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485:, built in the early 1900s by Clifford MacEvoy. Mr. MacEvoy relocated the tower to Ryecliff and enclosed it in mountain stone so as to blend in with the house itself as well as the natural environment. The Observation Tower stands 65 feet (19.8 m) high at a ground elevation of 825 feet (251.5 m). Its five stories include two floors with
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In 1976, the majority of
Ryecliff's area was conveyed, by the trustee of the MacEvoy estate, to the State of New Jersey to become what is now the "Ramapo Mountain State Forest". The state forest built a network of hiking trails with the help of the New Jersey Youth Conservation Corps in 1978, some of
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manor house, designed by Mr. MacEvoy for his wife and his daughter. He named the estate RyeCliff after his wife's maiden name, Ryerson, and his first name, Clifford. Another mansion was also built on top of a hill overlooking Ramapo Lake, it was destroyed in a tragic fire one New Year's Eve many
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Nestled at the top of the mountain, however the private
Ryecliff estate, complete with tennis court, guest house, horse stable, private pond, and of course the Tower that can be seen for miles around. The Ryecliff estate has recently been put up for sale.
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skyline. The 1,417 acres (5.73 km) Ramapo Lake
Natural Area within the park has several trails to excellent views from rock outcroppings and ledges. A 120-acre (0.5 km) mountain lake provides fishing and birdwatching (but no
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and, on the fifth floor, the room contains a fireplace. A hatch on the fifth floor leads to a roof with incredible views of Ramapo Park and Lake, the
Wanaque Reservoir, mountains to the west and to the east, New York City.
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In the 1920s
Clifford MacEvoy began buying up property and deeds to form the Bergen Country Hunting and Fishing Club. At about this time, a small pond located on the property called "Roten" pond (Dutch for
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in the early 1990s by the NJ Department of
Transportation. A footbridge was built over the highway along the Cannonball Trail to mitigate this issue.
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The property was abandoned by the 1950s. It was subsequently burned by vandals. The site is accessible to hikers.
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which are still in use today. The forest was unfortunately sliced in two by the controversial extension of
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At some point around 1920 – 1928 a tower was added to the top of the mountain. It was originally a
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in Bergen and
Passaic counties. It is part of a trail system which runs along the ridge of the
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A good, but unofficial, page on the history of the area, with photographs
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Stream along the MacEvoy Trail in Ramapo
Mountain State Forest.
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NY-NJTC: Ramapo
Mountain State Forest Trail Details and Info
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http://www.state.nj.us/dep/parksandforests/parks/ramapo.html
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654:"6 great hikes in New Jersey to experience this Fall"
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49:. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.
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428:In 1924, at the top of the mountain he built a
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693:NY NJ CT Botany, Ramapo Mountain State Forest
617:"The Ruins of Van Slyke Castle in New Jersey"
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330:. The park is operated and maintained by the
1245:List of New Jersey wildlife management areas
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1381:New Jersey Division of Parks and Forestry
421:), was dammed up to form the much larger
332:New Jersey Division of Parks and Forestry
285:New Jersey Division of Parks and Forestry
109:Learn how and when to remove this message
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1301:New Jersey Coastal Heritage Trail Route
481:erected on the site of what is now the
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677:New York - New Jersey Trail Conference
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369:. Several trails lead to views of the
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408:, a popular destination for hikers.
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1330:List of nature centers in New Jersey
941:National Estuarine Research Reserves
47:adding citations to reliable sources
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1435:Parks in Passaic County, New Jersey
671:Chazin, Daniel (October 21, 2016).
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16:Forest in New Jersey, United States
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1430:Parks in Bergen County, New Jersey
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1420:State forests of the Appalachians
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444:The house includes a screened in
404:The forest contains the ruins of
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577:List of New Jersey state forests
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383:Ramapo Valley County Reservation
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870:National wild and scenic rivers
34:needs additional citations for
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582:List of New Jersey state parks
58:"Ramapo Mountain State Forest"
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314:is a 4,200-acre (17 km)
209:Show map of the United States
312:Ramapo Mountain State Forest
197:Ramapo Mountain State Forest
161:Ramapo Mountain State Forest
124:Ramapo Mountain State Forest
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1281:Garret Mountain Reservation
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1291:South Mountain Reservation
1286:Sourland Mountain Preserve
1010:Delaware and Raritan Canal
842:Pinelands National Reserve
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257:41.0328056°N 74.2518250°W
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1415:New Jersey state forests
658:North Jersey Media Group
544:), originally known as
381:The forest borders the
276:4,200-acre (17 km)
262:41.0328056; -74.2518250
1276:Eagle Rock Reservation
883:Great Egg Harbor River
852:National scenic trails
532:41.044861°N 74.26278°W
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173:Show map of New Jersey
1085:Princeton Battlefield
834:Other protected areas
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1296:Watchung Reservation
1070:Monmouth Battlefield
778:Paterson Great Falls
537:41.044861; -74.26278
359:cross-country skiing
43:improve this article
1115:Washington Crossing
1065:Long Pond Ironworks
990:Barnegat Lighthouse
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387:Ringwood State Park
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985:Allamuchy Mountain
893:Musconetcong River
819:Delaware Water Gap
793:National monuments
708:Good Mountain View
635:"Van Slyke Castle"
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916:Edwin B. Forsythe
860:Appalachian Trail
801:Statue of Liberty
639:www.sitesofnj.com
569:New Jersey portal
483:Wanaque Reservoir
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391:Ramapo Mountains
363:horseback riding
337:The park offers
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297:Official website
281:Operated by
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32:This article
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1374:Union County
1372:
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1360:Essex County
1358:
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1268:Nature parks
1224:Round Valley
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1173:Norvin Green
1080:Pigeon Swamp
1050:Island Beach
1035:Hacklebarney
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326:Counties in
316:state forest
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248:74°15′6.57″W
245:41°1′58.10″N
203:Location in
167:Location in
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41:Please help
36:verification
33:
1198:Worthington
1000:Cheesequake
972:State parks
921:Great Swamp
535: /
520:41°2′41.5″N
479:water tower
454:family room
450:living room
423:Ramapo Lake
355:ice fishing
353:(including
260: /
235:Coordinates
1409:Categories
1229:Spruce Run
1168:Jenny Jump
1163:Green Bank
1153:Belleplain
1148:Bass River
1105:Swartswood
1040:High Point
773:Morristown
748:New Jersey
588:References
523:74°15′46″W
448:, a large
328:New Jersey
169:New Jersey
69:newspapers
1125:Wawayanda
1045:Hopatcong
1030:Fort Mott
496:Route 287
458:fireplace
397:and into
1353:Category
1110:Voorhees
1100:Stephens
1095:Ringwood
1090:Rancocas
911:Cape May
555:See also
546:Foxcroft
376:swimming
347:canoeing
229:Counties
219:Location
1425:Ramapos
1393:Commons
1193:Wharton
1060:Liberty
980:Allaire
824:Gateway
756:Federal
430:granite
419:muskrat
412:History
351:fishing
343:hunting
324:Passaic
291:Website
227:Passaic
83:scholar
1259:County
1214:Atsion
1188:Stokes
1075:Parvin
1020:Edison
487:toilet
438:stucco
339:hiking
320:Bergen
223:Bergen
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1314:Other
1025:Farny
963:State
446:porch
434:brick
90:JSTOR
76:books
1178:Penn
436:and
378:).
365:and
322:and
273:Area
225:and
62:news
746:of
357:),
318:in
45:by
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