Wawayanda Mountain is a plateau making up the Eastern edge of the Vernon Valley. It is most famous for its section of the AT, known as the "Stairway to Heaven" and its Pinwheel Vista, which provides magnificent Westward views. The actual summit of Wawayanda Mountain is trailless but the easiest access to the top is via an old woods road, which skirts the summit rise. Those seeking an advanced challenge may bushwhack to the summit from the Pinwheel Vista using a map and compass or a GPS.
| Elevation | 1460 |
| Decimal degrees | 41.1977, -74.4575 |
| County | Sussex |
| Ownership | public |
| Owner | Wawayanda State Park |
| Topo map | Acme Mapper |
| Nearest higher neighbor | Hamburg Mountain High Point |
Trip Reports
Mike Merunka on 05/19/2021
Came up pinwheel then across ridge. Reached summit at 2000hrs. Gotta move fast now!
Brian Shultis on 11/29/2020
Parked at the Pochuck Boardwalk trail head. Walked the boardwalk and took the AT up to Pinwheel Vista. From there continued to the mailbox and made a right onto the blue blazed trail. Hard to follow at times but took this until the trail was perpendicular to the summit. Bushwhacked over a small bump and intersected a woods road below the summit. Bushwhacked up to the highest point and found a small cairn at the top. On the way back I followed the woods road until it appeared to not be taking me back in the right direction and then bushwhacked back to the blue trail and retraced my steps to the car.
Robbie Masso on 05/20/2020
John Rushman (Doc) on 01/16/2020
A nice walk on a cold, windy day. Went from AT parking lot to Pinwheel Vista and then made a right turn at the mailbox. The route along the ridge was in pretty good condition with blue blazes. About 1/4 mile from the high point, the blue trail split. The left (eastern) spur went closer to the true summit and required only about 100 yards of bushwhacking. A fair number of other hikers took the route to Pinwheel Vista (surprising to me on a cold Thursday morning), but no one on the blue trail.
Steve Welgoss on 11/23/2019
White trail to blue trail before whacking the final 1/4 mile straight to the summit. Came across a bunch of huge turkeys on the way back down. Really nice day to be out on the trails.
Pictures from Wawayanda Mountain
Stairway to Heaven. —Eric Koppel
View from the Pinwheel Vista. —Eric Koppel
Wawayanda Mountain as seen from the AT. —Eric Koppel
Icy view-Pinwheel vista —William Maurer (Hoosier)
Old AT junction —William Maurer (Hoosier)
Iced trees —William Maurer (Hoosier)
Wawayanda's summit —William Maurer (Hoosier)
