Hawk Watch at Wildcat Ridge Wildlife Management Area

Wildcat Ridge Wildlife Management Area

View from the Hawk Watch - Photo credit: Jeremy Apgar View from the Hawk Watch - Photo credit: Jeremy Apgar Hikers at the Hawk Watch - Photo by Daniel Chazin Hikers at the Hawk Watch - Photo by Daniel Chazin

This loop hike in the Farny Highlands climbs to a panoramic viewpoint over the Rockaway Valley from the Hawk Watch and goes by an interesting beaver pond.

40.954413, -74.47914

From the kiosk, continue ahead (southwest) for 100 feet on the gravel road, then turn left onto another gravel road and pass between two metal gateposts. You’re now following the route of the orange-blazed Hibernia Brook Trail. In another 100 feet (before reaching a locked gate), follow the orange-blazed trail as it turns right, leaving the gravel road, and enters the woods on a footpath. The...

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Trip Reports

rate experience
April 16, 2018
0
Mileage checked, between 2.4-2.5 miles
<p>Glad you enjoyed the hike!&nbsp; I haven't been up to the Hawk Watch in a few years, but it's a neat area for sure.</p> <p>I checked the mileage for this particular hike, and it is about 2.4-2.5 miles based on our accurate GIS-based track of the route.&nbsp; A straight-line measurement of the trails is about 2.4 miles, but an additional 0.1 mile can be added to account for elevation and fine trail wiggles that might not be captured by the track.</p> <p>I'm not sure how you arrived at a mileage of 3.25 miles, but since you indicate you followed this hike exactly, my guess is the track mileage from your GPS unit or phone may have been too high.&nbsp; Often, GPS readings can be fairly reliable, but there can be times where they are not quite correct due to a variety of potential errors.&nbsp; A GPS distance can sometimes differ based on type of device, the collection interval on the device, or even within different apps in a smartphone device.&nbsp; Other errors can also creep in, such as poor GPS satellite configurations and GPS wandering if you are stationary for a while (such as if you were at the Hawk Watch for an extended period of time).</p> <div class="views-field views-field-comment-body"> <div class="field-content"> <p>~Jeremy, TC Cartographer</p> </div> </div>
Jeremy Apgar
April 14, 2018
4
Mileage incorrect
Great hike. Note that mileage is actually 3.25 mi following the directions here exactly.
erik3
August 15, 2016
0
Hike description has been updated
<p>I rehiked this hike today. &nbsp;I, too, had trouble finding the trailhead, and I agree that description needed to be clarified. &nbsp;I have now updated the description, and I think that the revised description makes it easy to find the trailhead. &nbsp;The yellow trail has indeed been reblazed, and I have incorporated this trail into the hike.</p>
Daniel Chazin
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