Leaving Times the park is about 60 miles from Manhattan and takes about 75 minutes to get there. The park closes when a certain number of people come into the park, usually never before 10:00. Once the park closes, you generally can't get back into the park until after 3PM. So I want everyone there as of 9:30 AM, so no one gets into any issues.
We will be at the park all day, with food galore, but PLEASE LEAVE ON TIME!
WHEN THE WEATHER IS NICE, THE PARK OFTEN CAN CLOSE AS EARLY AS 10 OR 10:15 AM AND STAY CLOSED UNTIL 3PM
AS SUCH. I WANT US ALL TO GET THERE BY 9:30 AM, SO IN CASE PEOPLE GET LOST THEY WILL HAVE A CUSHION AND WILL NOT BE CLOSED OUT.
DON'T TAKE THIS LIGHTLY OR YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO GET IN FOR THE EVENT
UNTIL PERHAPS 3 PM OR LATER.DO NOT EXPECT TO COME AT 10:20 AND HOPE TO GET IN
- GET THERE AT 9:30/10AM OR EARLIER, TO ENSURE YOU WILL BE FINE.
Here is the time you LATEST TIME that should LEAVE YOUR LAST PICKUP/leave your house - leaving earlier is encouraged.
I hope to be in the park as of 7:30am! These times are designed to get you
to the park at 9:30 am or so.
Manhattan, Northern & Central NJ 7:45 AM
Brooklyn, Queens, Long Island 7:30 AM
Teaneck, Monsey 8:00 AM
Driving Costs
If we arranged a ride for you, please pay your driver upon entering your vehicle $20 this includes the $10 park entrance fee. If we have sent you with a rental car or van, the cost will likely be between $25 and $35. We will base it on all the receipts, so be prepared to pay something in this range, to the driver, who is laying out the money and doing us all a favor by driving people.
PLEASE DO NOT SOLEY USE YOUR GPS!!
As an example of what happens, at a recent event in a large park like this
one, the only cars out of more than a dozen cars to get lost were those that
used GPS - the parks I go to are not always well mapped in GPS units -
sometimes there are multiple entrances, etc. I spend some time to make the
directions as simple as possible, so just follow them and you will get
there! Its especially important this week, given the time we need to get to
the park.
Here are the exact GPS coordinates to the entrance to the park -
Latitude 41.197361 Longitude 74.396399
Here are GPS Coordinates to the parking lot we are meeting at within the park
Lat. 41.188391901533144 Lon. 74.42533493041992
You can use the parks address to get close to out location, but you will need to use the directions to find us in the park
Wawayanda State Park
885 Warwick Turnpike
Hewitt, NJ 07421
(973) 853-4462
For those who want a rough idea where we are, here is an address that is
nearby:
885 Warwick Turnpike, Hewitt, NJ 07421
This is a bit before the park, on the same road. We plan to be in Wawayanda State Park for the entire day.
Fee for entering the park
Please note that there is a $10 fee for entering the park, per car. For those who take 2 or more passengers, this is included in the $20 fee per passenger.
FOR THOSE COMING JUST TO THE AFTERNOON BBQ -
The park typically reopens around 3 or 3:30pm, or when enough people have left -
please call the park around 1 or 2pm at (973) 853-4462 to see when they
think they will open. If you come into the park at 4pm or later, you can
avoid the $10 per car entrance fee.
CARPOOL RATES, FOR TOLLS - if you have 3 people in you car, you can pay a $1
toll for the GW, & the Lincoln & Holland Tunnel. Here is how you do it:
If you haven't already, you can sign up with EZPass via phone for the
commuter rate of $1 for the GW, Lincoln and Holland Tunnels -
1. Call EZPASS - you just call them 1 time and sign your account up for the
port authority Carpool Plan - then everytime, do as below
Port Authority Carpool Plan
(Available all hours)
Toll rate is $1.00 and is available to all E-ZPass customers who subscribe
to the Port Authority Carpool Plan. The plan requires that there are three
or more people in a vehicle with non-commercial plates.
