Terrace Pond North Loop Trail

Terrace Pond North Loop Trail is a loop hike in Wawayanda State Park’s Terrace Pond area that’s built around ridgeline hiking to Terrace Pond. The route runs about 5 to 7.4 miles round-trip depending on which loop/side options you include with the north loop segment.

The trail character is rugged and rocky: expect stretches of mostly flat ridge trail but also slabby rock and some scrambling, plus steeper ups/downs at points. Footing matters—portions can be wet, and several sections involve navigating uneven rock surfaces and short hands-on scrambles.

Blazes for the Terrace Pond North Loop are blue, and the north loop is tied into the broader trail network with a connector that uses black dots on blue. If you’re moving through junctions that offer straight-through versus turn options, prioritize staying on the blue loop marking when you intend to complete the loop.

A key payoff is Terrace Pond itself, reached from the east side along the north loop route, then returned via junctions that bring you back to the blue circuit. There’s also a protected crossing feature at the pond’s outlet: a floating walkway is part of the system for getting across in a way that avoids the older, log-and-mud style crossing.

Plan on multiple rocky overlooks and pond viewpoints as the route alternates between ridge walking and lower, wetter ground near pond-adjacent terrain. You’ll also encounter a gas line cut during the loop, which forms part of the open/edge hiking before you re-enter the woods.

The route is managed as a loop-focused experience that was updated with new connections and blazes to reduce lost hikers and simplify navigation through the Terrace Pond trail area (with changes implemented by the New York–New Jersey Trail Conference starting around 2020).

More information: Terrace Pond North | njHiking.com, Abraham Hewitt State Park - Yo Hike This!, Terrace Pond North Loop – Wawayanda State Park