I arrived at the parking lot of the Weis Ecology Center at 10:25 a.m., and expected to meet a small group of people between 10:30 and 10:45. When that group didn’t show by 10:50, I instead accepted an invitation to hike with a trio that I met in the parking lot.
10:51 a.m.: I began by following the green trail southwest, which ran past picnic benches and fields of the Weis Ecology Center and then up a long hill. The trail was not well-blazed, and in fact at the top of the hill I saw white blazes that were not shown on the map, but I followed them and they eventually turned into green blazes.
Green trail
11:31 a.m.: After crossing a stream, the trail resumed its ascent. After about 0.4 miles, the green trail intersected the blue trail. We turned onto the blue trail, also traveling roughly southwest. This led us to the first of a number of scenic views.
Scenic view
Scenic view
11:44 a.m.: Another scenic view.
Scenic view
11:46 a.m.: I pose in front of a boulder. The blue trail turned east around this point.
Posing in front of boulder
11:47 a.m.: Another boulder.
Boulder
11:58 a.m.: After about 0.6 miles, the blue trail intersected the red trail, and we diverged from the blue trail briefly so as to ascend to Wyanokie High Point, which afforded very nice views of the Wanaque Reservoir, with the Manhattan skyline viewable in the hazy distance.
Wyanokie High Point
Wanaque Reservoir
Wanaque Reservoir
I bid farewell to the trio with whom I had began the hike, and continued on my own. (They wanted to do a shorter, slower hike than I had in mind.) I returned to the blue trail, which now turned south.
12:37 p.m.: After 0.6 miles, I reached Carris Hill. At this point, I turned off the blue trail and onto the yellow trail, which ran southeast.
Yellow Trail
1:01 p.m.: Another scenic view.
Scenic view
Scenic view
Boulder and scenic view
1:05 p.m.: And another scenic view.
Yellow trail
Scenic view
1:11 p.m.: More views of the Wannaque Reservoir:
Wannaque Reservoir
Wannaque Reservoir
1:19 p.m.: Another view of the reservoir:
1:52 p.m.: After 0.8 miles, the yellow trail ended. I turned west onto a white trail that ran along Posts Brook.
Posts Brook
2:06 p.m.: The trail ran beside Chikahoki Falls. [This photo was actually taken the following week. The blue trail runs on the north side of the brook and doesn’t provide a very good view of the waterfall. When I returned to Norvin Green a week later, I was able to cross the brook and take this photo across from the falls.]
Chikahoki Falls
2:24 p.m.: After 0.5 miles, the white trail ended and I rejoined the blue trail, now running west. The temperature was in the 80s on this day, and I was feeling hot and tired at this point, which was only about halfway into my hike.
2:56 p.m.: After another 0.9 miles, the blue trail reached the Otter Hole, where the brook falls over two short waterfalls in quick succession.
Otter Hole
3:25 p.m.: The blue trail ended at the Otter Hole, so I rejoined the green trail, now running north back towards the Weis Ecology Center. Unlike the set of trails running south and west, the green trail running north was mostly level or downhill, so it was easier. As well, the temperature was moderating somewhat.
This was a scenic view along the way.
Scenic view
3:56 p.m.: Another view from the green trail.
Green trail
4:05 p.m.: This was the only stone wall that I saw at Norvin Green.
Stone wall
After 2.7 miles on the green trail, I returned to the Weis Ecology Center and my car. So this was about a 6.7 mile hike.