was challenging. Once we made it to the top the view was definitely beautiful. We decided to relax for a bit and enjoy the view before heading back down. I came prepared and I enjoyed my peanut butter and jelly sandwich and my iced lemon water. Both were hitting the spot after the hike up. I will admit going down was just as hard because you had to deal with steep terrain. If you aren't careful you can definitely roll an ankle. Overall a challenging hike but the view and then getting my goodies from heaven hill farm was a plus.

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    Stairway to Heaven
    Stairway to Heaven
    Stairway to Heaven

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    Sterling Forest State Park

    Sterling Forest State Park

    4.4(20 reviews)
    6.3 mi

    We've hiked in Sterling Forest several times and have enjoyed the experience! Typically less…read morecrowded than Harriman State Park and others in the area, Sterling has a very nice visitor center with clean bathrooms, a helpful light up model of the forest, a store, and friendly staff to help with any questions. The parking lot is decent sized too. They have some varied hikes but most aren't too difficult. Whether you want lakes, forests or views you can get them here. Many of the trails also connect if you want to make them longer or shorter. Some of the hikes like Mckeags in the summer can be very tick ridden so do all the usual precautions. There's spotty reception in this area so if you're using All Trails or other app, you'll want offline view.

    I loved my hike 5 mile hike in Sterling Forest State Park. We did the Doris Duke loop which was…read morejust under 5 miles. We started the hike going clockwise, and in so doing did most of the elevation gain at the start of the hike. I found the path to be very comfortable to walk on, with less rocks and exposed tree roots than typical for NYS. I was also very surprised at how peace full it was, we did not see another living soul until we were 2/3s of the way through the hike, and then didn't see anyone else until we got to the parking lot. I was all set to only hike in this park going forward, because Harriman can get way too busy for me, and then the ticks started. SO MANY Ticks. I hike frequently and ticks are a fact of life in the north east, but this was next level tick infestation. I tuck my pant bottoms into my boots and spray tick repellent on my clothes, boots, and arms. We were pulling them off ourselves in the car on the drive home, and then off ourselves at home. Thank god they were the large size kind of tick and easy to see. I have never seen so many ticks at one time. 100% avoid Sterling Forest.

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    Sterling Forest State Park
    Sterling Forest State Park
    Sterling Forest State Park

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    Surprise Lake ll

    Surprise Lake ll

    4.4(5 reviews)
    4.8 mi

    Medium level hike with great scenery. Not much elevation but part of the trail is rocky. Wear your…read morehiking shoes instead of sneakers, otherwise you will get a foot massage like I did today =) It's a good 3-4hours hike. Parking lot is 50 meters away from the entrance. Hiking might require hands at some points but overall it's smooth and agreeable. Following white trail, then at the crossing of white trail and yellow trail (2.5hours hike), you will enjoy the great view from the top of the mountain. Then follow the yellow trial for 30mins, surprise lake is right in front of you. It's surrounded by the forests with the branches of the trees touching the water. A soft breeze from the lake is very refreshing after a long hot hike. Follow the orange trail, you will get to the entrance nicely and easily. Def worth a visit if you like hiking.

    For an inexperienced party of hikers, this trail might not be the best choice, but we had a…read moregrueling and fulfilling hike. With ample breaks (~10 short water breaks and 3-4 longer breaks to admire scenery), we finished in 5.5 hours. If a short but rough bit of rock scrambling will be a challenge, make sure to bring gloves and proper hiking footwear, and durable fitted clothing. The path we took had varied terrain and tended to go up and down in elevation. Definitely download a hiking app that works without good phone service since there are multiple trails and we had multiple instances where we had to choose the correct direction. We brought 2 bottles of ice water each, but decidedly towards the end we should have really brought 4-5. Didn't see any wildlife except a hawk/falcon, plenty of millipedes, and a weird alien-like squirming worm sticking straight out of a tree looking like a stubby branch. Pathing: we started at the parking lot and followed the blue state line trail (which apparently leads to Maine, informed fellow hikers). We probably missed any views until we changed to the yellow trail (the beginning is denoted by three yellow squares, as well soon learned). On the yellow trail, we were soon treated with a small, private feeling view of a pond next to a campfire pit. The next viewing area consisted of a closeup experience of the same pond from the ground level. After another hour of hiking, we had our best view yet, a canopy high view of the river and small houses across, with trees as far as the eye can see. Seemed worth it after four hours of rocks and mud. Terrain: Short easy walking portions are split between rocky paths with the occasional climb up or down. Having a stick really helped during both parts. Watch out for slick mossy rocks. Weather: matters! We luckily came on a cloudy cool summer day (70-80F) and with shade and breeze it was very pleasant. I could imagine running out of water in the first two hours if it was sunny and hotter. Unluckily, it rained during the last hour as it became afternoon. It will be very hard to hike this trail without sunlight. It also became frigidly cold. Crowdiness: crossed about 10 hikers during the five hours, could be due to the rain warning, but still much less crowded compared to any other spots I've been to. Also saw almost no trash, thumbs up to all the hikers here. Danger: heard about snakes, never saw any. Most dangerous thing on the trail is probably the dwarves that surely live in the trees with the little doors, and slick rocks along with unsure footing. Few scrapes and bruised backsides can be expected for amateur hikers like us, especially when it rains. Feels amazing after we finished, my last hour of the journey nearly blank with desperation to reach the end. Good meal and foot massage ahead! tl;dr fairly difficult trail with ups and downs and rock scrambling, bring more water than you think you need, a hat, gloves, sunscreen if you like, a stick, good shoes, and a tested hiking app. Views depend on the trail you take, we got the best views on the yellow trail. Be careful and enjoy being nearly alone on the trail. Don't stay til dark, and run from the rain.

    Photos
    Surprise Lake ll
    Surprise Lake ll - Beautiful and peaceful lake

    Beautiful and peaceful lake

    Surprise Lake ll - The eagle in the sky

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    The eagle in the sky

    Stanley Deming Park - parks - Updated September 2026

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