places where you won't be able to wipe the wag off your dog's tail - Boonton NJ
The Park
Hikers had been coming to Pyramid Mountain for decades to enjoy the wilderness but it wasn’t until 1987, when the spectre of expanding suburbia raised its ugly head, that grassroots efforts led to the creation of a permanent public open space. The Pyramid Mountain Natural Historic Area now protects more than 1,500 acres of varied trails, fields, forests and wetlands.
The Walks
There is quite a menu for canine hikers at Pyramid Mountain. Looking for views? Exposed promontories will provide long looks to the mountains in the west or as far as New York City to the east. Want a waterside ramble? Check out the Orange Trail that works the slopes under a rocky ridge along the Taylortown Reservoir. Like to poke around ruins? You’ll find old homesteads and the remains of stone cottages along the Pyramid Mountain trails. Seeking a leafy ravine to escape to with your dog? You can do it here.Across Boonton Avenue there is actually more parkland than the Pyramid Mountain side. The terrain is less flashy but you will find picturesque wetlands, views of the New York skyline and long, uninterrupted stretches of easily rolling woods walking. Depending on your route - and there are many choices - you can get five miles or so of canine hiking on the east side of the park.
Where The Paw Meets The Earth: Mostly soft dirt
Workout For Your Dog - Plenty of short, steep climbs
Swimming - The Orange Trail drops to the lake for some excellent dog paddling and Botts Pond is a good swimming hole on the east side
Restrictions On Dogs - None
Something Extra
Pyramid Mountain is best known for its glacial erratics - boulders that were sprinkled across the landscape by retreating ice sheets from the last Ice Age. The most famous is Tripod Rock, a boulder various estimated at between 150 and 200 tons, that is suspended heroically off the ground by three smaller stones. Nearby notable neighbors include two massive monoliths: Whale Head Rock and Bear Rock.
Phone - (973) 334-3130
Admission Fee - None
Directions - Boonton, Morris County; from I-287 take Exit 45 onto Wooten Street, turning left from northbound or onto Myrtle Avenue and turning right southbound. Go up the hill to the blinking red light and turn right onto Boonton Avenue (Route 511). Proceed to the park entrance on the left after 2.5 miles.
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