Norvin Green State Forest, NJ - Otter Hole to Wyanokie High Point to Buck Mountain Loop

ABOUT THE PARK: 

Norvin Green State Forest - New Jersey State Park Service

DIRECTIONS: 

GPS Coordinates 41.04581, -74.35043

Otter Hole Parking Lot

TRAIL MAP: 

Northern New Jersey Highlands Trail Map 151 - New York New Jersey Trail Conference

HIKE DISTANCE:  7.4 miles

THE HIKE: 

The trail starts just to the east of the parking lot.

Otter Hole

Heading to Chikahoki Falls via the Highlands Trail...

... with a little detour on an unmarked trail I wanted to check out.

I was trying to get to yellow but was having a hard time finding it.

No wonder!  It was not obvious at all.

Back on the blue trail/Highlands Trail.

White trail to the falls.

I was surprised the falls were running at all with as dry as it has been.

On the yellow Carris Hill Trail.

On the blue trail/Highlands Trail again.

Wyanoki High Point

From Wyanokie High Point taking blue to the right.

We passed by white a short distance to the overlook then retraced.

The white Macopin Trail which appears to be very lightly used based on the spider webs.

At the end of white, a few steps right on green then left on unmarked.

There are some faint white blazes on the unmarked trail.

I had intended to go left on red dot on white but ended up continuing on unmarked which led to...

... the yellow Wyanokie Crest Trail.  That was fine, just a little different than planned.

The Highlands Trail joins in.

At the overlook the trail descends VERY steeply over this rock surface.  It's a sit-down-and-scootch-on-your-rear-end kind of downhill.

New York City was almost visible on a hazy day.

Right on the green Otter Hole Trail.

Falls at Otter Hole.

Arriving back at the parking lot, I was quite horrified when I turned to the right and saw my car.

It takes a special kind of stupid to do something like that.  That is asking to get your car keyed.  He is lucky that is not something I am capable of doing.  I am however capable of calling the police and having the car towed but it didn't come to that, although it would have served him right.  There was a women sitting in the blue car next to mine.  She pulled out of her spot and I was able to wiggle out. A very angry note was left on the windshield of that car.