Customers must use staffed "Cash-EZPass" lane and come to a complete stop so
that the toll collector can verify the number of occupants in the vehicle.
DIRECTIONS TO WAWAYANDA STATE PARK
We are meeting at the PARKING LOT NEXT TO THE BOATHOUSE, WITHIN WAWAYANDA
STATE PARK. I am going early to attempt to secure the picnic area right next
to the boat house, the only one in the area. If someone else has that, then
we will be in the picnic area next to the boating area.
The hikes and the boating leave from the same place, the boating area. Next
to the parking lot there is a large field that we will use for volleyball,
Frisbee, etc. See you there!
From New York City & Long Island - Manhattan, Riverdale, Brooklyn, Queens,
LI
Take the George Washington Bridge to NJ - follow the signs for ROUTE 80 WEST
Follow Route 80 for about 15 miles, until Exit 53.
TAKE EXIT 53, and follow the signs for RT. 23 NORTH, towards Butler.
Continue on RT 23 NORTH, for about 15 MILES. Very soon (within 1 mile or
less) , you will come to UNION VALLEY ROAD/CR 513 ( COUNTY ROUTE 513).
PAY ATTENTION, ITS EASY TO MISS THE JUNCTION - the signs might say Union
Valley Road or CR 513 or both. You might also see signs for a town called
Newfoundland right around the junction, and/or signs for Wawayanda State
Park.
Make a RIGHT, onto UNION VALLEY ROAD/CR 513 (County Route 513) North,
towards West Milford ( 513 starts here, so you can't make a mistake).
Follow Union Valley Road/CR 513 (County Route 513) for about 8.5 miles
miles, through the town of West Milford ( following signs for Wawayanda and
Upper Greenwood Lake). Make sure to stay on Union Valley Road/CR 513 (
County Route 513) as you go through West Milford - you will have to make a
slight left turn around 7 miles to stay on Union Valley Road/CR 513 (
County Route 513).
At about 8.5 miles, you will come to a Y intersection, at a junction with
Warwick Turnpike.
Make a LEFT onto WARWICK TURNPIKE , heading towards Upper Greenwood Lake (
you will also see signs for Wawayanda State Park pointing to the left here -
I was just there in June!)
Continue along WARWICK TURNPIKE for about 4 miles, until you come to signs
for WAWAYANDA STATE PARK. Pay attention, it is possible to pass them by.
Make a LEFT into the park. Pay the entrance fee at the park entrance window.
DIRECTIONS WITHIN WAWAYANDA TO OUR BASE LOCATION -
Follow the signs within the park to Wawayanda Lake/Boating Area, about 3 miles within the park. You
will come to the first parking lot, right next to the lake where the beach
is. Make a left into this parking lot.
As you enter this first parking lot, you will see signs for the boating
area, at the back left side of this first parking lot. Follow the signs to
the second parking lot, for boating/fishing. PARK in the second lot towards
the FRONT LEFTMOST PART of the SECOND PARKING LOT AT THE BOAT LAUNCH AREA.
Assuming I get there early enough, we will be at the PICNIC TABLES to the
LEFT OF THE BOAT RENTAL HOUSE, located along the lake at the front of the
parking lot.
PLEASE NOTE - If the Boat House picnic tables are taken for some reason and
you don't see our group, go back and park at the back of the first parking
lot, by the beach area. There is a large BBQ area in the trees at the
further point away from the lake, at the back of the first parking lot,
along the right side of the road you drove along between the first and
second parking lots. Odds are we will be at the boat house picnic tables
though, so you can ignore this note if that is the case!
From Northern/Central NJ - ( Passaic, Teaneck, Elizabeth, etc.)
Take the Garden State Parkway or the Turnpike North, to Route 80.
Get onto ROUTE 80 WEST, and then follow as above under 'From New York City &
Long Island"
