Carris Hill, Wyanokie High Point, Buck Mountain Loop Hike

This is a rather easy hike for me in Norvin Green State Forest. There are a lot of views in this hike, some are blocked by trees, some are very good and wide open. I like the waterfall called Chikahoki Falls. You can bush wack a little so that you will be at the bottom of it or swim in it if you want. If this hike is too easy then you can add the Oslo hike which is very near the trail head. The Oslo hike will add 2 more miles which is great for people who want a workout.

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Norvin Green State Hike Important Information

Trail Map: Trail Map 1
Suggested Phone GPS Apps: Alltrails.com, Avenza Maps, Google Maps

Difficulty: Easy To Moderate
Distance: 7 Miles
Elevation Gained: 1000 ft
Portable Toilet At Parking: No

Trail Breakdown
Blue Trail To White Trail – 1 mile
White Trail To Yellow Trail – 0.5 miles
Carris Yellow Trail To View Point – 0.5 miles
View Point To Blue To Red Trail – 1 mile
Red Trail To Wyanokie High Point – 0.3 miles
Wyanokie To Blue View – 0.3 miles
White Trail To Green Trail – 0.3 miles
Green Trail To Yellow Trail – 1.5 miles
Yellow Trail To View Point – 0.5 miles
Yellow View Point To Parking – 1 mile

https://www.mapmyhike.com/workout/2178562361

Note: The information is just an approximation.

Parking

41.045668, -74.350553

 

Start Of The Hike

Whenever I saw a hiking trail, it was as if all the drama and conflict of the world could no longer reach me. Nothing that people have said could bother me, no negativity could be found within me as I only felt peace and excitement whenever my boots made a sound with the ground on a hiking trail. There was nothing behind me, only the excitement for the adventure to come that was ahead of me. I savor my time with nature as if the day was a special occasion that only happens once in a lifetime. With a smile on my face, me and my group members dived deep into the hiking trail.

 

Otter Hole

Otter hole was a river and a mini waterfall of some sort where we had to hop from one rock to the next to get to the other side. I led the way as my group members followed me. The rocks were dry, coarse, and full of traction which was unexpected. Usually rocks in the middle of a stream are full of molds and are very slippery but these rocks weren’t like that. Still, we moved carefully trying to cross the stream and I tried to make sure that no one falls down the river. The stream was fast, flowed quite rapidly, but the rocks that were protruding were pretty high which allowed us to easily cross.

 

Blue Trail After Otter Hole

Looking at the dimly lit forest, there lay a multitude of thinly shaped trees standing proudly, with the air that felt cool to my skin and the sound of gushing water to our right could be heard. We walked slowly while following the dirt footpath, just talking to each other, smiling, laughing and enjoying each other’s company. It is one of the blessings of this Earth to find people that you can connect with, spend time with, and just be happy knowing they are near.

 

Chikahoki Falls

The strong currents of the waterfall could be felt as we got near it. We jumped over a big dead tree and got in front of this mighty beast. Its roar was fierce as the the sound of falling waters hitting the rocks could be heard all around us. We could barely hear each other talking. I placed both of my hands on the water, trying to clean them as a few of my group members took out their boots and socks before dipping their feet and legs into the cold pool of water. Smiling and laughing like  a bunch of kids, we all splashed each other for a few minutes before heading out and going back to the trail.

 

White Trail And Carris Hill Yellow Trail Intersection

The white trail was as flat as the blue trail. The footpath was gentle and mild, a great hiking trail for beginners. The sound of gushing water was gone, replaced by a deafening silence that surrounded us. Perhaps playing with the water made us all tired and talking was the last thing on our minds. We saw various streams, rivers and pools of water on the trails yet we hardly saw any mosquitoes. Perhaps we were lucky or perhaps this place did not have many mosquitoes flying by.

Various wooden signs could be seen at one part of the trail, they were shaped like an arrow to make sure that people would not get lost. We followed the Carris Hill sign and went on our way.

 

Yellow Trail Carris Hill

We began rapidly ascending upward on the yellow trail, passing over dead trees that have fallen, big rocks on the ground, and a small crevice along the way. After a few minutes, I could hear the sound of heavy breathing coming from my group members as they all placed their hands on their waist while they walked upwards. I felt the heaviness of their footsteps and could almost see fatigue emanating from their bodies as they walked gradually to the top.

I encouraged them on, suggesting that we can rest at a viewpoint at the top. They all looked tired and fatigued as they inch ever so closely to the viewpoint but they all had lots of willpower and forced themselves to get up the trail.

 

Carris Hill Views

The sky was gloomy and vengeful with dark and stormy clouds menacingly staring at us over at the viewpoint. I felt a creepy chill in the air as the winds riled up into a frenzy, smashing against anything in their way, with the trees writhing in pain as they flailed around helplessly to the mighty winds that swept over the valley. I sat on a cold hard rock while looking at the lake in front of me. It wore a dark gray and vile appearance, reflecting the color and attitude of the hateful sky on top of us.

 

Tired and fatigued, we sat on the viewpoint while enjoying the malevolent winds coming our way. The malicious winds smashed against our bodies and clothes forcefully, but all I could think about was how nice and cool they felt while taking all of our sweat away. I lied down on a smooth hard rock and closed my eyes. The powerful winds felt cool and comforting that I could feel my body wanting to sleep and forget about the hike.

I looked at my group members, some were talking to each other and some were also tempted to fall asleep as they laid their bodies down on the smooth rocks and used their backpacks as pillows, trying to get as comfortable as possible before taking a nice nap.

