15-Jul-2005 -- After attending a scientific conference near New York City, I had an extra day to explore the area, so I decided to visit this confluence in suburban northeast New Jersey. The confluence is only a few miles from where I was born (Ridgewood, NJ), and my first home, in Saddle River, where I lived when I was a baby, is also nearby.

The confluence is located in a wooded area, a short distance (roughly 100 meters) east of the Hackensack River. There are several residential streets within about a quarter mile of the confluence, but these approaches involve crossing private property, something I prefer to avoid if at all possible. The approach I used, while somewhat longer, does not cross any private land, as far as I can tell. On the east bank of the Hackensack, south of Old Tappan Road, there is a narrow ribbon of public land and a trail. The trailhead, which includes a small parking area, is located near a sharp curve on Old Tappan Road, just to the south of a bridge and the intersection of Old Tappan Road with Rivervale Road. From the trailhead, the confluence is 1.33 km to the south-southeast.

The trail is flat and easy to follow, and I was able to get within about 100 meters of the confluence before I had to leave the trail. Deer flies bothered me for much of the way, especially near the river, but at the confluence there were none. Because of the tree cover and GPS drift, I was frustrated in my attempts to get all zeroes, so I settled for getting within 10 meters, took my pictures, and started back.