Mountain Lakes

Mountain Lakes is located in north-central New Jersey. Herbert J. Hapgood came to Mountain Lakes in 1910, and over the next dozen years, built this planned community of large, Arts-and-Crafts-style houses on this beautiful landscape as summer homes for New Yorkers. After the Lackawanna Railroad built a station here in 1912, people began making Mountain Lakes a permanent residence.

On top of the excellent reputation of the public school system, consistently ranked among the top in the state, two long-standing traditions attract many to the borough. Given the beauty of the lakes, woodlands and trails, there is a natural love of sports, recreational activities and all things outdoors. Mountain Lakes is home to a wide variety of organized sporting and recreational opportunities enjoyed by all ages. The second tradition is a sense of community participation and volunteerism, which is demonstrated by the wide array of civic and cultural organizations & gatherings that have flourished over the years.

Mr. Hapgood and his successor made their mark on the roughly 3-square-mile borough, which is on the National and New Jersey Registers of Historic Places. Of the approximately 1,400 homes in Mountain Lakes, one third are designated as historically significant and even the newer houses tend toward historic reproduction.

Some of the most desirable homes line the nine man-made lakes in Mountain Lakes, most of which offer fishing, boating and swimming opportunities. Another coveted area is referred to as “the Hills,” where the roads slope upward and homes back up to Tourney County Park.

Many find the school section of the borough desirable, with the elementary, middle and high schools close to one another and to several residential streets and the train station.

View our 2024 Town Market Reports for Mountain Lakes and the areas we serve. The reports include properties recently sold, pricing, and sale trends.

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Location | Commute

Mountain Lakes is located approximately 31 miles west of NYC, and via I-280 the trip takes about 42 minutes. New Jersey Transit provides train service through Newark to New York’s Penn Station, with rides taking about 80 to 90 minutes. A direct line from neighboring Denville is a quicker trip, but this convenience costs a little more for commuters. Lakeland Bus lines provide bus service from the Boulevard in Mountain Lakes to the Port Authority terminal, averaging a one hour trip.

Activities | Recreation | Arts | Dining | Shopping

Mountain Lakes is a natural fit for home buyers seeking more of an outdoor lifestyle. Acres of woodlands, both dedicated parkland and undeveloped borough-owned lots, abound throughout Mountain Lakes to provide shade, barriers to noise and a sense of spaciousness. Nine lakes, created from the numerous small springs and wetlands in the region, are nestled into the landscape make-up the scenery, and provide a backdrop for the recreation of which the borough is well known.

The Mountain Lakes swim team practices and competes in Birchwood Lake, where there is also a public beach for borough residents, with lifeguards and concessions. Another public beach is on Mountain Lake, as is the private Mountain Lakes Club. Opened in 1914, this club has dining, a pool, tennis courts, bowling and lake activities. A protected section of Mountain Lake known as “the cove” is where residents skate in the winter. The 545-acre Tourney County Park, which lies partly in Mountain Lakes, offers more picnic areas, hiking and trails.

Civic organizations and social activities are the norm, which contribute to the tremendous sense of community in Mountain Lakes. Tennis, swimming, diving, sailing and other sports clubs are prominent as well as organizations for giving back and celebrating the arts. In addition to annual parades, fairs and concerts, the Annual Woods and Lake Run (a 5- & 10-k race) is held on the last Saturday in April and starts and finishes at Birchwood Lake. The recreation department provides access to a wide variety of youth, adult and senior programs throughout the year, outstanding facilities and an annual competition with other lake communities. Camps, organized and recreational sports and town outings bring residents together year-round.

Mountain Lakes Free Public Library enriches the lives of community members through information, education, and social programs. The library regularly adapts to new trends and technologies, offering a wide range of literary and other materials and programs. These include a makerspace for kids of all ages to explore STEAM technologies, story times, summer reading programs, p-k yoga, film & lecture series and a program to help seniors with technology, just to name a few. Additionally, there is a teen advisory board, which organizes trivia nights, game nights, holiday parties, craft activities and more!

Mountain Lakes offers a few shops and restaurants with Hapgoods and the Station Restaurant the most notable of the towns regular hangouts. The private Mountain Lakes Club also offers recreational and dining experiences. Visit neighboring Boonton and Denville to take advantage of additional services, shopping and dining- including large grocery and retail stores. Downtown Morristown is just 20 minutes away with a wide array of services, shops, casual and fine dining- a fun local destination!

Mountain Lakes Schools

Mountain Lakes School District is a top rated, public school district located in Mountain Lakes, NJ. It has 1,429 students in grades PK & K-12 with a student-teacher ratio of 9 to 1. According to Niche, Mountain Lakes ranks as the #1 district (out of 377) of best places to teach and district with the best teachers. Overall, the district ranked #7 school district out of 243.

There is one elementary, one middle and one high school in Mountain Lakes, each of which consistently excel compared to similar public schools. Wildwood Elementary School serves kindergarten through fifth and Briarcliff Middle School serves sixth- through eighth. Mountain Lakes High School has approximately 704 students from the borough and the neighboring Boonton Township. SAT scores average 1250, while ACT scores average 30, with a graduation rate of 95%.

Also in town is the Lake Drive School, which serves about 100 hearing impaired students from throughout the region. The Craig School is a private day school specializing in learning disabilities for second to 12th graders with the lower school in Mountain Lakes and the upper in Boonton.