 

Yellow Trail After Carris Hill

The trail took us further upwards and at the top was a big rock that was almost twice my size. I pushed the rock with all my might but it would not move. I tried to climb it, and at the top, I could see the view we had before. Nothing spectacular but I looked pretty cool standing on top of it though. Like some kind of watchman or surveyor, I stood gracefully balancing myself at the top of the stone, looking at the views all around me that was normally blocked by trees.

 

The yellow trail was a flat footpath, a flat surface made out of stones that stretched on for a mile or more with shrubs, bushes and other small plant life on the sides. The dark clouds hovering above us were starting to dissipate as we could see a deep blue color in some areas of the sky. We marched on until we saw another big rock with the yellow marker on its side. It was a huge peculiar rock and it would not budge as well as I tried to push it. We all took a rest and a water break before deciding to move on.

 

Red And Blue Trail Intersection

We followed the red marker to Wyanokie High Point. A quick rock scramble and we found ourselves at the top.

 

Wyanokie High Point

Bars of sunlight penetrated through the cracks in the sky, illuminating a patch of the forest while leaving the others in the shadows. It was as if one part of the forest was saved while the others were forsaken. At one part of the mountain (or to my left), we could see Manhattan or tall skyscrapers in a grayish and blurry color. Soft and bouncy white clouds, far out of my reach, drift across the blue sky in an unnatural slowness as if time had slowed down for them while others had sped up.

There was beauty in nature that I could not describe but I could feel it in my body, all the way to my bones, as if love was building up in my emotions, grateful for the scenery, grateful for the Earth, grateful for my life, and loving every moment of my time on this plane of existence.

 

Refreshing winds of all variants of gentleness kissed my skin lovingly, cooling my body, and restoring back the energy that I have lost. I sat on a cold stone just enjoying the wind as the clouds moved ever so slowly in one direction like different sized turtles slowly racing each other. There was beauty in the scenery that was indescribable by words, but I know it was there in front of me, just a loving feeling that I could sense with my heart.

Nature has always been kind to me by rejuvenating my body, giving me a beautiful scenery to look at and even giving me shelter at times. The kindness that nature gives is a feeling that fills me up and makes me want to be kind to other people as well, to make them smile or make them happy even for just a moment of time.

 

Different kinds of weird graffiti stained the stone floors; a drawing of two people holding hands, a few big overdrawn stars and a drawing of a moon at a corner. The drawings of people were human sized as if someone laid down to make sure the measurements were somewhat correct. At the side of one person were scribbles that I could not read but they looked like a spell or incantation of some sort. At the center of the mountain was a gravestone split in half with a person’s name on it. The whole thing was somewhat creepy yet interesting at the same time.

 

Blue Trail After Wyanokie

Back on the blue trail, we saw another huge rock, this time somewhat circular in shape and form. By this time, we were pretty much sick and tired of big rocks that we were just not interested in it anymore. I placed my hand on the cold coarse boulder while I waited for my group members that were trailing behind. The moment everyone caught up, we all went on our way.

 

Blue Trail View Point

We took a little bit of a detour just to check out the viewpoint that was marked on the map but to my disappointment, it was blocked by a couple of trees. Yet, my group members were pretty grateful for it as they could relax, take a few minutes of break, and talk to each other. They were pretty new to hiking and a nice easy trail like this was perfect for them. I could hear them laughing, smiling and making jokes as I took some pictures of the viewpoint.

 

Green Trail

Deep into the solemn woods we traveled, far from our daily routines, away from our jobs, and into the bosom of nature where the light and shadow intermingle. The green trail was mostly flat and easy on the legs with a plethora of green trees that glowed beautifully underneath the skylight. Cool and moist, the air felt good on our bodies, allowing us to recharge and rejuvenate as we traversed through the trail. The once silent forest was now filled with laughter as I could hear my group members having fun, talking to each other, smiling and laughing.

 

Yellow Trail Top View

We took a quick detour just to check out the views in Buck Mountain. However, the yellow trail was not fun at all. It was murky, muddy and filled with water that my group members were having a hard time navigating it. We had to jump from one dead tree to another just to cross the trail without getting our socks wet. The incline after the pools of water proved to be rather difficult also as the trail was steep and unforgiving. The once joyful sounds that echoed in the forest were now replaced by uncontrollable moans and groans combined with heavy breathing with each step that my group members made.

 

A black snaked popped out as we reached the top, it slithered by until it picked a spot were it held its head high while monitoring us. It was either protecting its eggs or perhaps protecting its dinner. Some of my group members took pictures of the snake before we took a quick break away from it. I could feel a storm brewing from the cold winds that kept coming and going. I looked at my group members and knew that they were not ready yet but I had no choice. I made the decision that we should all go.

 

Buck Mountain

The dark clouds came back in force as we reached Buck Mountain. The viewpoint was blocked by trees and we could barely see anything. There was nothing there but an impending danger as the cold winds increased in their magnitude. We all zipped our jackets and held them closer by crossing our arms and holding them tighter. The ominous winds screeched and rattled the nearby trees, blowing in a bunch of leaves in our direction. We all turned our faces away and used our backs to shield ourselves against the mighty winds. In that moment, we all decided to go back before the storm arrives.

 

Back To Otter Hole

We arrived at Otter Hole again which was 5 minutes away from the parking lot. There was gladness in everyone’s faces as we all approached this familiar place. Everyone was joking around again, having a good time, and they were also thinking about a good restaurant for dinner. We all talked to each other at the parking lot before deciding which restaurant to go to. I heard the sound of gravel being squashed as my friend’s car left the parking lot. I looked at the beautiful forest that gave us an amazing experience through the back seat window before our car went on its way.

 

 

For More Hikes

For more hikes similar to this one, you can go to my Best Hikes For NYC Or Best Hikes For New Jersey.