Mahwah is a recreational haven.
Pastoral community with an abundance of outdoor recreation
Mahwah is a pastoral community located amid the lush rolling mountains and green valleys at the northernmost end of Bergen County, New Jersey. Mahwah is a recreational haven, offering skiing, horseback riding, hiking, rafting, golf, camping, and many other outdoor activities. Real estate in Mahwah includes spectacular acreage estates with beautiful landscaping and captivating architecture. Landmark historic properties include Darlington, a three-story mansion built for railroad heir George Crocker in 1901. Other homes include magnificent contemporary masterpieces and luxurious single-family residences.
With around 26,500 residents, Mahwah is one of Bergen County’s most populated communities. This community is also the largest in Bergen County by land area, giving residents an abundance of open space. It has the closest ski area to New York City and many other outdoor activities for every season of the year. Mahwah is a great choice for commuters and there are also many companies headquartered within the community itself.
Mahwah is dotted with great locally-run restaurants that offer sumptuous eats and a friendly vibe. Wilkes Family Delicatessen has been run by members of the Wilkes family since 1938 and moved to its current location in the 1960s. This longtime local favorite has a great selection of gourmet cold cuts, salads, soups, sandwiches, and scrumptious bakery items. Sangria Mahwah is a romantic destination for Spanish-style tapas dining on meat, vegetable, and seafood small plates paired with wine and sangria.
Cozy French café and bakery Bon Appetit serves Parisian specialties such as stuffed croissants, vol-au-vents, macarons, and crêpes. Bon Appetit also has an elegant tea house offering a refined English high tea service. Kinchley’s Tavern is located just beyond Mahwah’s curving eastern boundary with Ramsey on the Franklin Turnpike. Many locals tout Kinchley’s as Bergen County’s best pizza spot. Kinchley’s has been in business since 1937 and its menu includes award-winning ultra-thin crust pies and an impressive rotating selection of craft beers on draft.
Mahwah residents enjoy access to some of Bergen County’s most impressive outdoor recreation areas. Darlington County Park covers 178 acres with woodland areas, open lawns, and three lakes. Two of these lakes feature white sand beaches and are designated for swimming while the other is open to fishing. Facilities at Darlington Park include children’s playgrounds, picnic areas, and handball and tennis courts.
Hidden amid the thick hardwood forest carpeting the Ramapo Mountain range foothills, the 18-hole Darlington Golf Course is a challenging public course in a beautiful setting. Ramapo Mountain State Forest spans a total of 4,200 acres between Bergen and Passaic Counties. This sprawling natural expanse is a popular site for canoeing, cross-country skiing, fishing and ice fishing, hiking, horseback riding, hunting, and mountain biking.
The 1351-acre Campgaw Mountain Reservation offers archery, camping, disc golf, fishing, picnicking, and hiking trails. The reservation’s Campgaw Ski Area is a premier skiing, snowboarding, and tubing spot. The Ramapo River flows through the west side of Mahwah and provides a scenic site for trout fishing and paddleboarding.
Mahwah is served by the Mahwah Township Public School District. Highlights include: