Eagle Rock Reservation

Really cool place for hiking. We drove up to the top, which boasts a great panoramic view of NYC, Newark, and North Jersey as well as a nicely done ⁹⁄₁₁ Memorial.
My friend and I took a hike on the yellow-​blazed Lenape Trail and had a good time — I’d definitely like to hike around here again in Spring /​Summer.

I didn’t even know this place existed!!!
Being a person who LOVES scenic places, I couldn’t help but relish in the beautiful views this places has to offer.
Definitely a must see if you are in this area.

Best view in the area. Great place to propose to your girlfriend. Relaxing atmosphere.

This is a good hiking park. In fall it’s a great time to see the colorful trees. Although I did have a mild issue with the trail being covered with leaves and a little slippery and hiding some rocks, but that was fine. When you hit the right temperature and the right scenery, it’s bliss.
There’s parking a few places along the winding road, but I do have to park up by the pavilion to see the city skyline. It’s just breathtaking and you can see all of Manhattan in front of you. There’s also a moving ⁹⁄₁₁ memorial and a beautiful gazebo as well as the Highlawn Pavilion restaurant, but that has a dress code and high prices. I’d like to eat there some day but I don’t think they’ll let sweaty hikers in.
The trails are pretty well marked, although I did get a little lot at some point. One of the trails goes right along the road which takes away from the ideal of being lost in nature. Most of it was an easy flat hike with only a couple places where you had to trek uphill. You are in a park in the middle of a city, so it’s good for taking some time for nature, but if you are an experienced hiker, you probably want something a little more challenging and a little more wild. For me, I want a chance to be in the quiet, enjoy the beauty of nature, and get a little exercise in, so this is a great place for doing that.

Nice place to have a panoramic view of the city.

Nice view of the Manhattan skyline. Couple trails for walking and horses. Most trials are flat and wide, making it perfect for easy and short hikes. Imagine would be nice for snow hike.

Absolutely majestic. The view of the NYC skyline, along with the newer 911 memorial, takes your breath away. Amazingly peaceful… a great place to have a picnic and enjoy some much needed solitude, as well as pay respect to those brave men and women who gave their lives for our city and country.

Very accessible September 11 Memorial in Eagle Rock Reservation. It is thought provoking. The view across the water with the NYC skyline is beautiful. The black granite wall lists the names of those who were lost. Looking at it with the New York skyline behind and the new Freedom Tower is very moving. Glad we took the time to stop there!

perfect Sunday well spent
i got lost on the trails for a few hours but it was worth it
i will be returning very soon and a lot more prepared.

«Kool Kidz Only»
This is the typical scenic lookout point that you picture the popular kids going to in movies (or the stoners). It may seem like you’re going towards the middle of nowhere at first, granted it was midnight and my friends and I were blind, but atop the hill lay the Eagle Rock Reservation. For such a late night, it was actually romantic seeing all the couples looking out towards New York City. It may seem a bit sketchy with people on the fields next to the parking lot smoking and doing who knows what on their blankets, but I guess the youth lives on. It’s a bit hard to take pictures if your camera has difficulty focusing at night, as many of my shots turned out blurry due to the lack of street lights above, but while my face was obscured, at least the view wasn’t. I can easily say that this place may become a new haven for me: one because it’s open late; two because it’s free parking; and three because when you look out, it really does take your breath away and remind you that there is another world aside from the chaos existent in life.

This is the perfect place to go if you just want to relax and just have a moment for yourself. There’s also a hiking trail there I’m not sure where exactly. You can see the New York skyline from there you could also go pay your respect to all the ⁹⁄₁₁ victims.

Incredible view of New York City. Mountain bike and hiking trails.

A great place to hike after a good snowfall. Absolutely stillness once you walk away from the road. Other than a lone woodpecker, there was not even one bird. Big enough, but not so large that you’ll get lost. Plus you can congratulate yourself for the better neighborhood once you see the smog which envelops New York City.

As a house/​cat sitter in Montclair I often walked and hiked here. It was only a mile from the house and I came early in the day. I rarely saw others, but its also open enough that I never felt unsafe. While you are in the heart of a busy suburban area here, you wont know it within 20 feet of entering the reservation. The paths are reasonably well marked, although they do get overgrown at times. You can enter and exit at many different points and its not really big enough to get lost in, but it is big enough to have a nice hour long or so challenging walk.
On a recent visit, it seems they have improved the parking lot, which I never used for a car but I had to walk through to get into the park. I look forward to hiking here again next month.

Yes, as all the others have said, this seems to be a great place to go hiking. But that’s not why I’m reviewing it. I don’t do the whole hiking thing. But I do the biking thing, and damn, it’s a bitch of a ride up, yet very fun on the way down. Just watch out for traffic. You get the occasional Jeff Gordon-​wannabe taking turns as if the trail is a NASCAR track.
If you’re a baller, it’s probably worth having a drink outdoors at the Highlawn Pavillion.
On a more serious note, do take the opportunity to check out the view of the NYC skyline at the top of the hill and reflect on the names of the deceased on the ⁹⁄₁₁ Memorial.

Great place.
1) The views here are amazing.
2) The parking is free.
3) The ⁹⁄₁₁ Memorial is truly wonderful.
4) They have hiking area.
4a) If you want to hike. The hiking area is opposite direction of the memorial. You will see a board showing trails. Find the yellow trail. And then go on the blue trail, which takes you all over the park.

I’m a fan and give this hiking experience 4 stars mainly because it’s practically in my backyard. Better marking the trails would bring my review up to 5 stars… the red trail seems to end in the middle of nowhere and after running into other hikers, found out that a lot of the trails aren’t clearly marked and end abruptly. But after familiarizing yourself with the area, you’ll be fine, whether on foot or on mountain bike. From Mountain Road follow up Snake Hill to a gravel parking lot on the right to enter into the reservation via the blue or yellow trails. Or drive up to the top by the 911 Memorial where they’ve recently paved a nice path along the road surrounding the perimeter of the park up towards Whole Foods, where there is another entrance into the reservation via the red trail (about an 8 mile hike).

A nice oasis of green in the middle of suburbia. The hiking trails aren’t especially long and serious hikers may find them a bit tame, but it’s definitely a nice walk if you live nearby. I don’t think I’d come from too far to hike here though.
The view from the parking lot is worth a stop if you haven’t seen it, as is the ⁹⁄₁₁ memorial.
Unlike others here I’ll review the restaurant separately, but I will say that if you want a spot for a romantic dinner get, a window seat on a clear and night the view is breathtaking.

Been hiking here several times. Well maintained, lots of trails to choose from. Easy to get to. Plenty of hiking near trail heads. Never saw a bear. I don’t really like seeing bears while hiking, even if they are Jersey Bears. Bears have teeth that are much bigger than mine. I’m pretty sure I loose in a fight with a bear.

I finally got a chance to go hiking here! Yay me!
On to the review. The moment you park your car, there is an amazing view of NYC waiting for you, in addition to the beautiful ⁹⁄₁₁ monument. The hike is pretty easy. There are only two main trails, yellow and blue. It’s half «forest-​hiking», half «suburb-​hiking». Half way, the trail sort of ends. You start to hike in a residential area. There are still yellow markings on the tree to guide you. The yellow trail leads to the beautiful Verona Park! I was not expecting that. My friend and I rented a paddle boat and enjoy riding on the lake. The yellow trail loops back to the parking lot, hiking the same trail back.
All in all, there’s a really great place to hang out during warm weather.