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 Reporter |
Summary: We took the Mine Trail past the Mine Falls. Past the falls, evidence of the old mining operations in this area were everywhere. We finally reached the Roomey Mine, and old iron mine which can be entered with great care. We grabbed our headlamps and explored it for awhile. We then followed the Mine Trail to the Blue Mine, a flooded mine, and began to ascend Carris Hill. High Point was the first viewpoint we reached, and you could see the skyline of Manhattan over 30miles away! Below us was the vast Wanaque Reservoir. Here we picked up the Highlands Trail and followed it over Yoo-Hoo Point and to the summit of Carris Hill itself. Here, the Carris Hill Trail lead steeply downwards to the Chikahoki Brook. The trail was very rocky and we hiked along slowly and carefully. We met the Lower Trail at the brook itself and followed it around the base of Carris Hill back to the Mine Trail and to the parking area. Trailhead: These trails are located in the Norvin Green State Forest in Northeast New Jersey. I parked at the Weiss Ecology Center on Snake Den Rd which is next to the park. You can take NJ's Skyline Drive to Rt 511 and West Brook Rd. Take time to visit the Ecology Center - a fantastic place with incredible outdoor educational programs! (Lat:41.07006 Lon:-74.32211) Trail Guides for Carris Hill Loop: Iron Mine Trails Of NY & NJ by Edward Lenik (NY/NJ Trail Confrence) Best Seasons: Year-Round User Groups: Hikers, Ranger Contact: Weiss Ecology Center - (973) 835-2160 Localhikes Reporter: This hike was submitted by Brian Walter, who has posted 10 other hikes on this site Trail Reviews Page 1 of 2 Submit your own review 
Reviewed by Dave V on 1/6/2010 I realized I reviewed the wrong hike earlier, this is the route I did. The climbs were pretty steep at times but my initial review applies, it is copied and pasted. would give 5 but I haven't hiked enough to have a personal favorite. It was pretty difficult for me. The snow and ice were definitely a factor in difficulty and the trails get a bit tricky at one point. There's signs around that say no pets, but I was hiking alone and needed my dog, who found a few lost trails for me. I would recommend this to a friend who was looking for a challenge that was doable for a very lightly seasoned hiker.
Reviewed by AY on 11/22/2009 TJ - we are getting ready to do this hike again next weekend (it's been 10 years for me) but my trail notes show that at the white trail junction you could go right - which will lead you to some falls and ultimately the junction with the blue trail you were looking for - or white also goes straight ahead which it sounds like you ended up doing and ending up at the road. Hope we do not encounter the same black bear next weekend!
Reviewed by TJ on 10/22/2009 We started from the parking area on Glenwild and followed the Blue blazes trail to Carris Hill. This was a great hike for us with a lot of variety. We ran into trouble on the way down though. We followed the yellow blaze trail until the intersection with the white trail. This was supposed to take us back to an intersection with the blue trail but we found that the white trails has two routes and we ended up in a residential area on Doty road and then couldn't pick the trail back up. Encountered a black bear but also a friendly retired couple that gave us a ride back to our car. Any hints on where we went wrong would be appreciated, we would love to try again. 
Reviewed by Jay D on 8/3/2008 Must say out of my short resume of hikes this one tops it so far. I started from Glenwild Ave. The views just kept getting better thru out the hike and it finally climaxed at High Point in Norvin Green with one spectacular view looking over Wanaque Reservoir and NYC in the far distance. I stayed up the for about 2 hours just relaxing. Trails are clearly marked and I had no trouble in my plan of doing a loop by connecting to other trails. It all worked brilliantly. 5 stars for this one. I will be back.
Reviewed by Justin on 8/18/2007 Great hike with the perfect amount of difficulty and fun. Wildlife was minimal. We saw only toads but there were a lot of them (we counted 13). It is not a round trip though, as far as I can tell. we took the blue trail all the way (ending near the weiss center) and then took the green trail back.
Reviewed by Janet D on 10/8/2006 Hiked a variation on this trail on 6/4/06. Very dog friendly trails. Nice views - especially NYC view from High Point.
Reviewed by Powitz on 12/7/2005 My dog and I love these trails. I have personaly hiked all the marked ones many times. Hope to see you there.
Reviewed by Brian S on 7/5/2004 Very nice hike. The views from High Point and Carris Hill are outstanding. Possibly the best in NJ. This is not an easy hike, but anyone in half decent shape can easily complete it. Notice: Traveling in the backcountry can be hazardous. You are responsible for informing yourself about these hazards and taking necessary precautions. Information on this web site comes from volunteer reporters and may contain errors or omissions. A current guidebook and proper equipment are essential for safe enjoyment of the hikes posted on this site. Keys: New Jersey Hiking, New Jersey Trails, New Jersey Hikes, Passaic County Hiking, Passaic County Trails, Passaic County Hikes | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||