Stairway to Heaven

Stairway to Heaven At A Glance...

• Slabs of rock are set into the steepest part of the Appalachian Trail as steps, which is where the Stairway to Heaven name comes from.
• Pinwheel's Vista looks over the Vernon Valley to the Kittatinny Ridge, and the High Point Monument can be seen on a clear day.
• A short side trip past the vista leads to an Appalachian Trail mailbox with a log book for through-hikers to sign.
• Join the hike to the Pochuck Boardwalk, the longest elevated boardwalk on the whole Appalachian Trail, for a 7.3-mile day.
• Todays Sunrise: 6:38 am,   Sunset: 4:44 pm  
• New Jersey Skylands Region Sussex County
• Stairway to Heaven is part of  Wawayanda State Park

• Activities:

  • Hiking

  Amenities:

  • Parking Lot(s)

  Trails:

  • Rugged / Rocky
  • Natural Surface (Dirt/Roots/Rocks)

  Park Type:

  • Scenic Areas (overlooks/waterfalls)

Contact / Location

Trail & Path Info

From the lot, follow the white blazes of the Appalachian Trail. The way is easy until the woods, then it passes through a large boulder field and starts the steep climb up Wawayanda Mountain. At about 0.7 miles, Annie's Bluff is a limited viewpoint by a large rock, easy to miss. It is a bit more than halfway to the top, and the climb gets steeper and rockier from there.

At about 1.2 miles, look for a very large pile of rocks (a cairn) on the left. A blue-blazed side trail starts there and leads to Pinwheel's Vista. If you reach a mailbox with an Appalachian Trail log book on a tree, you passed the turn. Follow the blue blazes to the outcrop, where there are several places to sit, and work back along it to see the view from different angles.

Stay on the marked path. Signs and rope lines in places are there to keep hikers off ground that is eroding. Retrace your steps to return.

Things to See & Do

Pinwheel's Vista looks down on farms in the Vernon Valley, with Heaven Hill Farm in the valley below and Pochuck Mountain in front of the long Kittatinny Ridge. On a clear day you can pick out the High Point Monument along that ridge, though the tall white obelisk can blend into the sky, so binoculars or a zoom lens help. The Shawangunk and Catskill mountains in New York may show far off to the right.

For a short extra, walk back to the pile of rocks after the vista and turn left onto the white-blazed trail. About 0.2 miles round trip takes you to a mailbox on a tree with an Appalachian Trail log book, where through-hikers sign in.

For a longer day, start instead from the Pochuck Boardwalk side, which njHiking.com measures at 7.3 miles round trip to the vista. The Appalachian Trail Conservancy calls the Pochuck Boardwalk the longest elevated boardwalk on the whole Appalachian Trail.

Tips and Tricks

The rocks can be muddy and slippery after heavy rain, so pick a dry day. Wear shoes with good grip and allow about two hours up and down. Black bears are common along the Appalachian Trail in New Jersey, so make some noise and never leave food unattended.

Camping on the Appalachian Trail in New Jersey is limited to designated sites, and campfires are not allowed. Leave the trail as you found it and carry out what you carry in.

Facilities

There are no restrooms at the trailhead. Heaven Hill Farm market, close by on Route 94, sells ice cream and baked goods, and Vernon has gas stations and restaurants.

Parking

The trailhead lot on Route 94 is a small dirt lot with room for about 6 or 7 cars and no charge, and it fills often, especially on weekends and in fall. Just past it is an overflow lot along the road, paid online through the ParkMobile app; check the posted rate there. Cell service at the trailhead can be weak, so set up the app before you go.

Directions

The lot is on Route 94 (Vernon Warwick Road) in Vernon Township, across the road from Heaven Hill Farm. From Route 287, take Route 23, then the exit for Route 515 north, and follow Route 515 into Route 94 to the lot on the right just before the farm.

Heaven Hill Farm is a farm market across the road, and Wawayanda State Park has lakes, trails and more hiking. The Pochuck Boardwalk starts nearby, and crossing Route 94 links it to the Stairway to Heaven climb.

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